Izaak Walton - Tax Collector

Staffordshire fishing pioneer was a tax collector,

Newly discovered documents at The National Archives, Kew, have revealed that Staffordshire man, Izaak Walton, author of one of the most popular fishing books ever written, 'The Compleat Angler', was a tax collector in his spare time.

Walton was known to be a fish-lover and an ironmonger, but up to now his life as a public official has been a well-kept secret.
Walton was born in 1593 at St Mary, near Stafford.  Although he spent most of his life in London he left provision in his will for the poor of Stafford.

The discovery was made by a researcher while sifting through a box of unsorted documents from the 'King's Remembrancer' records relating to lay and clerical taxation.

Jonathan Mackman, the researcher at The National Archives who uncovered the information, said:
'Walton was charged with collecting the taxes of many of his friends and neighbours in the parish of St Dunstan in the West, around Fleet Street in London.
However, the document shows some of the problems of the job of that time, as many of the taxpayers had either run away or were unable to pay, and Walton had to account for his failure to the government.'

While he is well known to have been an ironmonger and a keen angler, it was not known the Staffordshire man also served as a tax collector. This is a good example of how the tax records at The National Archives can add a little more colour to our knowledge of famous figures from the past.

Walton's book, first published in 1653, discussed advanced fishing techniques for its time such as using specific varieties of worms for particular types and size of fish as well as dying horsehair the right shade of green to match the water.

Izaak Walton's influence lives on to this day in the Izaak Walton Fishing and Hunting League of America.

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