Estimated Population of England and Wales, 1570-1750
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As an appendage to the Table (page 8) showing the progressive increase of population in England and Wales, as ascertained from the result of actual enumeration commenced in the year 1801, and repeated at decennial periods down to the year 1841, we have to subjoin a calculation of the probable population of England and Wales at six irregular periods anterior to the first enumeration in 1801, and commencing with the year 1570. This Table was compiled by the late Mr. Rickman, with a view to its forming part of the Preface to the Abstract of the Population for 1841, had that work been intrusted to his charge by the Government, as it had been in the years 1801, 1811, 1821, and 1831. His lamented death, in 1840, prevented his taking any further part in forwarding the present Census; and these calculations having been delivered by his executors to the Home Office, were transmitted to us with other documents relating to the business of the Census. The calculation of the population at the various periods was deduced from Returns of baptisms, burials, and marriages obtained by extracts from the registers of such parishes as possessed documents of an early date—a fact which had been ascertained with a view to the present results, by an inquiry in 1831 into the conditions and earliest date of the registers of every parish. The subjoined letter will best explain the nature of the inquiry.1
The results are arrived at by assuming, in the years 1570, 1600, 1630, 1670, 1700, and 1750, the same proportion of baptisms, burials, and marriages to the existing population as in the years 1800 and 1801; in the last of which years the population was first actually enumerated. The average number of entries in three years (1569, 1570, 1571) forming the basis of calculation for the year 1570, and a similar average for the years 1600, 1630, 1670, 1700, and 1750. Thus, in the county of Bedford there are extant 394 baptismal entries of the year 1570; and the parishes to which these baptisms belong are found to have 772 baptismal entries in the year 1800. Or, if 772 baptisms in the year 1800 coincided with a population of 63,393 in 1801, what population is indicated by 394 baptisms in the same parishes in the year 1570? It will be seen that the materials which form the basis of this calculation have more connexion with the subject of the Parish Register Abstract than with the present volumes. We may, at a future period, enter into the consideration of the merits of the calculation, deeming it sufficient for the present to state that there is reason for supposing the estimate hereby arrived at to be an approximation to the truth. POPULATION of the several Counties of England and of Wales, calculated on supposition that the Registered Baptisms, Burials, and Marriages, on an average of three Years in 1570, 1600, 1630, 1670, 1700 and 1750, bore the same proportion to the Actual Population as in the year 1801. No Parish Register of the years 1569, 1570, and 1571 being extant in the Counties of Monmouth and Northumberland, the calculated Population of England at that period must be deficient, and the small proportion extant in some other Counties (to wit, in Cumberland, 15 per cent.; in Lancaster, 14 per cent.; in Westmorland, 8 per cent.; in North York, 13 per cent.; and in Wales, 2 per cent.); affords no satisfactory evidence of their Population, so that the above Totals of England and Wales ascribed to the year 1570 require considerate Revision. The defect of Parish Registers in Monmouthshire and Northumberland, and the deficiency of Parish Registers in Wales is here submitted to correction in the next page. No Parish Registers whatever of the year 1570 being extant in Monnmouthshire or Northumberland, these Counties afford no entry in the column of Population in the year 1570; which defects therefore must be supplied by the Rule of Proportion applied to all the other English Counties, thus:— Further; The proportion of Parish Registers in Wales extant in 1570 being no more than .02, or 1
/50
, is not to be relied on, and must be altered according to the English Counties; thus,— or 121,141 less in number than the Population resulting from the few Registers actually extant in Wales, giving 4,123,708 for the actual population of England and Wales in 1570. 1
REVEREND SIR, PROBABLY it has not escaped your recollection, if you had charge of a parish: in the year 1831, that in issuing the Population Schedules of Inquiry as to the number of baptisms, burials, and marriages, I took occasion also to request a statement of the extent and condition, of the parish register books in each parish; and I afterwards concentrated the information so obtained in such manner that no essential part of it is omitted in the printed volume which comprises the Parish Register Abstract required by the Population Act of that year. I confess I was not without expectation by that inquiry to bring to light the unequalled extent of the series of Parish Registers preserved in England, by showing the large proportion of these parochial records which, under the custody of the clergy of the Church of England, has escaped the many casualties which do not fail to occur in every place in the course of 250 years. You will perceive by this limitation of time that herein I do not recur to the original institution of Parish Registers (now three centuries ago), there being no chance of general regularity during the religious convulsions which terminated in the complete settlement of the Reformation in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Advantage was taken of this in the beginning of the reign of her successor, James I., who promulgated the Canons which are still in