Census 1841 – 1901

These are my own transcriptions of the censuses and for my own use I had printed them in a book form. In an index I created to go with the Butleigh People file I referred to the page numbers in this census book thus:. 41-15 = 1841 census, page 15 in my book. I have kept these same census references in the Butleigh People file (and they will also be shown thus in an eventual Final index) and on these census transcriptions below they appear thus: Page 13 - - - - - - - - - - - with the page referred to above the page number. This is not to be confused with the page and folio number on the original census (see below)




The inclusion of Kingweston on the Censuses dates from an original intention, now abandoned, to deal with the population history of that village too – but see the tables below and also http://kingweston.atspace.com/

Place names in Butleigh are shown in 'Butleigh People' in Italics and are listed along with links to maps.

How the census was organised

The Parishes of England were organised into ‘Hundreds’ for the 1841 census, or registration Districts for later censuses. Butleigh Parish fell into the Hundred of Whitley which lay in the Eastern Division of Somerset. The Superintendent Registrar for Wells controlled several districts and Butleigh was given to the Registrar of Glastonbury who collected the enumeration forms from the various Parish enumerators under his control.

The enumeration forms were distributed to all households several days before the census date and collected the day following it. All people spending that night in each household were to be included whether normally resident there or not. Many people had to be assisted in filling in the forms since they were often illiterate. After the forms were collected the information was then sorted and copied out into the enumerators books, the originals were later destroyed.

The census returns were organised then into County, Hundred and Parishes in alphabetical order and given ‘piece’ numbers. A reference to a particular entry begins with the Public Record Office class number (HO 107 for 1841) then the Piece number (964 for Butleigh). The Pieces were comprised of books which contain a folio number and/or a page number. The book number follows the piece number (e.g. HO 107/964/3) and then comes the folio or page number - the folio numbers being on every second page - these are given in these tables in the left margin thus F5/p1 for folio 5 page 1. A full reference, which will enable one to identify the entry in the census must have; the PRO class number, the piece number, the book number and the folio number. The enumeration districts, also given here, are not used as references to locate the individual pages.

Clerks who reviewed and compiled the census information later added many marks to the pages, often obscuring the data given there. Some of these marks can be very useful such as those which identify separate buildings containing households (shown here as *=) and those which identify separate household within the same building or dwelling (~). In the early censuses one sees several families, some of them quite large, occupying the same small cottage.

In the villages of Butleigh, Butleigh Wootton and Kingweston, few of the houses had numbers and the only way to identify a house may be to take the dwellings in sequence from a known house. The street names are given (shown so: WATER LANE) and a few individual houses (ROWLEY FARM) and which I have taken as headings. The information shown in these tables is as given on the census returns and in the same sequence and for the most part with the same miss-spellings. Place names (of origin) are sometimes misspelled and those far afield may have been new to the enumerator who often seems to have tried to re-create the name phonetically as spoken by the subject being interviewed.

Where a family occurs on several censuses one can follow their progress. Infant mortality was higher than today and even adults were often widowed at an early age, the women sometimes being taken in childbirth. Schools were not compulsory and children can often be seen recorded as working from very early ages.

The following pages give some statistical information culled from the census pages.


BUTLEIGH AND BUTLEIGH WOOTTON

Occupation

1841

1851

1861

1871

1881

1891

1901

Non- workers, retired, spouses, children etc.

Infants & children unoccupied (under 16)

299

181

155

131

106

95

182

Scholar


138

178

187

117

141


No occupation given (Wife/Visit) - adults 16+

208

195

171

181

154

161

164

Retired-Builder/Baker/Farmer/Servant etc.


1

12

5

7

13

4

Annuitant/Pensioner/Fundholder


8


3

4



Army Pensioner


1

1

1


2

2

Independent/ Living on own means

15

8

3



13

23

Unemployed



2

2

6



Parish Relief


14



4

13

1

Landowners, gentry etc.

