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CHAPTER XXII

DEPOPULATION OF RURAL ENGLAND

THE cry of "Rural Depopulation" is on every one's lips, but few know the extent to which it has been going on, fewer still realize fully what it means. The admirable manner in which the Census Reports are compiled is worthy of all praise, but of necessity the work is so full, elaborate, and complicated, that much study is required in order to draw from it such condensed information as will be of use to the general public-especially to busy persons. The headings and areas vary almost in every Census, and it is therefore very difficult to secure strict accuracy in comparing particulars under separate headings in the Report of 1901 with the particulars under similar headings in previous Censuses. But no pains have been spared to make the analysis of the returns, as it appears in the following pages, as correct as possible.

The term "Urban population" means the inhabitants of London, County boroughs, Municipal boroughs, and Urban districts. The term The term "Rural population" comprises the inhabitants of the remaining parts of the country except a very small population which is neither Rural nor Urban.

The total area of England and Wales is 37,327,479 statute acres, and the population in 1901 was 32,527,843. Of these totals the Urban districts have an area of 3,848,987 acres, containing a population in 1901 of 25,058,355, while the Rural districts, with an

area of 33,478,492 acres, had a population in the same year of less than 7,500,000.

The last Census, like the previous ones, reveals a startling state of things. While the population of England and Wales has increased in the ten years by 12'17 per cent, no less than 77 per cent of the whole are resident in Urban districts which comprise little more than one-tenth of the total area. Taking the Urban areas, it will be found that practically all the smaller boroughs, market towns, and other Urban districts which are in the midst of Rural surroundings, and rely more or less on agriculture for their trade and support, are either stationary, or have fallen off in population during the ten years (1891-1901), many of them to a serious extent.

As examples of the kind of places that show an actual decrease in population may be quoted :

Ashburton, Abingdon, Bicester, Bishop's Castle, Bewdley, Buckingham, Blandford, Bridport, Bury St. Edmunds, Chipping Norton, Crediton, Daventry, Diss, Downham Market, Eye, Great Torrington, Glastonbury, Horncastle, Huntingdon, Hay, Ivybridge, Louth, Lyme Regis, Lymington, Market Rasen, Malmesbury, Marlborough, Ottery St. Mary, Ross, Shaftesbury, Saffron Walden, Sowerby, Southmolton, Stowmarket, Tavistock, Tetbury, Tiverton, Totnes, Wareham, Wallingford, Warminster, Warwick, etc.1

The "Rural districts," of which the towns named below are the centres, show a still more alarming decay during the same decade of years. Out of 674

1 There are above 200 places of this class that show a decrease, and many others that are either stationary or have slightly increased in numbers. For details see Summary Tables, Census 1901, Cd. 1523, Table XI, pp. 45-78.

Rural districts in England and Wales, no less than 408 have declined in population. In many of them the decrease is very considerable. Many of the rest are about stationary, or show a very slight increase.

As examples of those which show a decrease may be named:

Andover, Aylesbury, Abingdon, Axminster, Barnstaple, Basingstoke, Battle, Berkhampstead, Beverley, Braintree, Blandford, Banbury, Bideford, Bridgnorth, Bicester, Brackley, Chipping Norton, Chard, Crediton, Daventry, Devizes, Hungerford, Holsworthy, Honiton, Huntingdon, Hertford, Hitchin, Dulverton, Dursley, Frome, Hereford, Leominster, Louth, Midhurst, Nuneaton, Newbury, Northleach, Oundle, Okehampton, Pershore, Romsey, Malmesbury, Pewsey, Sturminster, Wantage, Warminster, Swaffham, Spalding, Southmolton, Stow-on-the-Wold, Shepton Mallet, Sherbourne, Sleaford, Towcester, Yeovil, Tiverton, Torrington, Tewkesbury, Horncastle, Saffron Walden, Wincanton, Woodstock, etc.1

These are the places and districts, many of them historical, where, in former times, the robust English race increased and multiplied, where country.life was vigorous, where village sports abounded, and the recruiting - sergeant was continually seen. All are now more or less in a state of decay, in some cases with grass growing in the streets.

Taking the Administrative counties, which are wholly or mainly agricultural, no less than fourteen show an actual decrease in population, while some others are practically at a standstill or show only a small increase. But the decline in the number of those engaged in agriculture is seen in every county in

1 See Table XII in the same Census Paper, pp. 79-99.

England and Wales except one. The following table shows the counties in which the decrease is most marked.

NUMBER OF MALE PERSONS ENGAGED IN AGRICULTURE.

Decrease

County.
Westmoreland

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Merionethshire

Derbyshire
Lincolnshire .

Denbighshire.
Nottingham.
Devonshire

Dorsetshire

Somersetshire

Durham

Worcestershire

23,793
6,445

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17,933

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15,870 44,107 48,872

6,508 19,664 15,660 21,238

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40,124
22,008

5,962

12,590

51,625

7,861 16,174 35,408

15,427

29,230
10,373
14,039
38,997

43,151
23,248

35,977

5,644
17,003

13,479
18,239

24,530

2,374
6,862

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Surrey

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15,035

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With regard to agricultural labourers, the classification of their different kinds of work adopted in the Census of 1901 differs from that of previous Reports. For this reason, the Report states, "it is obviously futile to compare the numbers under separate headings with those under similar headings at previous Censuses. The total numbers of workers may, however, be fairly compared after excluding farmers' sons under fifteen years of age and female relations of farmers, for reasons stated on a previous page. With this necessary modification, the aggregate of such workers at the last six Censuses were as shown in the following table" :

NUMBER OF WORKERS ON FARMS.

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If we take these figures in connection with the fact that in 1851 the population was about 18 millions, and in 1901 about 32 millions, or nearly double, the extent and rapidity of the decline in the number of

1 For minute particulars of the manner in which agricultural work is divided under different headings, see General Report, Census 1901, Table XXXIV, p. 259, and Table XXXV, p. 274. These particulars are somewhat complicated, but very interesting. They relate to farmers, graziers, bailiffs, woodmen, gardeners, nurserymen, and all others connected with agriculture. These tables put the number of farm servants, men and women (including shepherds, stockmen, horsemen, and ordinary labourers), at 621,068, instead of the number 727,130 given in the above table. The former seems the more correct. For the changes in classification see Table XXXIII, pp. 245–55. Page 247 refers to agriculture.

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