Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The aims of the project were to examine and analyse demographic processes of fertility, nuptiality, marital fertility, mortality and migration during periods encompassing the demographic transition in England and Wales. In particular, the goal was to reveal underlying relationships between demographic processes in the context of changing socio-economic conditions. With this goal in mind, population, occupational, and education data were compilated, and demographic and statistical models were employed to estimate key measures and indicators of demographic change. The large majority of the data and estimates were compiled and made at the registration district level for the period 1851-1911. In addition decennial inter-county migration flows were estimated for the period 1851-1911.

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This digital resource is based on two sources of official data that were published regularly for the registration districts and counties of England and Wales between 1851 and 1911. The published volumes of seven censuses provided most of the information on age, sex and marital status distributions. Census data also provided information on occupational distributions. Vital registration provided the intercensal numbers of births, deaths and marriages. Some supplementary data were also used such as the series of English life tables. From these data demographic and statistical models were employed to estimate key measures and indicators of demographic change at the registration district level, such as population growth rates, population density, birth and death rates, net migration rates, Coale's indices of nuptiality, marital fertility and overall fertility, estimates of the timing of the onset of fertility transition, estimates of life expectancy and more. Most of the district level variables are available for the period 1841-1911, although the data is less complete and less reliable for the period 1841-1850. In addition, decennial inter-county migration flows were estimated from lifetime migration information for the period 1851-1911. Please note: this study does not include information on named individuals and would therefore not be useful for personal family history research.

Convenience sample

Compilation or synthesis of existing material