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The Blaker Society © Walterus Gynnour / Walterus ... 4d

4d
Walterus Blakere / Walterus ...
4d
Johannes Broksmele / Johannes Bro...
4d
Simon Merefeld / Simon ...
...
Willelmus Haselyngs / Willelmus Hastelyn’ 18d
The various collectors of the poll tax prepared their returns in a
variety of ways. The detail of the 1379 Poll Tax Act is recorded in the
Anonimalle Chronicle. There were many categories of tax, but the vast
majority of the population fell into one of three bands:

1. Artisans
All lesser merchants and artisans who have profit from the land,
according to the extent of their estate 6d, 12d or 2s
2. Married common folk
Each married man, for himself and his wife if they do not belong to the
estates above-mentioned and are over the age of 16 years, genuine
beggars excepted 4d
3. Single common folk
Each single man and woman of this last estate and of the same age
4d

Although the ‘married’ and ‘single’ bands paid equally, many of
the returns give separate lists for ‘communarii maritati’ and ‘soli & sole
non maritati’ &c. Cuckfield was just such a return: first there are the
artisans at 6d each, then the married commoners at 4d (wives going free),
then unmarried commoners at 4d.
The difficulty of this arrangement is that there were many married
people who no longer had a husband or wife. Therefore widows and
widowers appear in the ‘married’ lists. Secondly, servants and adult
children were normally listed together with their masters/fathers if they
were married. In some returns servants and children are clearly described
as such, and in some returns wives are named, or at least indicated.
Neither was the case in Cuckfield. It is possible that there is a subtlety in
the spacing of the actual Cuckfield returns that indicates household
groups but which has not been carried over into the printed transcript, but
as it stands we do not know if an individual named was a servant or
dependent of the person listed above, or if the person(s) listed below him
were his servants or dependents.
In the Cuckfield return the only occupations given (apart from the
gentry) are those of the artisans paying 6d or more. There are 4
carpenters, 1 tanner, 1 clerk, 5 tailors, 1 smith, 1 thatcher and a cooper.