APPENDIX.
In the following table is given the population of 45 parishes in the Royston district, viz., of the Royston and Buntingford Poor-law Unions, situated in the counties of Herts., Cambs., and Essex, for each decade from 1801 to 1891. In them the reader will be able to trace the growth of the rural population during the middle of the century, and its remarkable decline during the last twenty years, the economic effects of which have led to the cry for bringing back the labourer on to the land, instead of his drifting away to aggravate the social problem in London and other populous centres.
ROYSTON SUB-DISTRICT.
1801 1811 1821 1831 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891
Ashwell 715 754 915 1072 1235 1425 1507 1576 1568 1556
Barkway 699 686 771 859 1002 986 940 932 782 761
Barley 494 593 695 704 789 870 808 714 614 574
Chishill, Great 309 298 353 371 466 532 473 432 129 140
Chishill, Little 71 55 71 106 96 105 110 110 129 140
Heydon 246 272 272 259 324 368 270 265 257 221
Hinxworth 228 243 247 295 328 347 320 313 297 289
Kelshall 179 180 208 251 276 326 318 286 249 241
Morden, Guilden 428 489 570 675 808 931 906 1059 959 819
Morden, Steeple 430 483 614 645 788 889 912 1018 981 810
Nuthampstead 152 172 222 249 289 302 281 254 217 207
Reed 164 158 214 232 260 277 224 224 189 206
Royston, Herts. 975 1309 1474 1272 1431 1529 1387 1348 1272 1262
Royston, Cambs. 356 * * 485 566 532 495 453 440 439
Therfield 707 692 872 974 1224 1335 1222 1237 1175 996
* In the Census of 1801 and 1811 Royston, Cambs., was taken with Royston, Herts.
MELBOURN SUB-DISTRICT.
Abington Pigotts 177 201 233 259 232 238 228 197 180 169
Barrington 348 343 483 485 533 596 563 727 621 583
*Bassingbourn 828 878 1042 1255 1419 1919 1933 2239 2121 1828
Fowlmere 420 448 541 547 609 597 560 603 542 543
Foxton 322 304 368 408 452 459 405 413 415 436
Kneesworth 120 104 171 191 191 229 280 491 596 801
Litlington 350 418 505 622 722 790 693 768 674 568
*Melbourn 819 972 1179 1474 1724 1931 1637 1759 1803 1649
Meldreth 444 452 643 643 723 776 735 757 781 713
Shepreth 202 253 320 .. 353 321 339 376 373 375
Shingay 42 50 86 112 137 142 128 118 90 74
Thriplow 334 319 371 417 477 521 502 522 463 442
Wendy 109 111 134 125 151 154 128 136 136 127
Whaddon 221 213 318 339 345 340 319 384 348 341
* Parts of these parishes are in the township of Royston.
BUNTINGFORD UNION.
1801 1811 1821 1831 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891
Austey 387 371 440 417 465 473 412 391 *
Ardeley 484 563 617 599 630 574 563 495 464
Aspeden 364 367 455 560 539 577 671 613 658
Broadfield 31 26 23 10 8 19 26 19 **
Buckland 300 288 343 373 384 385 362 358 367
Cottered 339 343 410 436 437 470 456 379 357
Hormead, Great 467 513 564 576 601 660 631 519 431
Hormead, Little 103 94 112 107 87 103 143 127 116
Layston 799 907 1014 1093 1220 998 1086 1071 889
Meesden 122 138 164 158 185 163 181 189 *
Rushden 253 287 333 342 321 291 276 270 225
Sandon 595 580 646 716 770 771 809 763 728
Throcking 58 45 69 76 54 97 63 74 **
Wakeley 7 8 9 7 9 4 4 10 ***
Wallington 224 219 210 213 254 238 250 191 133
Westmill 328 365 415 418 380 353 337 361 348
Wyddial 181 175 225 243 245 213 199 202 289
* in the Census of 1891, Anstey and Meesden were taken together, and had a population of 574, or 6 less than the two parishes together in 1881.
** Throcking and Broadfield were also taken together, giving a population of 73, or 20 less than in 1881.
*** Wakeley has ceased to be a separate parish.
[Transcriber's note: there were no entries in the 1841 column.]
The population of the town of Royston can only be arrived at by adding together the number of the parts of surrounding parishes making up the township of Royston. At the last two Censuses these parts have been enumerated separately, but not in the earlier decades, with the exception of 1801 and 1831, particulars of which are given below.
1801. Houses. Houses empty. Persons.
Royston, Herts. 193 13 975
" Cambs. 77 3 356
Bassingbourn 25 0 120
Kneesworth 3 0 9
Therfield 4 1 24
--- -- ---
Totals 302 17 1484
There were no inhabitants in Melbourn parish, Royston, at the above Census of ninety years ago, and it will be seen that all the inhabitants within 153 were in Royston parish proper.
1811.—The Census of this period showed very little difference from the figures for 1801, and of that of 1821, I have only the particulars for the two parishes of Royston, Herts., and Cambs., which gave 1,479 persons against 1,331 for these two parishes in 1801.
The most interesting and complete Census of the town was that of the year
Houses Houses
1831. Houses. empty. building. Persons.
Royston, Herts. 244 3 4 1272
" Cambs. 102 4 0 485
Bassingbourn 35 1 0 157
Kneesworth 6 1 0 49
Therfield 9 0 0 44
Melbourn 1 0 0 1
--- - - ----
Totals 397 9 4 2008
The following are the Census returns for the township of Royston for 1881 and 1891.
1881. 1891. Increase. Decrease.
Royston, Herts. 1272 1262 -- 10
" Cambs. 440 439 -- 1
Bassingbourn part 445 472 27 --
The Workhouse 145 101 -- 44
Kneesworth part 461 682 221 --
Melbourn part 190 213 23 --
Therfield part 183 150 -- 33
---- ---- --- --
Totals 3136 3319 183 --
The interest of the foregoing figures lies in the fact that there was during the first thirty years of the century a great increase in the Hertfordshire part of the town, and scarcely any increase in the Cambridgeshire part, whereas the tendency has now been reversed in so remarkable a manner that against only 9 persons in Kneesworth parish, Royston, in 1801, there are now 682.