Greater Manchester Rate Books Image Browse
Browse for your ancestor and their neighbours in these local tax records and discover if they rented or owned property.
See description
Browse for your ancestor and their neighbours in these local tax records and discover if they rented or owned property.
Learn about these records
There are millions of tax-payers names in these rate books which date from the 1700s to the mid-twentieth century in the boroughs which now make up Greater Manchester.
These records are an excellent census substitute and usually record the following detail:
- Name of Occupier (head of household)
- Name of Owner
- Description of the property (house or business)
- Street Address/Township/Parish
- Rate to be paid (e.g. poor rate, water rate)
- Amount to paid
- Date paid or any default on payment
In this browseable version of these Greater Manchester rate books, you will be able to start at the first image of any given book and then, using the ‘forward’ or ‘next’ arrow, click through to the next image, just as if you were browsing through the original volume.
We also publish a partially indexed version of this collection which comprised over nine million names and where every fifth year’s rate books are indexed to coincide with census years for parts of selected Manchester boroughs. In both the indexed and the browse versions you will find the following coverage:
- Bolton 1916-1936
- Manchester 1706-1941
- Oldham 1841-1936
- Rochdale 1826-1921
- Stockport 1886-1921
- Tameside 1846-1936
- Trafford 1836-1931
- Wigan 1806-1936
All images are the copyright of The Greater Manchester Archives and Local Studies Partnership and are reproduced with its permission.
Rates were local taxes. The money collected was used for the upkeep of the churches, water supply, gaols, roads and hospitals. The Poor Law Act of 1601 introduced rates for the maintenance of the poor. Rate payers were also entitled to vote for committee members who oversaw the distribution of poor relief.
The amount payable was based on the value of the property and was collected at Midsummer (June), Michaelmas (October) and Christmas (January).
Rate books are arranged by street and the images can be used to discover who was living on a street when your ancestors were living there. These records can also be used to trace house histories and to learn the names of previous generations who lived in your home.