Ship Money was a tax that could be levied by the Monarch, without the approval of Parliament, during wartime on coastal communities.
In 1634 Charles I applied the tax and in 1635 extended it to those living outside of maritime areas to elsewhere in the country. It was levied on our ancestors every year until 1640. It was very unpopular and Parliament disagreed with the King over the tax, and the Ship Money Act of 1641 made it illegal.
Many of the lists from 1634 to 1640 survive and are held in The National Archives amongst State Papers Domestic. Records of defaulters are found in the Exchequer records in class E179.
