Valuation Survey

VALUATION TAX SURVEY 1910

The Valuation Office survey, was a property tax aimed at raising funds, for the Inland Revenue and was created following the 1910 Finance Act . The records can be found at The National Archives, Kew – and are a vital set of clues for house historians, because they combine maps and field books to give intricate detail about local areas.

There are three types of records for you to study - the Valuation Office plans (maps) valuation books and field books. You will need to consult a plan first to help you find the relevant field book. The field book provides information about the property.

The plans are Ordnance Survey map sheets, annotated by hand with plot numbers which act as an index for the field books.
Two sets of plans were created. One set was used as working plans and are held at local archives. The record plans made after the valuation was completed are held at The National Archives.

Valuation books were created by the Valuation Office at the start of the survey and contain information from existing known data. These were added to as the survey took place. These should not be confused with the field books, which were the final record compiled after the survey was completed, and which usually contain more information.

The field book will provide you with details of the owners, occupiers, extent of the land or property, its market and ratable value, dates of former sales, a brief description and even a sketch map of outbuildings.
To view these records you will need to visit the National Archives at Kew as none of these records are on line but can be called uo to examine. Check before travelling that the area you are interested in is covered as some records were lost in bombing in WW2.
The Genaealogist – a subscription site- is currently scanning and digitizing the valuation books and maps .

Valuation books for the City of London and West Yorkshire have been indexed by Ancestry but not the maps.

FindmyPast has a collection of valuation books for Plymouth and the surrounding areas.
Documents for Scotland are held atyht eNatyional Arcives of Scotland in Edinburgh and the The National Archives of Ireland for records of the Valuation Office in Ireland

To find out more go to useful article at the National Archives, Valuation Rolls Scotland or Northern Ireland

To find a map go to the National Archives Map finder site