1600- Hearth tax

The final registration on the right page:

Symon Mes goutsmith deur an-
geven vande selve
haertsteden - III
Een smis

Symons Mes goldsmith by his own
report
Hearths - 3
A forge - 1

The location is mentioned at the bottom of the left page:

Ande Noortsijde
vant Marcktveld

At the north end
of the Marktveld [now: Markt]

That's great thanks Rene.

I assume the forge is for his work as a goldsmith -and possibly that of his brothers Francois and Hans?

The location is consistent with other documents. Marktveld north end. 

When Hans Mes married around 1618 his address was Marktveld, as it was at this death in 1630.

I really appreciate all the time you've devoted today to helping me build a picture of the Mes family in Delft.

warmest wishes

Anne

Hi Anne,

The forge is indeed for his work as goldsmith; it is mentioned as smis, which is a different spelling for smidse. Although the term 'haardstedengeld' seems to imply that the amount of tax was based on the number of hearths per house, it was in this case actually based on the number of chimneys per house. Later on, the term 'haardstedengeld' was still being used, whereas the tax was actually based on the number of horses owned per house.

Happy to help, the family has left quite a 'paper trail' in the archives...

So interesting Rene. Thank you so much.

I think we also had a hearth tax in the UK in the 17th century. It's quite a helpful way to understand how wealthy/or not your ancestors were. Obviously the more hearths/chimneys a house had the larger it was.

In this case it's also informative re the forge needed for his trade as a goldsmith.

I have a couple more documents I've found re the Mes brothers. Again they seem to be about property ownership/sale. 

very best wishes

Anne