force, one of them containing regulations for the improvement and preservation of Parish Registers; and herein the clergyman of each parish was instructed to make; a: copy on parchment of all extant Register Books, especially as far back as the commencement of the reign of Queen Elizabeth; and to this wholesome regulation we owe most of our ancient Parish Registers, the; usual commencement of which is in the year 1558; and the habit of attention to Parish Register Entry in future naturally followed in continuation of these copied registers. The result is (as ascertained by the inquiry of 1831), that not much less than half the parishes in England possess registers as far back as the year 1600, and of these three-fourths commence as early as the year 1570, to which date, for reasons now to be given, I think any general inquiry ought to be limited. Such inquiry, with a view of showing the population at certain assigned periods, without imposing an unreasonable burden on the clergy, will be effectual by obtaining the number of baptisms, burials, and marriages at intervals of thirty or forty years, as indeed is rendered almost unavoidable by the political events of the seventeenth century. For the Civil Wars and subsequent confusion of public affairs from 1640 to 1660 caused a general defect in parish registers by the temporary expulsion of most of the clergy from their benefices, so that the years 1630 and 1670 become the most unexceptionable in that century; and the year 1570, checked by the rude enumeration of fighting men at the time of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and compared with the parish registers of the year 1600, will sufficiently indicate the increasing or decreasing state of the population in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. I do not presume to specify all the purposes, for which knowledge of this kind is useful, much less to foresee the various combinations of science to which it may be auxiliary in the progress of intellectual improvement; I rather confine myself to the immediate object of this inquiry, which seeks to ascertain the rate of mortality among the laborious classes of society. With regard to selected lives (by which are meant the lives of those who have been able to purchase Government Annuities of various kinds), the rate of mortality is well known, even the comparative mortality of the two sexes, and the degree in which the duration of such lives has increased in the course of the last and present century; and it has been found by extensive investigation during the last ten or twelve years that the degree or annual average amount of disease may be inferred from the rate of mortality. From these premises it follows, that the rate of stated payments to Friendly Societies for ensuring stated benefits will become fixed on solid grounds, and may be published by authority; and the discouragement which has resulted from the too frequent insolvency of such societies will thus be made to disappear by the application of science to well ascertained facts. In urging the importance of institutions whereby the industrious classes may provide for themselves in the day of sickness, I shall not insist on the effect of the recent alteration of the Poor Relief Laws, whereby the encouragement of Friendly Societies has become an incumbent duty, on public grounds as well as in furtherance of individual benevolence; this indeed is so obvious that I shall not presume to dilate further on the subject. I have now explained my motives for undertaking the voluntary labour of collecting and hereafter arranging such of the Returns solicited by this circular letter as the clergy may be so good as to afford on this occasion. My experience of their willingness to give assistance in a useful inquiry teaches me to expect 4000 Returns of the year 1600, and not less than 3000 Returns of the year 1570. I do not ask for distinction of the sexes of those baptized or buried, that not being essential to the purpose of the inquiry, and because the difficulty of reading Christian names in any old manuscript is usually such that a clergyman could not in that case use the aid of his family, or any other voluntary assistance, in answering the questions propounded in the enclosed sheet, at the back of which is a printed address, which will not fail to convey it by the post to me in London. I shall only add, that as a Circular Letter does not always reach its destination, I shall not conclude that the defect of answer or notice in the course of the next month or six weeks arises from an unwillingness to comply with my request, and in that case shall then transmit a duplicate to every clergyman of a parish possessing an ancient register, lest I should fail in conveying to him my request that he will co-operate with me in obtaining a result which cannot but furnish decisive evidence to all Europe of the steady respectability of the clergy of the Church of England ever since its first establishment, and the readiness of the existing clergy to afford their personal attention in aid of any useful investigation. P.S.—I had not intended to ask for a return of three consecutive years at the dates of A.D. 1570, 1600, 1630, and 1670; but on communicating my scheme to Mr. Finlaison, Actuary of the National Life Annuity Office, he urged the superior value of an average of three years so forcibly that I consented for this purpose, to risk the defect of a few returns from clergymen who may be discouraged or displeased at this addition to the labour requested of them: in fact the annual fluctuation of the price of corn (that is, of subsistence) affects the number of births, deaths, and marriages so perceptibly that the comparative numbers in any single year would form but an insecure basis of calculation.
