The Impact of the 1783 and 1785 Stamp Duty Acts on Scottish Vital Registration.

The article discusses the impact of the 1783 and 1785 Stamp Duty Acts on Scottish vital registration. The author explains that Great Britain introduced several new taxes during the late 18-century in order to fund the several different wars it was involved in simultaneously. The author states that the Stamp Duty Acts caused rich and poor people alike to be taxed the same amounts. The acts levied a fee for every baptism, marriage, and burial occurring within an Anglican parish. The author explains that because of this fee, most clergymen quit keeping records.