A few weeks ago, I introduced you to my ancestor, John Hardwicke, a man whose family arrangements proved considerably more complicated than his occupation. While trying to untangle the various wives, children and mysteries that seemed to follow him around, I discovered that he worked as an exciseman. At the time, it was simply another detail to add to the timeline.
More recently, that single word sent me on a train journey to The National Archives at Kew. Armed with catalogue references, a temporary reader’s ticket and perhaps an unreasonable amount of optimism, I spent a day examining Excise records in the hope of learning more about John’s career. Although the visit raised almost as many questions as it answered, it did leave me wondering about the occupation itself. What exactly did an exciseman do, how did someone become one, and why do they appear in records all over the country? As it turns out, understanding the job can reveal far more about an ancestor’s life than a simple occupation listed in a parish register.
Like many family historians, I had come across the occupation “exciseman” in a record without giving much thought to what the role actually involved. After all, occupations such as farmer, labourer or blacksmith are relatively easy to picture. Excisemen, on the other hand, tend to sound like the sort of people who existed solely to make life more complicated for everyone else.
The role of the exciseman
As it turns out, that impression is not entirely unfair. Excisemen were responsible for collecting excise duties, a form of taxation levied on goods produced and consumed within Britain. During the Regency period, these duties applied to a remarkable range of everyday items. Beer, malt, spirits, soap, candles, paper and salt were all subject to taxation, among many others. In an age when government revenue was needed to fund military campaigns, support the state and service national debt, excise duties became an increasingly important source of income.
Nowadays, people encounter taxation when they receive a payslip or make a purchase. Regency families encountered it throughout daily life. Every candle burned after sunset, every pint of ale consumed at the local inn, and every bar of soap used for washing contributed, in some small way, to government coffers. If there was an opportunity to tax it, there was a reasonable chance that an exciseman was involved somewhere along the line.
The role itself was far more complex than simply collecting money. Excisemen inspected premises where taxable goods were produced, measured quantities, checked records and ensured duties had been paid correctly. They visited breweries, malt houses, distilleries and manufacturers, keeping detailed accounts and reporting irregularities. Their job required accuracy, diligence and a willingness to challenge people who might be less than enthusiastic about paying tax.
Unsurprisingly, this did not always make them popular. Many tradespeople viewed excisemen with suspicion, regarding them as agents of government interference. Their inspections could be intrusive, and accusations of fraud or underpayment had serious consequences. Satirical cartoons of the period often portrayed tax officials as officious busybodies, and it is unlikely that many public houses welcomed the sight of an exciseman walking through the door carrying a ledger.
A career in the Excise Service
Despite this reputation, excisemen occupied a relatively respectable position within society. They were government employees at a time when secure employment was far from guaranteed. Literacy, numeracy and attention to detail were essential. Unlike many labouring occupations, the role offered opportunities for advancement and, eventually, the possibility of a pension.
The process of becoming an exciseman was more formal than many people might expect. Candidates generally required references and approval from the Board of Excise. Once appointed, they could be assigned to locations across the country. The service operated as a national organisation, and transfers were common. This means that an exciseman who began his career in one county might appear in records hundreds of miles away a few years later.
For family historians, this mobility can explain some otherwise puzzling discoveries. An ancestor who seems to vanish from parish records may not have disappeared at all. He may simply have been transferred to a new district by his employers. Families often moved with the exciseman, leaving a trail of baptisms, marriages and burials across multiple counties. Understanding the nature of the occupation can therefore help make sense of movements that might otherwise appear random.
This was one of the reasons I became interested in John Hardwicke’s career. Records relating to excisemen can provide valuable clues about where an individual was living at particular points in time, when they entered service, how their career progressed and, in some cases, when they retired. For those researching ancestors employed by the Excise, these records can fill gaps that parish registers and census returns leave behind.
Retirement also generated its own paper trail. Long-serving excisemen could qualify for pensions, and pension records often contain useful details about service history. While not every record has survived, those that do can offer insights into an ancestor’s working life that would otherwise be impossible to reconstruct. The pension rolls I consulted at Kew may not have contained all the answers I was seeking, but they served as a reminder of just how much information can survive when an ancestor worked for the government.
Occupations are often treated as little more than a line on a census return or parish register. Yet understanding what an ancestor actually did can transform the way we think about their life. In the case of Regency excisemen, that single word reveals a career spent enforcing taxation, travelling where duty required, and occupying a position that was both respected and frequently unpopular.
Researching excisemen: sources for family historians
If you discover an exciseman in your family tree, it is worth looking beyond the usual census returns and parish registers. Because excisemen were government employees, they often generated records that have survived in greater numbers than those created for many other occupations.
The most useful resource is usually The National Archives at Kew. Records relating to appointments, transfers, promotions and pensions can provide valuable evidence of an individual’s career and movements around the country. In some cases, they may help explain why a family suddenly appears in an unexpected location or why an ancestor seems to vanish from local records.
For my own research into John Hardwicke, I consulted Excise minute books and pension records held at The National Archives. While these records did not answer every question, they provided important clues about how the service operated and where further evidence might be found.
Useful records include:
- Excise Board minute books
- Appointment and service records
- Pension rolls and superannuation records
- Treasury correspondence relating to Excise officers
- Local newspapers, which occasionally reported prosecutions or disputes involving excisemen
- Parish registers and settlement records in areas where officers were posted
As with all family history research, it helps to understand the wider historical context. Knowing how the Excise service operated, how officers were recruited and why they were transferred can often explain patterns that might otherwise seem confusing. For family historians, understanding the role of the exciseman offers more than just an explanation of an ancestor’s occupation. It provides insight into the economic pressures, government systems and social structures that shaped the world in which our ancestors lived. Sometimes, a single word in a parish register can open a window onto an entire way of life.
Further Reading
The National Archives. (n.d.). Records of the Board of Excise and successor bodies. Available through the National Archives catalogue.
Ashworth, W. J. (2003). Customs and Excise: Trade, Production and Consumption in England, 1640-1845. Oxford University Press.
