Ledbury through the Census

Every ten years since 1801, except in 1941, there has been a general census of the population of England and Wales. The original enumrators' books survive from 1841 and are available for public inspection after 100 years. The originals are kept at the National Archives at Kew, but county record offices have microfilm copies and it is also possible to search for information through many genealogy websites.

The England's Past for Everyone volunteers have transcribed all the information from the enumerators' books for the town of Ledbury from 1841 to 1901. The town was only part of the enumeration sub-district, which covered the whole parish. To provide a consistent basis for analysis a carefully delineated area was chosen, which encompassed the extent of the town in 1901. This area can be seen in the accompanying map.

Once transcribed, the details entered into a database, which enabled an analysis to be made of the population of Ledbury over a sixty-year period. Changes in population size, age and gender distributions, occupations and migrations are all discussed in the accompanying article. The information gathered has also been used to inform other articles on this website and the writing of Ledbury: a market town and its Tudor heritage.