ESTIMATED POPULATION OF ENGLAND AND WALES, 1570-1750.
Baptisms, 1800
Pop., 1801
Baptisms, 1570
Pop., 1570
If 772
:
63,393
::
394
=
32,353
Burials, 1800
Pop., 1801
Burials, 1570
Pop., 1570
If 468
:
63,393
::
224
=
30,342
Marriages, 1800
Pop., 1801
Marriages, 1570
Pop., 1570
If 123
:
63,393
::
74
=
38,139
ESTIMATED POPULATION OF ENGLAND AND WALES, 1570—1750.
COUNTIES.
Population A.D. 1570,
According toPopulation
according to
the Average of
the Three
preceding
Columns.Population A.D. 1600,
According toPopulation
according to
the Average of
the Three
preceding
Columns.Population A.D. 1630,
According toPopulation
according to
the Average of
the Three
preceding
Columns.Population A.D. 1670,
According toPopulation
according to
the Average of
the Three
preceding
Columns.Population A.D. 1700,
According toPopulation
according to
the Average of
the Three
preceding
Columns.Population A.D. 1750,
According toPopulation
according to
the Average of
the Three
preceding
Columns.1801.
Emume-
rated
PopulationCOUNTIES.
Bap.
Bur.
Marr.
Bap.
Bur.
Marr.
Bap.
Bur.
Marr.
Bap.
Bur.
Marr.
Bap.
Bur.
Marr.
Bap.
Bur.
Marr.
BEDFORD
32,353
30,342
38,139
33,611
43,801
42,960
46,527
44,429
44,923
62,496
57,286
54,902
40,569
55,618
50,598
48,928
46,968
58,609
55,541
53,706
49,540
65,985
63,102
59,542
63,393
BEDFORD
BERKS
45,543
40,791
70,885
52,406
55,411
48,732
83,474
62,539
58,426
61,349
86,415
68,730
62,983
76,855
72,075
70,638
68,812
76,469
88,255
77,845
85,831
85,811
105,538
92,393
109,215
BERKS
BUCKINGHAM
59,408
47,533
47,563
51,501
64,270
54,242
60,718
59,743
70,858
66,643
69,957
69,153
61,396
71,566
55,966
62,976
77,516
85,198
66,261
76,325
88,310
96,747
78,405
87,821
107,444
BUCKINGHAM
CAMBRIDGE
53,205
64,660
66,819
61,561
73,629
77,262
75,788
75,560
73,890
119,245
81,345
91,493
77,020
120,304
76,233
91,186
79,042
87,406
80,234
82,227
65,998
94,726
73,566
78,097
89,346
CAMBRIDGE
CHESTER
65,121
72,850
68,547
68,840
87,982
77,860
74,190
80,011
98,746
98,158
71,422
89,442
84,781
109,819
68,469
87,690
99,353
118,333
87,109
101,598
122,701
101,983
122,359
115,681
191,751
CHESTER
CORNWALL
85,088
143,632
113,589
114,103
100,503
108,956
133,663
114,374
103,743
135,221
126,629
121,864
99,031
175,007
106,864
126,968
98,295
149,003
124,954
124,084
129,071
148,093
148,069
141,744
188,269
CORNWALL
CUMBERLAND
79,716
82,124
100,483
87,441
88,817
76,120
106,344
90,427
83,253
77,181
87,085
82,506
68,351
90,442
66,151
74,981
85,836
95,481
92,946
91,421
89,413
85,668
86,247
87,109
117,230
CUMBERLAND
DERBY
51,279
54,269
48,732
51,427
71,449
72,429
89,039
77,639
82,042
85,151
80,329
82,507
80,747
100,586
62,424
81,252
98,168
120,771
127,752
115,564
105,937
107,032
111,783
108,251
161,142
DERBY
DEVON
201,542
269,815
247,630
239,662
252,581
221,180
331,111
268,291
303,946
307,724
377,950
329,873
265,911
435,382
296,523
332,605
273,466
376,121
357,413
