Henham Census Statistics 1801 to 1961

We are indebted to www.visionofbritain.org.uk for the following data and especially to David Gatley of the School of Social Sciences, University of Staffordshire where he runs The Victorian Census Project. The following tables are for the census returns of 1831, 1851, 1861,1871, 1881,1901, 1911,1921, 1931, 1951 and 1961. The 1831 Census was the first to provide information about individual occupations, but was also the last not to be based on a detailed door-to-door survey. It still relied heavily upon the network of parish priests.

The data, although it may vary from one return to another, is principally concerned with population numbers, numbers of properties, occupations etc. Although it does not contain any details of personal names (and are therefore of no use to the family history reader), they are of considerable interest when looking at how Henham compared to the national picture. As a rural community we sometimes bucked the national trend. At other times we reflected the national growth, decline and population shifts as we moved towards a more industrial environment, the consequences of world wars, and then to a commuting village whose wealth depended on outside activities.

Today only a handful of people are involved in agricultural employment, two of the farms having only one employee each. As a regular village sight, the tractor has been replaced by the 4 x 4 Chelsea tractors whose only forays into the off-road experience are to supermarket car-parks, carwashes and the occasional ditch, and parking on pavements near our village school.

Population density, population shifts and details of Henham houses from 1825 to 1961

Population density : persons per acre

Henham was at 0.30 in 1850, falling to 0.25 in 1900 where it remained to at least 1961. By contrast the national figure was 0.50 in 1850 climbing steadily to 1.25 by 1961

Population change :
(% over previous 10 years)

Without using too many boring figures, Henham was quite extreme, plus or minus, in its population shifts between 1825 and 1925. It was only after 1925 that the parish appears to have shadowed a similar level to the national trend. Henham’s extreme points were relatively large population influxes in 1825 ( coinciding with a similar albeit lower national spike), 1850 and 1910 but with a severe plunge in 1900 that was against national trends.

1801 to 1961

	1801	1811	1821	1831	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901	1911	1921	1931	1951	1961
Area in statute acres				2,990		2,958	2,958	2,958	2,995	2,995	2,995 inc 1 of water	2,995	2,995	2,995	2,888	2,888
Houses: total				173	185	200	196	189	190	180	188	181	180	198	239	245
Houses: inhabited				171	179	190	186	187	180	174	164
Houses: families				181							166	181	180	198	239	245
Households											166	181	180	200	241	245
Rooms:total													925	968	1,066	1,233
House: building				nil	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil	2
Houses:uninhabited				2	6	10	10	2	10	6	11
Occupations: families chiefly employed in agriculture				133
Occupations : families chiefly employed in trade, manufacture, and handicraft				31
Occupations : all other families not comprised in the two preceding classes				17
Persons : total	703	659	804	863	855	911	875	837	812	813	700	741	726	695	750	729
Persons : males	350	318	402	454	438	482	458	434	409	418	357	388	367	344	356	366
Persons : females	353	341	402	409	417	429	417	403	403	395	343	353	359	351	394	363
Persons : males aged over 20 years				206
Agriculture : occupiers employing labourers				13
Agriculture : occupiers not employing labourers				1
Agriculture : labourers employed in agriculture				141
Employed in manufacture, or in making manufacturing machinery				nil
Employed in retail trade or in handicrafts as Masters or Workmen				30
Capitalists, Bankers, Professional other Educated men				3
Labourers employed in labour not agricultural				5
Other males aged over 20 years except servants				12
Male servants aged over 20 years				1
Male servants aged under 20 years				2
Female servants				22
1831 Labourers as a % of population Henham 70%, National 40%
Employers Educated men as a % of populationHenham 8 %, National 10%