Urban Populations, Sexes, Houses and Families

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III. POPULATION IN PARLIAMENTARY BOROUGHS AND IN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.

The area of the parliamentary boroughs has been increased by the last Reform Act; and it may be interesting to show here in one view how their population has been affected in the last twenty years.

Population as enumerated in:
Parlimentary
Boroughs.
Counties outside
Parliamentary
Boroughs.
Total.
1851 7,438,679 10,488,930 17,927,609
1861 8,638,569 11,427,655 20,066,224
1871 10,655,930 12,048,178 22,704,108
  Increase in two periods each of Ten Years.
Between      
1851-61 1,199,890 938,725 2,138,615
1861-71 2,017,361* 620,523* 2,637,884

* This increase is affected by changes of electoral area as well as by natural growth of population.

The facts are shown for the several boroughs and parliamentary divisions of counties in the Tables (pp. 4-6, and 9-15).

IV. MUNICIPAL BOROUGHS.

The population of the municipal boroughs, including the city of London, was 6,581,599; while the population outside the boroughs was 16,122,509. The exclusion of all the metropolis, except the city, produces derangement in the proportions, which is got lid of if we take the population of the Divisions, exclusive of London; then the population of 6,506,625 in the municipal boroughs out of London will contrast with 12,945,779, also out of London, not incorporated, but under Vestries, Boards, or other substitutes for the well-approved English system of municipal government.

V. URBAN AND RURAL POPULATIONS.

The following table shows the movement of the population between the three Censuses of 1851, 1861, and 1871 in the districts containing the chief towns, distinguished from the rest of the country, as in the Quarterly Returns.

Area in Acres. Years. Population
enumerated.
Decennial
Increase.
Decennial
Increase
per Cent.
Annual
Rate of
Increase
per Cent.
ENGLAND AND WALES 37,324,883 { 1851 17,927,609 } 2,138,615 11.93 1.13
1861 20,066,224
1871 22,704,108   2,637,884 13.15 1.24
URBAN DISTRICTS: 141 Districts and 57 Sub-districts, including the Chief Towns 3,287,151 { 1851 9,155,964 } 1,774,877 19.39 1.79
1861 10,930,841
1871 12,900,297   1,969,456 18.12 1.67
RURAL DISTRICTS: the remainder of England and Wales, comprising the Small Towns and Country Parishes 34,037,732 { 1851 8,771,645 } 363,738 4.15 0.41
1861 9,135,383
1871 9,803,811   668,428 7.32 0.71

The urban districts have in the last ten years grown more than twice as fast as the country districts; they contain nearly thirteen millions of people, and increase at the rate of 1.67 per cent, annually by birth and immigration. The more rapid growth of the rural districts implies that many of them are assuming the character of towns.

VI. SEXES.

The number of women and girls enumerated was 11,668,705; of men and boys, 11,040,403; so there was an excess of 623,802 women and girls in England and Wales on the Census night. To the men may he added a certain number of men abroad hi the army, navy, and merchant service, which are not yet known, but may be for the moment estimated at 149,254. By adding this number to the males, they become 11,189,657; and the disparity is reduced to 474,048. This subject will be referred to again.

VII. MARITIME POPULATION.

Besides a large maritime population in distant seas (97,700) on the Census night, and another large number yet unknown on shore at; home, 61,434 have been returned in boats and vessels on canals or navigable rivers, or round the coasts, within the limits of what is called the Homo trade, who have been added to the population of the respective ports to which their vessels belongs as there generally arc their wives, children, and homes. Their distribution is thus summarized; 5,251 were in vessels attached to London, 10,973 to the South Eastern division, 4,806 to the Eastern division, 9,831 to the South Western division; the coasts of the North Western, of the York, of the Northern, and of the Welsh divisions were also abundantly surrounded by mariners and fishermen.

VIII HOUSES AND FAMILIES.

The number of inhabited houses has increased by more than half a million; and the average number of persons to a house was 5.3. The number of separate schedules distributed to families and lodgers exceeded five millions.

Inhabited Houses Families or single
Lodgers supplied
with Schedules
1861 April 8 3,739,505 4,491,524
1871 April 3 425,032 5,030,895
10 years increase 519,527 539,371
Annual increase of Inhabited Houses 51,953 53,937
Houses building 27,305 37,807

The number of uninhabited houses was 184,694 in the year 1961, and 260,178 in the year 1871. It must be borne in mind that the term "uninhabited" in the Census return simply implies that no person dwelt or slept in the house on the Sunday night preceding the enumeration. In towns many of these houses were occupied during the day time. The enumerators were instructed to distinguish those cases in their memorandum books, which will be analyzed at a future period.

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