335,667
277,457
340,717
370,021
329,398
343,001
DEVON
DORSET
66,221
68,366
63,478
66,022
84,302
65,278
88,071
79,217
93,557
86,041
101,464
93,687
83,489
121,294
68,457
91,080
82,879
106,804
76,200
88,628
86,235
97,842
100,649
94,909
115,319
DORSET
DURHAM
63,085
56,645
55,425
58,385
79,622
76,368
88,308
81,433
100,287
92,636
90,498
94,474
127,739
136,843
102,905
122,496
118,015
119,707
105,094
114,272
141,618
128,896
148,883
139,799
160,361
DURHAM
ESSEX
130,275
153,977
191,089
158,447
162,532
153,321
200,355
172,069
170,638
186,804
193,835
183,759
146,319
189,964
161,529
165,937
163,044
177,579
171,902
170,842
165,369
212,514
203,912
193,932
226,437
ESSEX
GLOUCESTER
110,255
115,624
94,606
106,828
120,930
96,548
107,153
108,210
138,385
123,585
111,863
124,611
136,018
169,991
89,255
131,755
155,323
166,944
149,778
157,348
214,493
229,179
210,774
218,149
250,809
GLOUCESTER
HEREFORD
47,561
51,627
70,962
56,717
65,304
64,728
81,546
70,526
61,762
84,481
69,314
71,852
55,222
80,986
60,140
65,449
62,397
90,407
72,882
75,229
69,391
70,502
87,152
75,682
89,191
HEREFORD
HERTFORD
55,945
45,304
63,811
55,020
60,106
53,604
67,592
60,434
67,088
73,656
80,298
73,681
61,327
82,577
59,461
67,788
67,961
85,498
67,338
73,599
78,492
102,945
65,051
82,163
97,577
HERTFORD
HUNTINGDON
26,558
27,489
22,133
25,393
33,315
25,983
29,574
29,624
31,832
40,464
29,775
34,024
31,640
45,015
25,778
34,144
34,604
32,520
28,775
31,966
30,544
35,830
31,173
32,516
37,568
HUNTINGDON
KENT
120,088
125,201
164,842
136,710
155,481
131,094
197,133
161,236
172,953
181,798
212,886
189,212
150,327
174,207
177,660
167,398
156,315
150,243
166,940
157,833
171,922
177,153
194,726
181,267
307,624
KENT
LANCESTER
251,381
186,870
259,711
232,654
226,082
194,233
167,744
196,020
251,794
238,772
169,499
220,022
221,255
336,306
170,551
242,704
224,802
283,312
217,927
242,014
352,078
323,802
348,473
341,451
672,731
LANCESTER
LEICESTER
73,895
60,975
67,800
67,557
80,428
59,771
68,160
69,453
79,564
79,400
67,698
75,554
74,246
91,708
53,604
73,186
86,410
78,435
75,784
80,210
104,224
92,352
98,889
98,488
130,081
LEICESTER
LINCOLN
131,033
176,219
168,922
158,725
165,053
193,941
200,621
186,538
167,178
261,768
205,333
211,426
145,973
326,445
202,605
225,008
164,763
211,270
168,631
181,555
136,145
185,627
172,351
164,708
208,557
LINCOLN
MIDDLESEX
178,517
275,766
222,645
225,643
324,743
256,679
325,527
302,316
536,156
485,551
488,167
503,291
604,099
758,992
421,139
594,743
771,389
838,181
579,837
729,802
635,140
734,945
289,056
553,047
818,129
MIDDLESEX
MONMOUTH
38,891
28,323
16,207
27,807
41,818
33,633
13,168
29,540
34,291
39,829
14,181
29,434
40,145
29,207
11,142
26,831
44,327
33,633
17,220
31,727
45,582
MONMOUTH
NORFOLK
138,327
120,908
162,507
140,581
179,782
165,394
194,333
179,836
203,335
224,307
216,245
214,629
195,256
278,647
213,375
229,093
222,226
268,535
246,764
