Legal Definitions - fifteenth

The term "fifteenth" refers to a historical tax levied in England, primarily during the medieval period.

Initially, a fifteenth was a direct tax representing one-fifteenth (approximately 6.67%) of the value of all personal property owned by a subject. This included movable goods such as livestock, crops, tools, and household items. The tax was authorized and collected periodically by acts of Parliament, often to fund royal expenditures, such as wars or infrastructure projects.

Over time, particularly from the reign of Edward III onwards, the method of assessing the fifteenth evolved. Instead of recalculating one-fifteenth of current personal property each time it was levied, the tax became a fixed sum for each town or county. This fixed amount was based on an earlier assessment of wealth and did not change, even if the actual wealth of the kingdom or individual communities increased or decreased significantly. Consequently, the tax ceased to be a true one-fifteenth of current property value but remained known by its original name.

• Example 1 (Original Concept): Imagine a prosperous merchant in London in the early 14th century. He owns a warehouse full of spices, several ships, and a considerable amount of silver plate. When Parliament declares a fifteenth, the merchant would have his personal property assessed, and he would be required to pay one-fifteenth of its total value as his contribution to the royal treasury. This directly reflects the proportional nature of the tax in its earliest form.

• Example 2 (Fixed Sum Evolution): By the 16th century, the small agricultural village of Oakhaven might have been assigned a fixed payment of £10 for any levied fifteenth. This amount was determined centuries prior, based on the village's wealth at that time. Even if Oakhaven's population had dwindled due to plague and its fields were less productive, or conversely, if it had discovered a rich mineral deposit, its obligation for the fifteenth would remain £10, illustrating how the tax became a static, historical assessment rather than a current proportion of wealth.

• Example 3 (Parliamentary Levy): In 1485, King Henry VII, having just ascended the throne, might have sought to consolidate his power and fund his administration. He would convene Parliament, which would then pass an act authorizing the collection of a fifteenth across the realm. This act would trigger the process for towns and shires to pay their pre-determined, fixed sums, demonstrating the parliamentary authority required to impose this historical tax.