Population
 

The total population of Staplehurst in the 1881 census was 1637of which:

                                                                                           Percent

                                        Males       Females     Total      of Total     
      Under 1 year old             29             22            51          3.1%
      1 to  5 years of age        135           107          242        14.8% 
      6 to 12 years of age       134           130          264        16.1%
      13 to 20 years of age     111           118          229        14.0%
      21 to 30 years of age     110           124          234        14.3%
      31 to 40 years of age       97           100          197        12.0%
      41 to 50 years of age       75             69          144          8.8%
      51 to 60 years of age       74             54          128          7.8%
      61 to 70 years of age       41             46            87          5.3%
      71 to 80 years of age       18             31            49          3.0%
      Over 80 years of age         8               4            12          0.7%
                  Total                  832           805        1637      100.0%

                                              

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 Marital Status
 

                                                                                                Percent

                                                                                               of Total

            Number of married people                    614                  37.5%
            Number of widows/widowers                 76                    4.6%
            Single people over 16   years                260                  15.9%
                of which single over 25 years             96                    5.9%

                ( or 16.8% of people over 25)

 

           Normal marriage age appears to be 25 for women and 28 for men.

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 Place of Birth
       

            Born Kent                                           1449                  88.5%
              of which:
                     Born Staplehurst                          781                  47.7%
                     Born neighbouring villages *         287                  17.5%    
                     Born rest of Kent                         381                  23.3%               
           
            Born rest of Britain                               179                  10.9%
                  of which Sussex                                80                    4.9%

           

             * (Cranbrook, Marden, Frittenden, Headcorn and Goudhurst)

 There were 4 people from Ireland and 5 from overseas.

    

           

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Education
There are 540 children between the ages of 4 and 18 of which 320 classified as ‘Scholars’.  Most boys left school at 12 or 13; only 11 boys (17.7%) aged 12 to 15 were still at school while 51.7% of girls of the same age were at school.

Of children 4 years of age 40.4% were at school while 74.4% of all 5 year olds were at school. Only 9.6% of children aged between 6 and 11 were not classed as scholars and only one 11 year old was shown as employed.

 

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Occupations
 

In the 1881 census for Staplehurst, there are 151 women recorded with an occupation excluding thus described by their husband’s occupation (eg. Ag. Lab.’s wife).  Of the 151 women only 13 of these are married women while 32 are widows. The majority are young single woman.

Occupation of Women         

Farmer	3
Farm Worker	2
Blacksmith	1
School Teacher	3
Governess	1
Nurse	6
Retail (grocer etc.)	7
Bar work	2
Dressmaking / needlewomen	16
Laundress	6
Charwomen	5
Domestic Cook	8
Housekeeper	18
Domestic Servant	52
Annuitant / Private Income	22
	152

 This represents 28.6% of the female population over 14 years of age.

Note that there is only one girl under the age 14 shown as employed and that was an 11 year old domestic servant.  

The term housekeeper is generally used to define a women keeping house in a household were there the men are unmarried or widowed. It is usually a relative such as daughter or sister.

 Male Occupations

There are 519 men recorded with an occupation in the 1881 Staplehurst Census. The youngest child shown as employed was a 12 year old letter carrier. There are 6 men in their 80’s still working as agricultural labourers.

 Agriculture

Agriculture is by far the largest category of occupation with 311 men employed; 59.9% of the working men.

 

Farmers	31
Farmer’s relatives (sons, etc)	13
Farm Bailiffs	17
Game Keeper	2
Carrier / Carter	9
Shepherds /Grazier	4
Traction Engines	6
Agricultural Labourers	219
Farm Servants	10
	311

 Agricultural labourers form the largest number in this category. The difference between the farm labourer or farm servant and agricultural labourer appears that the farm labourer or servant is generally young, unmarried and living within the farmer’s household. The agricultural labourer is living in independent households.

 Trades

Those jobs I have grouped under the heading of trade make up the second largest category of employment with 17% of the male workforce.              

Carpenters	14
Brick Layers	13
Brick Makers	5
Blacksmith	8
Wheelwrights	5
Builders	4
Timber Hewer, Sawyer, Agent	6
Painters & Glazier	4
Harness Maker	3
Plumber	2
Shoe Maker	2
Taylor	3
Coach Builder	1
Chimney Sweep	1
Cleaver	1
Drain Pipe Maker	1
Stone Sawyer	1
Watchmaker	1
Miller	2
Malster	1
General Labourer	10
Total	88

 

Retail / Service

Staplehurst village had a number of shops serving the community.  

This included 14 people working as grocers, 5 bakers, 5 butchers, a florist, and a fishmonger. There were 2 people providing coal, a commercial traveller, and a live stock dealer.  

The was a cab driver and a fly driver. 

There was a hotel keeper, 2 victuallers, 2 publicans, 4 ostlers, and 2 retail beer sellers.

 Railway and Postal Services

The railway employed 15 people including station master, porters, plate layers and signalmen. The postal service accounted for 9 people with the post master, clerk, and letter carriers.

 Domestic Service

There were 16 gardeners classed as domestic; 7 grooms and 3 coachmen. There was also a butler, a page boy and a house boy.

 Professional

The village had a vicar, a curate and a parish clerk. There was also a Baptist Minister; a bank manager, a surgeon, a photographer, school masters, and a policeman.

 Seven people were said to have private incomes (annuitants, interest on money, etc.).

 

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