245,842
209,487
244,266
259,546
237,766
273,371
NORFOLK
NORTHAMPTON
89,100
61,018
71,229
73,782
116,386
84,811
100,614
100,604
119,608
107,189
98,698
108,498
105,916
106,460
90,793
101,056
114,373
116,919
109,718
113,670
117,729
119,919
122,893
120,180
131,757
NORTHAMPTON
NORTHUMBERLAND
73,581
68,215
71,730
71,175
94,978
114,725
83,611
97,771
126,039
146,765
86,251
119,685
118,585
144,181
97,253
120,006
136,117
151,416
160,621
149,385
157,101
NORTHUMBERLAND
NOTTINGHAM
61,383
94,630
56,321
70,778
80,678
92,823
84,775
86,092
77,644
114,287
86,345
92,759
75,076
156,657
86,345
106,026
78,773
98,538
81,635
86,315
81,222
98,956
93,880
91,353
140,350
NOTTINGHAM
OXFORD
49,159
45,849
58,369
51,126
72,777
57,176
92,357
74,103
82,215
70,735
87,178
80,043
72,687
81,224
69,052
74,321
76,044
89,666
89,767
85,159
89,475
91,584
106,599
95,886
109,620
OXFORD
RUTLAND
9,381
8,836
8,178
8,798
12,763
12,907
12,957
12,876
13,072
15,688
10,621
13,127
10,780
18,581
10,833
13,398
15,117
18,136
13,594
15,616
11,585
17,135
9,134
12,618
16,356
RUTLAND
SALOP
86,101
77,702
93,229
85,677
91,464
80,846
89,933
87,414
96,708
96,596
87,567
93,624
100,164
114,550
111,233
108,649
106,663
122,480
127,800
118,981
139,017
107,280
160,144
135,480
167,639
SALOP
SOMERSET
153,955
158,254
152,325
154,845
187,823
151,547
200,695
180,022
203,690
199,919
224,910
209,506
203,278
257,135
165,810
208,741
215,744
238,777
196,591
217,037
224,399
224,172
268,825
239,132
273,750
SOMERSET
SOUTHAMPTON (HANTS)
90,508
84,423
62,278
79,070
129,008
99,328
110,506
112,947
136,722
126,613
115,930
126,422
117,543
160,488
104,743
127,591
114,542
119,561
95,591
109,898
143,580
154,664
134,234
144,159
219,656
SOUTHAMPTON (HANTS)
STAFFORD
68,698
68,592
73,777
70,356
83,647
80,955
91,820
85,474
93,739
90,611
92,708
92,353
104,255
122,640
100,822
109,239
121,109
129,232
127,228
125,856
156,000
146,221
150,933
151,051
239,153
STAFFORD
SUFFOLK
115,609
117,696
130,442
121,249
136,921
137,781
159,304
144,669
155,181
195,476
172,031
174,229
144,769
196,620
149,430
163,606
156,332
179,132
154,916
163,460
146,234
195,313
172,909
171,485
210,431
SUFFOLK
SURREY
56,119
58,669
81,159
65,316
87,922
65,288
99,784
84,331
110,331
102,953
124,194
112,493
133,356
153,103
86,104
124,188
131,506
148,225
118,561
132,764
160,905
187,971
81,276
143,384
269,043
SURREY
SUSSEX
73,213
113,733
116,789
101,245
97,340
95,587
119,542
104,156
107,009
153,357
135,308
131,891
81,960
159,311
106,364
115,878
88,623
105,322
101,658
98,534
91,579
102,587
109,894
101,353
159,311
SUSSEX
WARWICK
62,639
51,633
38,607
50,960
90,119
71,829
57,076
73,008
101,360
78,533
49,030
76,308
95,192
108,961
46,013
83,389
112,898
110,863
72,414
98,725
144,330
145,990
111,890
134,070
208,190
WARWICK
WESTMORLAND
63,813
40,016
59,140
54,323
48,072
39,353
57,966
48,464
52,318
43,653
49,048
48,340
42,636
45,235
46,819
44,897
