|
AS mentioned earlier, the first UK national census to be of any use to family historians was that of 1841, the earliest one to give actual names (apart from in a few rare cases dealt with below) The earlier censuses of 1801, 1811, 1821 and 1831 recorded statistical returns only. This leads many newcomers to genealogy to believe there is nothing to be found before 1841, but this is not the case. There are other records which amount to a virtual census of some areas..... MILITIA BALLOT LISTS 1757-1831 and MUSTER ROLLS In another Act in 1758 Parliament directed that no names should be excluded, though the upper age limit was reduced to 45 in 1762. The militia ballot lists, therefore, amounted virtually to a complete census of all adult males aged from 18 to 50 between 1758 and 1762 and aged between 18 and 45 from 1762 to 1831. Survival of these lists is far better in some counties than others, but you need a book (details of which I shall give below) to find out which have survived and where they are. Two important sources for Yorkshire which I have personally consulted are the Craven Muster Rolls 1803, which lists hundreds of men in the Craven area around Skipton and the Dales, and a book published by the North Yorkshire RO called "To Escape the Monster's Clutches", which gives details of the Whitby and Scarborough Volunteers in the 1790s when Britain feared invasion by the French. Muster Rolls sometimes give valuable additional information such as if a man had a handicap, like "blind" or "missing an arm". These were obviously important factors with regard to suitability for military service. One poor chap in the Craven Muster Rolls has the word "Idiot" alongside his name (I reckon they probably made him an officer!). DEFENSE LISTS 1798 and 1803-04 The Posse Comitatus and Levee en Masse lists were comprehensive records of all able-bodied men not already serving in the forces and aged between 15 and 60, whilst occupations such as millers, bakers, wagoners, barge owners etc - anyone who could be useful in certain ways - were also noted. The Levee en Masse lists also listed all householders by name and sometimes occupation and age, with numbers of males and females in each house, and non-combatants who would need to be evacuated (women, children, the old and infirm). Again, survival of these lists is spasmodic, but one outstanding example is that for the wapentake of Staincliffe with Ewcross in the West Riding, which lists 9,000 men aged from 17-55 in 1803. There are many of these military records listed for Yorkshire, divided into the Ridings, in: Militia Lists and Musters 1757-1876, a Gibson Guide by Jeremy Gibson and Mervyn Medlycott, published by the Federation of Family History Societies and available from the Society of Genealogists bookshop. * PLEASE NOTE - the book does NOT give actual records and names, purely a county-by-county guide to where you can find them. LOCAL CENSUSES 1801-1831 Smart printers - particularly in London, Essex and Yorkshire - spotted a market and unofficially sold sets of forms with columns for the names of householders to be recorded. The statistics only were sent to the central census authorities, but the forms and similar rough drafts containing names were sometimes kept in parish chests or in private hands and some have survived. Usually these unofficial censuses give heads of households only, but in a few fortunate cases full names and relationships were shown. One reason for keeping these unofficial censuses may have been to do with Poor Law administration. In the West Riding, local censuses for 1801 and 1811 for Midgley and Elland-cum-Greetland, 1801 for Langfield, 1811 for Sowerby, and 1811 for Todmorden and Walsden have been published in booklet form by the Calderdale FHS. In some parishes only the householder is named, whilst others contain the names of all members of a household, with relationships. OTHER "OFFICIAL" CENSUSES ECCLESIASTICAL CENSUSES Sometimes they are amazingly detailed, with births, marriages, occupations, family relationships, employment, literacy, schooling, and even assessments of character. Easter Books and Communicants Lists, which are quasi-censuses, recorded all full members of the Church of England, normally from around the age of 10 or 12 in Tudor times, but later from about 16. One reason for their existence was because the clergy received tithes from full members at Easter time. The survival of these records is very patchy and varies from county to county, but they are well worth knowing about. * "Local Census Listings 1522-1930: Holdings in the British Isles" by Jeremy Gibson and Mervyn Medlycott, published by the Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd. This booklet lists the whereabouts of the above and other types of local census listings throughout the UK and Ireland. It is available from the SoG bookshop <sales@sog.org.uk> HEARTH TAX RETURNS Each hearth was taxed at the rate of two shillings a year, but those who were too poor to pay it were exempt, as were charitable institutions like hospitals and almshouses. The great value of the hearth tax returns is that they give not only the names of householders but the numbers of hearths they were taxed upon, thus giving some indication of their relative wealth and social status. Unfortunately, many of the returns have not survived, those that have being the returns from 1662-1666 and 1669-1674. The originals are held at the Public Record Office, but most of the hearth tax returns for Yorkshire have been published by the Ripon Historical Society in about a dozen booklets, divided by wapentakes. POOR LAW RECORDS AND OTHER PARISH RECORDS Usually, these records were kept in the parish chest and today are to be found mostly in County Record Offices. However, in Yorkshire their survival is spasmodic, since many parishes were so large that the unit of local administration was the township, rather than the parish. Thus, many records have not survived, having been scattered over a wide area. MARRIAGE LICENCES, BONDS and ALLEGATIONS WILLS In general terms, wills are another tremendously valuable source, since they often reveal family details and relationships of beneficiaries to the testator. A large number of Yorkshire wills and letters of administration are held at the Borthwick Institute, York, while those for the Archdeaconry of Richmond are at the West Yorkshire Archives at Sheepscar, Leeds. In both cases, however, we are talking of wills before 1858. All wills after 1858 are at the Principal Registry of the Family Division and there is a public search room at First Avenue House, 42-48 High Holborn, London WC1V 6HA. Many Mormon FHCs hold copies of wills. POLL BOOKS AND ELECTORAL REGISTERS After the Reform act of 1832, electoral registers were published of persons entitled to vote (different to poll books, which revealed how people had voted). These were later also called burgess rolls. Most local libraries possess copies for their area, many being complete from Victorian times up to the present day. TRADE DIRECTORIES One of the best known publications for Yorkshire is Baines' History, Directory and Gazetteer of the County of York, published in two volumes in 1822. This is a prodigious work, giving the history of every major town in the county, with long lists of commercial people, traders, gentry and leading citizens for each one. A great many villages are also featured.
|