Lord of the Manor





1



Gentleman


1



1



Gentlewoman/ Lady


1

3





Army Officer/Sergeant/Naval Officer



1

2

2



Land Agent



1

1




Farmer

16

23

21

16

21

21

20

Farmer’s Wife/Widow


7

9

5

4



Farmer’s Daughter/Sister


7

7

4

7

3

1

Farmer’s Son


9

9

12

8

2

7

Yeoman

11

1






Dealer




1


1


Farm Bailiff/Foreman


2

1

2

2

2

2

Clergy


1

1

1

2

1

2

Agricultural and general workers - estate maintenance

Agricultural/Farm Labourer/General Labourers

114

158

189

141

125

107

76

Servant-Outdoor/Farm/Stable Man/Cow Boy


12

13

16

4

3

6

Gardener & Labourers/Boys

3

8

12

8

10

10

10

Nursery Man


1

1





Dairyman/Woman


3

9

5


1

1

Shepherd/ Shepherd Boy


1

6

3

3

4

8

Grazier

2







Drains Superintendent


1






Gamekeeper

3

2

2

2

4

3

2

Fish Keeper







1

Ratcatcher




1




Craftsmen and handworkers

Blacksmith/Assistant

7

8

12

6

6

5

5

Carpenter/Joiner/Cabinet maker/Apprentice

11

17

10

11

13

8

7

Wheelwright & Carpenter


1

2


1


4

Woodcarver



1

1




Sawyer

4

7

8

3

3

1


Hurdle Maker






1

1

Woodman


1

1

4


1

1

Cooper

3

2

1

1




Cordwainer


5


2




Thatcher

2

4

4

5

1

2

1

Teazel Grower


1






Building, housing related

Stone Cutter

21

15

8

5

3

5

2

Stone Mason/Mason & Labourer

5

24

3

2

2

7

4

Stone Getter



1





Stone Engraver

1

1






Lime Burner





1



Brick and Kiln maker/Tile maker


4

1

1

1

2

1

Bricklayer/Labourer


8



1



Plasterer & Tiler/Apprentice

3

4

3

2

3

1

2

Plumber/ Painter

1


2

4

1

2

1

Steam engine related - agricultural or transport

Engineer





1

1

1

Engine Driver (stationary, portable, traction, steam)




1

8

6

9

Engine Fitter





2

3

2

Transport and road construction

Road Contractor


1


1

1

1


Road Labourer


1



4

3

6

Carter/Carrier



2

3

3

1

14

Services, shops, professions

Shopkeeper/Assistant

1

8

7

2

1

1

2

Baker/Apprentice/Assistant

3

9

3

5

3

5

6

Butcher /Assistant

4

4

4

2

2

4

2

Grocer & Draper



9

4

4

2

2

Glover



1

2




Tailor

5

6

5

1

1


1

Harness Maker/Saddler/Apprentice

2

1

5

3

3

2

1

Innkeeper


2

1

1

2

1

1

Medical Doctor/Surgeon



1



1

1

Nurse (Hospital)






1

2

Clerk/Accountant

1



1

1

3

2

Police Constable



1

1

1

1

1

Postman/Postmaster

1

1

2

1


1

1

Telegraphist






1

3

Servants and individual services - Domestic and indoors

Nurse (private)

1

9

6

2

2

2

2

School teacher/ Assistant

1

5

8

6

4

3

4

Governess



3

2

1

3


Seamstress


1

2

1

2

2


Dressmaker (+ Dress stay maker)


9

15

13

15

9

9

Needlewoman


2

3

2

3



Servant/Domestic (not specified 1841)

52

49

38

47

37

38

39

Laundress Washerwoman/Laundry Maid


6

15

17

19

16

6

Charwoman


3




2

5

Butler


1

2

3

2

3

2

Cook (Servant)


3

2

1

1

4

8

Lady’s Maid


6

2

3

2

2

2

Coachman


3

1

3

2

4

2

Groom


1

2

1

3

5

3

Sexton






1

1

Shoe related

Shoe Binder


5

15

10

6

3

1

Shoemaker

11

12

11

10

5

6

4

Skin/Boot Factory operative






1

2

Miscellaneous occupations


1



2












844

1035

1038

954

771

772

688



KINGWESTON

Occupation

1841

1851

1861

1871

1881

1891

1901

Non- workers - retired, spouses, children etc.

Infants & children unoccupied (under 16)

42

33

16

12

24

14

21

Scholars (not listed separately in 1841, 1901)


18

32

39

13

10

9

No occupation given (Wife/Visitor) - adults 16 years & over

40

42

22

30

47

37

28

Retired-Builder/Baker/Farmer/Servant etc.


4


1

1



Annuitant/Pensioner/Fundholder





2



Independent/ Living on own means

2






4

Landowners, gentry etc.

Gentleman


1

3


1



Gentlewoman/ Lady


1

1


1

1


Army Officer/Sergeant/Naval Officer





1



Land Agent


1

1

1




Farmer/Farmers sons

3

2

4

3

4

6

6

Auctioneer





1

1


Farm Bailiff/Foreman






1


Clergy

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

Agricultural and general workers - estate maintenance

Agricultural/Farm Labourer/General Labourers

15

15

15

21

9

9

5

Servant-Outdoor/Farm/Stable Man - Ostler

1


1

1

1



Gardener & Labourers/Boys

2

5

2

6

6

5

6

Dairyman/Woman



1





Shepherd/ Shepherd Boy


1



1

1

2

Gamekeeper

1

2


2

2

2

2

Carter/Carrier




1

4

2

6

Craftsmen and handworkers

Blacksmith/Assistant

1

3

3

2

2

1

1

Carpenter/Joiner/Cabinet maker/Apprentice

2


1

1




Cordwainer


1

2

1




Thatcher



1


1

1

1

Building, housing related

Stone Cutter







1

Stone Mason/Mason & Labourer

1

2

1

1




Plasterer & Tiler/Apprentice

2


2





Plumber/ Painter



1





Services, shops, professions

Shopkeeper/Assistant


1




1


Grocer & Draper







1

Innkeeper

1

1






Servants and individual services - Domestic and indoors

Nurse (private)



5

1

1

2

1

School teacher/ Assistant


1

2

1

2

1


Governess



2

1




Seamstress




1




Dressmaker (+ Dress stay maker)



3

1



1

Needlewoman



1



2


Servant/Domestic (not specified 1841)

11

13

15

2

16

17

13

Laundress Washerwoman/Laundry Maid



2

4


1


Butler





1



Cook (Servant)



2

2

3

2

1

Lady’s Maid



3




1

Coachman





1

1

1

Groom



2

1


1


Shoemaker

2

1



3




127

149

147

137

149

120

113