35,332
51,795
34,928
40,685
35,672
34,153
46,076
38,634
41,617
WESTMORLAND
WILTS
96,185
82,458
108,941
95,861
127,261
90,376
141,378
119,672
146,316
129,030
165,051
146,799
130,068
155,272
101,266
128,869
152,104
150,154
154,859
152,372
166,443
156,905
183,463
168,937
185,107
WILTS
WORCESTER
53,272
46,604
55,342
51,739
74,693
60,863
81,300
72,285
82,408
74,979
78,563
78,650
75,102
96,228
90,607
87,312
91,817
102,906
117,672
104,132
101,577
96,835
110,317
102,910
139,333
WORCESTER
YORK, EAST RIDING
51,172
76,469
46,616
58,086
66,597
65,079
48,378
60,018
62,762
68,745
48,547
60,018
57,648
86,381
45,831
63,287
60,147
60,307
45,492
55,315
57,183
70,543
56,525
61,417
110,992
YORK, EAST RIDING
——— CITY AND AINSTY
12,247
12,933
9,812
11,664
15,951
13,788
13,701
14,480
16,831
19,096
15,557
17,161
17,300
23,368
11,989
17,552
17,710
19,743
15,699
17,717
17,476
21,362
14,272
17,703
24,393
——— CITY AND AINSTY
——— NORTH RIDING
106,275
114,312
111,812
110,799
119,460
102,774
135,051
119,095
114,663
116,276
109,079
113,339
108,138
151,933
103,086
121,052
109,481
130,696
120,667
120,282
115,430
108,149
123,064
115,548
158,225
——— NORTH RIDING
——— WEST RIDING
163,232
180,321
175,249
172,934
211,703
213,021
210,782
211,835
236,874
280,024
208,200
241,699
221,122
336,781
219,127
259,010
209,376
294,177
222,834
242,129
323,536
302,580
351,033
325,716
565,282
——— WEST RIDING
TOTAL
3,528,457
3,765,135
3,919,932
3,737,841
4,539,180
4,029,355
4,812,827
4,460,454
5,140,603
5,404,549
5,130,637
5,225,263
4,931,019
6,746,076
4,508,461
5,395,185
5,404,004
6,236,843
5,318,336
5,653,061
5,913,212
6,329,983
5,954,927
6,066,041
8,331,434
TOTAL
WALES
323,665
402,227
541,546
422,479
343,879
335,282
374,631
351,264
387,177
393,627
344,957
375,254
325,681
453,617
356,085
378,461
324,426
424,855
426,560
391,947
464,362
387,875
500,745
450,994
541,546
WALES
ENGLAND & WALES
3,852,122
4,167,362
4,461,478
4,160,321
4,883,059
4,364,637
5,187,458
4,811,718
5,527,780
5,798,176
5,475,594
5,600,517
5,256,700
7,199,693
4,864,546
5,773,646
5,728,430
6,661,698
5,744,896
6,045,008
6,377,574
6,717,858
6,455,672
6,517,035
8,872,980
ENGLAND & WALES
Estimated Population of England in 1600, as above
4,460,454
From which deduct the population of the two counties (Monmouthshire
and Northumberland) defective in 157098,982
Population of England minus the two counties
4,361,472
1600.Population 1600
of the
two Counties.
1570.
Population 1570
of the
two Counties.Therefore if
4,361,472
98,982
3,737,841
=
84,829
Thus 3,737,841 + 84,829 = 3,822,670, the correct estimate of the
population of England in the Year 1570.
Population 1600.
Population 1570.
Wales 1600.
Wales 1570.
If 4,460,454
3,822,670
351,264
301,038
To
The Reverend
The Officiating Minister
of the Parish of
I have the honour to be,
Reverend Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
JOHN RICKMAN.