Duty on Hair Powder Act 1795

Last updated

Duty on Hair Powder Act 1795
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1714-1801).svg
Long title An act for granting to his Majesty a duty on certificates issued for using hair powder.
Citation 35 Geo. 3. c. 49
Dates
Royal assent 30 April 1795
Repealed6 August 1861
Other legislation
Amended byHair Powder Certificates, etc. Act 1795
Repealed by Statute Law Revision Act 1861
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Duty on Hair Powder Act 1795 (35 Geo. 3. c. 49) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which levied a tax on hair powder. The tax was used to finance government programmes, especially to fund the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars with France. [1] The Act was repealed in 1861.

Contents

The Act

The Act stated that everyone wishing to use hair powder must, from 5 May 1795, visit a stamp office to enter their name and pay for an annual certificate costing 1 guinea (equivalent to £100 in 2020). [2] [3] Certain exemptions were included: the Royal Family and their servants; clergymen with an income of under £100 a year; and members of the armed forces who were privates in the army, artillery soldiers, mariners, engineers, non-commissioned officers, subalterns, officers in the navy below commander, yeomanry, militia, fencibles, and volunteers. A father with more than two unmarried daughters could buy two certificates that would be valid for any number he stated at the stamp office. The master of a household could buy a certificate for a number of his servants, and that certificate would also be valid for their successors within that year.

Substantial fines could be imposed on those brought before the courts.

At the quarter sessions of the peace held at Bourne, in Lincolnshire on Tuesday se'nnight, the Rev. Francis Barstow, of Aslackby, was convicted in the penalty of twenty pounds, for wearing hair powder without having previously taken out a licence. [4]

Effects

Hair Powder Certificates, etc. Act 1795
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1714-1801).svg
Long title An act for allowing further time for persons to take out certificates for using or wearing hair powder, in pursuance of an act of this present session of parliament, intituled, "An act for granting to his Majesty duty on certificates issued for using hair powder;" and also further time for the admeasurement and registering of boats, barges, and other vessels, in pursuance of another act of the same session, intituled, "An act for requiring all boats, barges, and other vessels, of certain descriptions, used on navigable rivers, and on inland navigations, in Great Britain, to be registered."
Citation 35 Geo. 3. c. 112
Dates
Royal assent 26 June 1795
Repealed21 August 1871
Other legislation
Amends
Repealed by Statute Law Revision Act 1871
Status: Repealed

The Hair Powder Certificates, etc. Act 1795 (35 Geo. 3. c. 112) was passed later in the same session of Parliament to allow people more time to apply for certificates. [5]

The use of hair powder had been declining, and the tax speeded this decline. In its first year, the tax raised £200,000. [6] In 1812, 46,684 people still paid the tax. In 1855, only 997 did and almost all of these were servants. By the time it was repealed in 1861, it yielded an annual revenue of £1,000. [7]

According to author Jenny Uglow, those who chose to pay the guinea hair powder tax were nicknamed "guinea-pigs" by reformist Whigs who chose instead to cut their hair short (the "French" cut) and go without a wig as an expression of solidarity with the French. Those deriding hair-powder taxpayers as "guinea-pigs" were, in turn, satirized by The Times as members of the "Crop Club" wearing the "Bedford Level", a reference to prominent Whig reformer John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dandy</span> Historically, a man who emphasised good looks, refined language, and leisurely hobbies

A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance and personal grooming, refined language and leisurely hobbies. A dandy could be a self-made man both in person and persona, who emulated the aristocratic style of life regardless of his middle-class origin, birth, and background, especially during the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stamp Act 1765</span> 1765 British statute which taxed its American colonies use of printed materials

The Stamp Act 1765, also known as the Duties in American Colonies Act 1765, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which imposed a direct tax on the British colonies in America and required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper from London which included an embossed revenue stamp. Printed materials included legal documents, magazines, playing cards, newspapers, and many other types of paper used throughout the colonies, and it had to be paid in British currency, not in colonial paper money.

Following the Peterloo Massacre on 16 August 1819, the government of the United Kingdom under Lord Liverpool acted to prevent any future disturbances by the introduction of new legislation, the so-called Six Acts aimed at suppressing any meetings for the purpose of radical reform. Élie Halévy considered them a panic-stricken extension of "the counter-revolutionary terror ... under the direct patronage of Lord Sidmouth and his colleagues"; some later historians have treated them as relatively mild gestures towards law and order, only tentatively enforced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wig</span> Head accessory that mimics hair

A wig is a head covering made from human or animal hair, or a synthetic imitation thereof. The word is short for "periwig". Wigs may be worn to disguise baldness, to alter the wearer's appearance, or as part of certain professional uniforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford</span> English aristocrat (1765–1802)

Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford was an English aristocrat and Whig politician, responsible for much of the development of central Bloomsbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Declaratory Act</span> British legislation regarding the American colonies

The American Colonies Act 1766, commonly known as the Declaratory Act, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act 1765 and the amendment of the Sugar Act. Parliament repealed the Stamp Act because boycotts were hurting British trade and used the declaration to justify the repeal and avoid humiliation. The declaration stated that the Parliament's authority was the same in America as in Britain and asserted Parliament's authority to pass laws that were binding on the American colonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inland Revenue</span> Defunct department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation

