Lady Day, also known as the Feast of the Annunciation, is celebrated on March 25th. It commemorates the announcement by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and bear Jesus Christ¹. This event is significant in Christianity and is observed in various denominations, including Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Catholicism, and Lutheranism¹.

In England, Lady Day had additional secular significance. From 1155 until 1752, it marked the beginning of the new year¹². This changed when the Gregorian calendar was adopted, shifting the start of the year to January 1st¹. Lady Day was also one of the traditional English quarter days, which were important for settling rents, hiring servants, and other financial and legal matters³.

The London Lady Day Hearth Tax of 1666 was a national tax first granted by Parliament in 1662 to support the government of the restored Stuart Monarchy. It was a wealth tax, using the number of hearths or fireplaces in a house as a proxy for the wealth of the household⁴⁵. The tax was collected twice a year, on Lady Day (March 25) and Michaelmas (September 29)⁶.

The 1666 returns are particularly notable because they provide a snapshot of London on the eve of the Great Fire, capturing the status and wealth of neighborhoods and households⁴⁵. The tax records include the names of householders, the number of hearths, and sometimes the occupations of the residents. This information offers valuable insights into the social and economic conditions of the time.

We find 5 Babbs (both singular and plural) living in London in this list and are able to know just a little bit about them from these records. The going rate looks to have been a Pound per chimney. The final two were already known to the database, but the first three contain new identities. They are:

1. John Babbs of Harmondsworth: Paid 2 Chimneys
2. Sir John Bennett Babbs of Harlington: Paid 3 Chimneys
3. Daniell Babbs of Enfield: Paid 10 Chimneys
4. Christopher Babb of Whitechapel: Unpaid 2 Chimneys, No Distress
5. William Babb of Wapping: Paid 2 Chimneys

It is also worth mentioning that judging from the locations, none of these homes were burned by the Great London Fire.

John and Sir John were essentially neighbors. The neighborhoods were 2 of 5 that were largely demolished to build London Heathrow Airport. So, while you didn’t realize it at the time, you’ve already been there if you ever flew into this massive gateway airport. I don’t find record of a knighted Sir John Bennett Babbs.

Daniell lived in far north London and had the largest structure by far with 10 chimneys. He must have liked to stay snug as a bug. Nothing more is known of him. There is no other mention of Daniell that I find at this time, under this or the common spelling of Daniel. He is the earliest Daniel on record in our tree by 100 years.

Christopher is a 2nd Cousin of Phillip Babb of the Isles of Shoals, sharing a connection through the Progenitor of the Lions of the Sea, John Babb of Newton Abbot. While not in financial distress, he didn’t pay his tax in this record.

William is Christopher’s nephew.

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Key Takeaway

We have 3 new Babbs (plural) to potentially match with either the Green Men of Maryland or the White Stags of NC/VA. They were previously unknown. I came across this info on https://archive.org after searching “John Babbs” in the Text of their holdings. There were a number of other hits that are of lesser value but still provided some good info to fill in missing information.