GB Historical DB

1851 occupational statistics for registration counties in England and Wales.

Table ID:
OCC_1851_EW     (1251776)
Contents:
1851 occupational statistics for registration counties in England and Wales.
Approx. number of rows:
29,150
Table type:
Raw Data
Documentation Author:
Humphrey Southall
Geography:
Reporting units are identified by:
   Registration County
   Registration District Number
Chronology:
The data are for the single year 1851.

Sources:

  1. This table holds a partial transcription of the 'Occupations of the People', as listed in the sections for each of the eleven Census Divisions within Census of Great Britain, 1851. Population Tables. II. Ages, Civil Condition, Occupations, and Birth-Place of the People: with the numbers and ages of the blind, the deaf-and-dumb, and the inmates of workhouses, prisons, lunatic asylums, and hospitals..
  2. Each of the Divisional occupational listings begins with a tabulation of numbers in each of seventeen "Classes", plus "Other Persons of no stated Occupations or Conditon", categorised into males over and under twenty, and females over and under twenty. This is followed by a more detailed breakdown into "sub-classes", with columns for the same age and gender groups. None of this information was included in this transcription, although the totals for each sex in each Class and sub-Class could be computed. The next and longest part of the "Occupations of the People" listing for each division is again arranged by Class and sub-Class but includes many individual occupations plus a catch-all "Other" within each sub-Class, and lists numbers in each five year age band from "Under 5 Years" to "100 and upwds". This information is provided first for Males and then for Females. The transcription is based on this part of the listing, but contains only the total for "All Ages". Finally, the listing provides a further tabulation for "Males ages 20 Years and upwards" by Registration District, listing just a total number for each. Note that there are no table numbers as such in this report.
  3. The transcription was created by David Gatley of Staffordshire University, 'standardised' by CDDA in 2001, and further re-organised and re-documented by Humphrey Southall in 2010.
  4. The original table contains a limited number of footnotes. These were not transcribed by David Gatley and have not been added by CDDA.

Notes:

  1. Different individual occupations are listed for males and for females, but the system of Classes and sub-Classes is standardised. The following Classes are listed:
    1. PERSONS ENGAGED IN THE GENERAL OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF THE COUNTRY
    2. PERSONS ENGAGED IN THE DEFENCE OF THE COUNTRY
    3. PERSONS IN THE LEARNED PROFESSIONS (WITH THEIR IMMEDIATE SUBORDINATES), EITHER FILLING PUBLIC OFFICES, OR IN PRIVATE PRACTICE
    4. PERSONS ENGAGED IN LITERATURE, THE FINE ARTS, AND THE SCIENCES
    5. PERSONS ENGAGED IN THE DOMESTIC OFFICERS, OR DUTIES OF WIVES, MOTHERS, MISTRESSES OF FAMILIES, CHILDREN, RELATIVES
    6. PERSONS ENGAGED IN ENTERTAINING, CLOTHING, AND PERFORMING PERSONAL OFFICES FOR MAN
    7. PERSONS WHO BUY OR SELL, KEEP, LET, OR LEND MONEY, HOUSES, OR GOODS OF VARIOUS KINDS
    8. PERSONS ENGAGED IN THE CONVEYANCE OF MEN, ANIMALS, GOODS AND MESSAGES
    9. PERSONS POSSESSING OR WORKING THE LAND, AND ENGAGED IN GROWING GRAIN, FRUITS, GRASSES, ANIMALS, AND OTHER PRODUCTS
    10. PERSON ENGAGED ABOUT ANIMALS
    11. PERSONS ENGAGED IN ART AND MECHANIC PRODUCTIONS
    12. PERSONS WORKING AND DEALING-IN ANIMAL MATTERS
    13. PERSONS WORKING AND DEALING-IN MATTERS DERIVED FROM THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM
    14. PERSONS WORKING AND DEALING-IN MINERALS
    15. LABOURERS AND OTHERS-BRANCH OF LABOUR UNDEFINED
    16. PERSONS OF RANK OR PROPERTY NOT RETURNED UNDER ANY OFFICE OR OCCUPATIONS
    17. PERSONS SUPPORTED BY THE COMMUNITY, AND OF NO SPECIFIED OCCUPATION

Checking:

  1. Data were checked by David Gatley at the University of Staffordshire. CDDA did not carry out any additional checks.

Acknowledgments:


We are extremely grateful to the following:

  1. David Allan Gatley: These data were computerised by David Gatley. His written permission is required before they may taken.

Indices:

IndexTypeColumn(s) indexed
occ_1851_ew_idx Unique reg_cnty, class, subclass, occupation, sex

Columns within table:

ColumnTypeContents
reg_cnty Text string (max.len.=204). The name of the registration county to which the data relate.
reg_num Integer number. The number of the county to which the data relate, as given in the printed table. This column is empty for London.
class_num Text string (max.len.=8). Number of occupation Class, as given in roman numerals from I to XVII.
class Text string (max.len.=204). Name of occupation "Class". This was not included by Dr. Gatley but was added by CDDA from associated documentation. For example, Class III is "PERSONS IN THE LEARNED PROFESSIONS (WITH THEIR IMMEDIATE SUBORDINATES), EITHER FILLING PUBLIC OFFICES, OR IN PRIVATE PRACTICE".
subclass_num Integer number. Number of occupation sub-Class.
subclass Text string (max.len.=404). Name of occupation sub-Class. For example, Class III, sub-Class 1 is "Clergymen and Ministers". NB orders VII, X and XVI do not have any sub-orders, and for them this column is empty.
occupation Text string (max.len.=404). Specific occupation as listed in the census table. For example, Class III, sub-Class 1 for London includes rows for three occupations: "Clergyman", "Protestant Minister" and "Priests & other Relig. Teachers".
sex Text string (max.len.=5). Gender. Note that the data for males and for females appears on different pages, and quite different lists of occupations appear for the two sexes in the same county.
persons Integer number. Total number of persons in the specified occupation (NB strictly speaking, the column title in the original report is "ALL AGES").
rec_num Integer number. Sequence number added on loading to keep the rows in order.
regc_unit Integer number. Unit ID of the Registration County, as defined in the AUO.