Differing Responses to an Industrialising Economy - eTheses ...

In Table 5.3 marriage licence data are used for certain years in each period to
enable comparisons between zones and periods and to back up the data from probate. 11
Although the figures in Table 5.3 do not correspond with those for probate above, they
confirm the predominance of the primary sector. 12
Table 5.4 Bridegrooms from marriage licence data in specific occupational groupings in
Zone B, Southern (Champion) Country, 1680-1837 (as % of males with known
occupations)
1680-99 1737-54 1780-99 1810-37
Agriculture (excl. labourers) 74.5 59.7 55.7 58.2
Labourers 0.0 9.7 8.9 9.0
Extractive 0.0 0.0 1.3 0.0
Building (excl. carpenters) 2.0 2.8 7.6 3.0
Tailors/bodice makers 3.1 1.4 0.0 0.0
Other textile, clothing & paper manufacture 3.1 4.2 5.1 0.0
Shoemakers/cordwainers 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Other leather, horn and tallow 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Carpenters/joiners 4.1 0.0 1.3 4.5
Other woodworkers 2.0 4.2 5.1 1.5
Blacksmiths/farriers 1.0 2.8 1.3 3.0
Other metal (excl. needles/hooks/pins) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Needles/hooks/pins 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Transport 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Innkeepers/victuallers 0.0 2.8 1.3 0.0
Other food, retail, service, dealing 3.1 2.8 7.6 11.9
Domestic servants 0.0 5.6 3.8 1.5
Professional 3.1 4.2 1.3 7.5
Total males with known occupations (n) 98 72 79 67
Table 5.4 highlights the paucity of workers in metal or leather in this zone, while
confirming the importance of agriculture. 13
11 These marriage data samples are not as extensive as the probate data, so may well be less consistent.
Like probate they are also biased; for example, only a small proportion of labourers marry by licence. For
the most part they may also reflect the occupations of younger males than probate.
12 In other zones marriage licences tend to give a greater figure for secondary than probate does. This is not
the case in this zone.
13 The figures for different occupational groupings are discussed in the text below, where relevant.
143