County Rate Account Books

Not until near the end of the ancient corporation's life was it found necessary to levy a regular rate on the town; its ordinary revenue proved sufficient to meet its expenses. During the 1820s the requirements for the upkeep of the gaol and prosecution of criminals became a noticeable and increasing burden upon the corporation, which decided to levy a rate 'in the nature of a county rate' for these purposes.

The identical problems were faced by Winchelsea Corporation at the same time. According to the report of the Municipal Corporations Commission (WIN 616/3), the increase criminal business and inquests had been brought about by smuggling, the introduction of the blockade system and by suicides in that service.

In their report on Rye, the Municipal Commissioners stated that the rate had first been levied in 1832, and the case put to counsel on the validity of the rate in that year (RYE/90/1) stated that no such rate had been made hitherto. However, a separate series of vouchers to the gaol account (RYE/75) seems to have been kept from 1822, the year in which a county rate was first levied in Winchelsea (see the introduction to WIN 1557).

The accounts give receipts from the county rate and expenditure including the salary of the recorder, gaoler and constables, subsistence of prisoners, repairs and general gaol expenses, fees paid to the mayor as coroner, expenses of the prosecution and carriage of prisoners and allowances paid to poor debtors in Dover Castle.