Pawsey Genealogy
The Sixteenth Century
The first Pawseys we have found were in the 1524 Subsidy Return
Suffolk Subsidy Return 1524(Suffolk Green Book No X)
The subsidy of 1524 was granted by Parliament to Henry VIII. "It was a
graduated tax, spread over four years. In each of the first two years everybody
paid; in the third year only the millionaires in land paid; in the fourth year
only the millionaires in goods. In the first two years land and houses paid one
shilling for each pouind of their yearly value. Those who had moveable goods valued at £20 and upwards paid one
shilling for each pound. Those whose goods were valued at over £2 but
under £20 paid six pence for each pound. Those whose goods were valued at £1 to
£2 paid four pence for each pound. Those of 16 years of age
and upwards who had only their wages of not less than £1 a year, paid four
pence for each pound. Aliens paid double of these amounts, and if they
were not otherwise chargeable they paid a poll tax of eightpence.
In the third year those who had lands worth £50 a year or upwards paid one shilling for each pound. In the fourth year those who
had moveable goods worth £50 and upwards paid one shilling
for each pouind. Aliens were to pay double. Each
person was to be charged under the place where he usually lived." From Preface to Suffolk Green Book No X
Page 36 Stanstede
John Palsey £5 2s 6p
Hartest Thomas
Palsey
4s 8p
Page 346 Lakford John Palsey
Labourer 3s 4p
In the 1568
Subsidy return there was only one Pawsey
Shempling William Pawseye £3 in goods Tax 2s 6p
In 1538
Thomas Cromwell ordered the keeping of Parish Registers. It was some time
before all parishes complied. Link to Wikipaedia
There are
Indexes to the Parish Registers, Boyds Marriage
index, the IGI the International Genealogical Index and indexes by The Suffolk
Family History society. Not all the indexes
are complete or totally accurate; many records are missing or scarcely legible.
We have been
reviewing all the registers we can find looking at the micro films and micro
fiches in Suffolk Office.
We are close
to having traced all the Palseys Pauseys
& Pawseys in the sixteenth century. In the early
1500s spelling was not good and the three names were effectively interchangeable.
By 1600 they seem to be stabilising.