While looking at the strange ways in which tax has been raised, I came across an article in The Dundee Courier from April 1916 which observed :
"Among many remarkable objects of taxation, one very quaint one was the beard. A tax on beards was actually levied at one time in England."
I decided to find out a bit more about these beard taxes.
"Among many remarkable objects of taxation, one very quaint one was the beard. A tax on beards was actually levied at one time in England."
I decided to find out a bit more about these beard taxes.
The same article continues by saying that in Russia in 1705 "Peter the Great assessed the beards of his nobles at a rouble and those of the common people at a kopeck. The tax was partly for the purpose of inducing the Russians to shave. Any man wearing a beard without having paid the tax was liable to have the hair torn out by the roots or to be shaved with a blunt razor."
I am not sure what our tax collectors would have made of being given the opportunity to inflict real pain on the poor taxpayer !
I am not sure what our tax collectors would have made of being given the opportunity to inflict real pain on the poor taxpayer !
The first trace of any taxation on facial hair was in 1447 during the reign of Henry VI when it was declared illegal to have any form of moustache. It seems it was the law that you had to shave your upper lip at least once every two weeks. Why this was is not recorded and we can only surmise. I like to think there was some reasoning behind the tax and it may have been considered unclean to have one.
We then have to move forward nearly one hundred years to Henry VIII. He had a decidedly regal beard so it is somewhat surprising that in 1535 he introduced a tax on all people with beards. Because wealthy individuals chose to copy the trend set by the King, the tax was graduated so that the more beard you had, the more tax you paid. It was a sign of your social status to have a big beard. The tax raised was presumably used to help Henry pay for the upkeep of his many wives and lovers. This didn't effect Henry as, being King, he was exempt from the payment of any tax !
Finally, in 1913 the Nottingham Evening Post reported that Henry's daughter, Elizabeth I, reintroduced the beard tax during her reign and everyone with more than two weeks growth was obliged to pay a tax of 3s 4d. The article said, "The statutory beard was therefore a very modest appendage — a bare covering of the skin, trimmed with more or less nicety. The beard tax was, however, roundly condemned, and many people literally 'laughed in their beards' and refused to pay". Obviously, Elizabeth, being a woman, was exempt from the tax as it only applied to men !
We then have to move forward nearly one hundred years to Henry VIII. He had a decidedly regal beard so it is somewhat surprising that in 1535 he introduced a tax on all people with beards. Because wealthy individuals chose to copy the trend set by the King, the tax was graduated so that the more beard you had, the more tax you paid. It was a sign of your social status to have a big beard. The tax raised was presumably used to help Henry pay for the upkeep of his many wives and lovers. This didn't effect Henry as, being King, he was exempt from the payment of any tax !
Finally, in 1913 the Nottingham Evening Post reported that Henry's daughter, Elizabeth I, reintroduced the beard tax during her reign and everyone with more than two weeks growth was obliged to pay a tax of 3s 4d. The article said, "The statutory beard was therefore a very modest appendage — a bare covering of the skin, trimmed with more or less nicety. The beard tax was, however, roundly condemned, and many people literally 'laughed in their beards' and refused to pay". Obviously, Elizabeth, being a woman, was exempt from the tax as it only applied to men !
With each of these taxes, I can see there being long legal arguments over
- whether a moustache or beard had a growth of more than two weeks, or
- how long or bushy your beard was.