The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty. More recently, the Inland Revenue also administered the Tax Credits schemes, whereby monies, such as Working Tax Credit (WTC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC), are paid by the Government into a recipient's bank account or as part of their wages. The Inland Revenue was also responsible for the payment of child benefit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Townshend Acts</span> Political precursor to the American Revolution

The Townshend Acts or Townshend Duties were a series of British acts of Parliament passed during 1767 and 1768 introducing a series of taxes and regulations to enable administration of the British colonies in America. They are named after the Chancellor of the Exchequer who proposed the programme. Historians vary slightly as to which acts they include under the heading "Townshend Acts", but five are often listed:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tea Act</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Tea Act 1773 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The principal objective was to reduce the massive amount of tea held by the financially troubled British East India Company in its London warehouses and to help the struggling company survive. A related objective was to undercut the price of illegal tea, smuggled into Britain's North American colonies. This was supposed to convince the colonists to purchase Company tea on which the Townshend duties were paid, thus implicitly agreeing to accept Parliament's right of taxation. Smuggled tea was a large issue for Britain and the East India Company, since approximately 86% of all the tea in America at the time was smuggled Dutch tea.

A stamp act is any legislation that requires a tax to be paid on the transfer of certain documents. Those who pay the tax receive an official stamp on their documents, making them legal documents. A variety of products have been covered by stamp acts including playing cards, dice, patent medicines, cheques, mortgages, contracts, marriage licenses and newspapers. The items may have to be physically stamped at approved government offices following payment of the duty, although methods involving annual payment of a fixed sum or purchase of adhesive stamps are more practical and common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stamp duty in the United Kingdom</span> Tax charged on legal instruments

Stamp duty in the United Kingdom is a form of tax charged on legal instruments, and historically required a physical stamp to be attached to or impressed upon the document in question. The more modern versions of the tax no longer require a physical stamp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Engleheart</span> English painter

George Engleheart (1750–1829) was an English painter of portrait miniatures, and a contemporary of Richard Cosway, John Smart, William Wood, and Richard Crosse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eponymous hairstyle</span> Hairstyle associated with a particular individual

An eponymous hairstyle is a particular hairstyle that has become fashionable during a certain period of time through its association with a prominent individual.

An Appropriation Act is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which, like a Consolidated Fund Act, allows the Treasury to issue funds out of the Consolidated Fund. Unlike a Consolidated Fund Act, an Appropriation Act also "appropriates" the funds, that is allocates the funds issued out of the Consolidated Fund to individual government departments and Crown bodies. Appropriation Acts were formerly passed by the Parliament of Great Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short Titles Act 1896</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Short Titles Act 1896 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It replaces the Short Titles Act 1892.

Forgery Act is a stock short title used for legislation in the United Kingdom which relates to forgery and similar offences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1977</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1977 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trump (dog)</span> Pug owned by the English artist William Hogarth

Trump was a pug owned by English painter William Hogarth. He included the dog in several works, including his 1745 self-portrait Painter and his Pug, held by the Tate Gallery. In the words of the Tate's display caption, "Hogarth's pug dog, Trump, serves as an emblem of the artist's own pugnacious character."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revenue stamps of Hawaii</span>

Revenue stamps of Hawaii were first issued in late 1876 by the Kingdom of Hawaii to pay taxes according to the Stamp Duty Act of 1876, although embossed revenue stamps had been introduced decades earlier in around 1845. The stamps issued in 1876–79 were used for over three decades, remaining in use during the Provisional Government, the Republic and after Hawaii became a U.S. Territory. Some changes were made along the years: from rouletted to perforated, and some new values, colours, designs and overprints were added. Some postage stamps were briefly valid for fiscal use in 1886–88 to pay for a tax on opium imports, and a stamp in a new design was issued for customs duties in 1897. A liquor stamp was issued in 1905.

References

  1. Murden, Sarah (22 July 2013). "Hair Powder Tax". All Things Georgian. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  2. Navrátil Van Praag, Alexandria M., ed. (15 February 2018). "The Hair Powder Act of 1795". Political Dresser. Retrieved 11 August 2020.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. "The Rise and Fall of the Powdered Wig: While it's true that wigs were a major status symbol early in the second half of the 18th century, by 1800 short, natural hair was all the rage. Learn all about the rise and fall of wigs". American Battlefield Trust. Head-Tilting History. 22 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  4. "Hair Powder Certificate Act". Northampton Mercury. 23 January 1796. p. 3.
  5. "Public Act, 35 George III, c. 112 (Reference HL/PO/PU/1/1795/35G3n259)". The National Archives. 1795. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  6. "HAIR POWDER CERTIFICATES (Reference QS/16)". The National Archives. n.d. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  7. Dowell, Stephen (1888). A History of Taxation and Taxes in England from the Earliest Times to the Year 1885. Volume III. Direct Taxes and Stamp Duties. London: Longmans, Green & Co. pp. 255–259.
  8. Uglow, Jenny (2014). In These Times: Living in Britain Through Napoleon's Wars, 1793–1815. New York: Farrar Straus & Giroux. p. 149.