Tax on intended marriage Zeeland Islands 1704-1707, 1763-1805

The States of Zeeland introduced on the 24th of September 1703 the tax on intended marriage to  line the war-chest. All future spouses were obliged to pay this tax. They payed their levying directly to a civil servant in their residence. Private lease holders took over the levying in 1706. Their administration is yet present in the archives of the Audit office of Zeeland. The tax was not levied in what we know nowadays as Zeeuws-Vlaanderen.

In the database ZEEUWEN GEZOCHT the digital name index on the marriage tax covering the periods September 1703 – 1706 and 1763 – 1805 are available to consult. It appears that from some Zeeland islands the information about the period between October 1763 and September 1783 is missing.

The official registrars of the marriage tax notified several information about the wedding candidates in their lists. They registered for each town or village the names of the bride and groom and the tax amount indebted. The tariff depended on the welfare of the bride and groom. Also they notified the date of payment, always short before or on the date of publication of the banns, but sometimes only the year of payment.

These lists offer the person who is researching, the possibility to track down not yet solemnized marriages and to reconstruct found information from the marriage registers.
This index is the digital version of the typed lists as they are added to the collection Genealogical Transcriptions 496 up to 507.

More information about this marriage tax (including the levying bases) you can find in de preface of the inventory of the accounts and the supplemental documents which were brought in at the Audit Office of Zeeland by the collectors of the marriage tax, 1703- 1706, 1763-1805 (catalogue number 511 volume I)

- Walcheren, 1783 October – 1805 December (excluding Koudekerke, Biggekerke, Zoutelande and Sint Laurens)
- Schouwen-Duiveland, 1763 October – 1773 September, 1779 October – 1805 December
- Tholen, 1763 October – 1764 September, 1782 October – 1805 December
- Noord-Beveland, 1763 October – 1768 June, 1783 October – 1805 December
- Zuid-Beveland, 1783 October – 1805 December
- Goes, 1782 October – 1805 December.