England, Middlesex, Westminster Rate Books - FamilySearch Historical Records

England

This collection consists of rate books from Westminster City for the years 1634-1900.

Why Should I Look at This Collection?
Given the information collected during their creation, these records can serve as a substitute for census records for individuals in the nineteenth century, or as a primary source for an individual's life in the two previous centuries.

What is in the Collection?
This collection contains an index to and images of taxation records. This collection was originally filmed at the Westminster City Archives and the index was created by Findmypast.

Rate books are an assessment of owed taxes that were owed.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?

 * Name of head of household
 * Street address
 * Rate owed
 * Date of the record

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching, it is best to know the following information: As you search, compare your results with this information to find a match.
 * Name of the person
 * Date of the record

I Found the Person I Was Looking for, What Now?

 * Copy down all the information from the index entry.
 * Cite the record. See below for help citing records in this collection.
 * Look at the image of the original record. Index entries contain only the most basic information needed to identify an individual; the original record may contain more information which was not included in the index.
 * Use what you have found to find the person in parish registers. You should also try to find the person in civil registration records and the England Census if you are researching in the nineteenth century.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking for, What Now?
For additional help searching online collections see FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.
 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which individual is correct. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to determine which candidate is the correct person. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records.
 * Check for variants of given names and surnames. For much of the period of this collection, spelling was not standardized; pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation. Individuals might also have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or abbreviation of their given name.
 * Vary the search terms. For example, expand the year range or search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of search results.
 * Search the records of nearby locations. While most people in this period never lived more than 20 miles from their place of birth, moves within this distance were common. For this collection, bordering locations could include other parishes in Middlesex outside Westminster or the city of London proper.

Citing this Collection
Proper citations make it easier to get back to sources that you have found, so citing sources properly can help you keep track of research. Correct citations also allow others to check completed research by giving them a way to find and examine records for themselves.

Below are the proper citations to use for this whole collection as well as for individual images within it:

Collection Citation

Record (or Index) Citation

Image Citation