Differing Responses to an Industrialising Economy - eTheses ...

compiled for each parish using probate data for each year from 1660 to 1858. 5
Similar
spreadsheets have also been compiled using information from marriage allegations for
selected years in each period, and also using data from the 1841 census and from baptism
registers 1813-1840 (and earlier parish registers where they give occupational
information).
Despite their shortcomings (discussed below) these four sources are at
least good pointers to the presence of certain occupations, and they thus form the basis
for discussion of occupational structure. However, spreadsheets have also been made
using other sources. 6
A database was also compiled taking information from all sources. 7
The principal
purpose was to chart the development of industry and commerce and the role of
individuals therein, so all occupations are recorded in the database except gentry,
domestic servants, farmers, labourers and other agricultural workers. The inclusion of
individuals in these occupations would have rendered the database too unwieldy. 8
As it
is there are more than 22,000 individuals listed from 1660 to 1860. 9
weaknesses.
Below is a commentary on the sources used in this survey and their strengths and
5 Using Microsoft Excel.
6 For example, trade directories, inland revenue apprenticeship returns and census data.
7 Using Microsoft Access I have logged each individual’s forename, surname, parish, address, dates when
first and last mentioned in the records, dates of birth and death, father’s name, place of birth, sources of
information, gender and any other information of note, for example cross references to other family
members, aliases, maiden names, alternate spellings of surnames. See Appendix 21.
8 However, the numbers (rather than names) of people involved in each of these excluded occupations are
of course included in the spreadsheet analysis mentioned above.
9 Some 5100 females and 16,900 males. Some individuals appear in many sources, others in only one. Of
the 22,000 some 1600 were known to have started work before 1699, 2100 started work between 1700 and
1749 and 2800 between 1750 and 1799. More than 15,500 names are from the nineteenth century.
Although my survey ends c. 1840 individuals were logged in the censuses and trade directories up to 1860
in order to follow their working career.
10