Hairpowder tax

The Hairpowder Tax was introduced in 1795 by Prime Minister William Pitt the younger, to raise funds for fighting the Napoleonic Wars against France. A certificate permitting the use of Hairpowder cost one Guinea per year (the equivalent of about £100 today). Some groups, such as the military, were exempt. Powdered hair had been a status symbol in many countries, and in very prosperous households the servants wore it too. The new tax contributed to a change whereby short hair eventually became fashionable instead. Because the tax was the same for all users, the relevant records are of rather less interest to local historians than the ones which differentiate between one person and another. However, they are a helpful list of the better-off residents. The tax was not discontinued until 1861. It is the earlier years that are of particular interest, because more people were included than in later times. Also, there are fewer other sources of information available for the earlier years.…