Rochester Kent Parish records - surname column preceded by letter E or R

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The parish register for Rochester in Kent has an extra column on the left of the baptism record. The column shows the surname of the child and is preceded by a letter E or letter R. The register can be viewed here https://cityark.medway.gov.uk/wwwopacx/wwwopac.ashx?command=getcontent&server=files&value=P306-01-07(2).pdf

What is the significance of the letters preceding the surname?
in Genealogy Help by Michael Turner G2G Crew (440 points)

1 Answer

+5 votes

As  it occurs in 1783, I think that it's probably  to record   payments of stamp duty. In that year the government put a 3d tax on all baptism, marriages and burials to help pay for the costs arising from the American War of Independence..It was repealed in 1794 . It was very unpopular and baptism rates dropped. (You couldn'd avoid burials and marriages were one off events but 3d for a baptism was a lot for a labouring family at a time when income was probably reduced and expences increased)   People on poor relief were exempt from payment. 

At a guess, e would stand  for exempt and r for received. Many registers have a p (poor or pauper) for those that were exempt.

(Can't check to see if it starts in 1783 and ends in 1794  as the pdf doesn't have any earlier pages or pages after 1791).

by Helen Ford G2G6 Pilot (510k points)
edited by Helen Ford

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