CHANGES OVER TIME
This section will include information from the census 1841 through to 1911. It will detail population breakdown, birthplace and occupation for the residents of Offley Hay.
The different categories used in each census means that not all statistics can be extrapolated.
This is very much a work in progress, which will be added to over time.
POPULATION
I have tried to extract the same study area statistics from each census. This has limitations as the descriptions of the enumerator's route vary over time. Generally I have included Offley Hay, Walk Mill, Walk Mill Road, Copmere End and excluded Garmelow, Knowle, Kempsage, Cash Lane, Offley Marsh, Offley Rock, Little Horseley, Sugnall, Elford and Plat Bridge.
1841 1851 1861 1871 1881
Male 149 168 157 143 149
Female 136 136 156 134 132
Total 285 304 313 277 281
The population figures for 1841 may not be directly comparable as that census was based on the Hundred, rather than the Civil Registration District used in the following censuses. There is little differentiation within the Enumeration District and most is simply described as Horseley, I have however excluded Elford and Garmelow. Marital status was not recorded and ages over 15 were rounded down to the nearest multiple of five.
The population remains fairly stable over 1841, 1851 and 1861 with a slight increase over time. However in 1871 and 1881 the population declines slightly, in stark contrast to the urban areas of East Staffordshire which grew hugely. This reflects the national picture of a move from rural areas to the expanding urban based industries
MARITAL STATUS
1851 1861 1871 1881 1891
Single 178 182 164 175
Married 102 102 92 83
Widowed 24 29 21 23
POPULATION AGE BANDS
1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901
0-5 44 44 52 38
6-10 40 40 33 50
11-20 61 56 49 60
21-30 46 44 27 25
31-40 27 37 33 27
41-50 36 34 26 30
51-60 19 22 19 24
61-70 14 21 29 16
71-80 14 8 7 9
81+ 1 4 2 2
BIRTHPLACE
Up to 1911 the census records we see are not the original schedule filled in by the householder, (perhaps helped by the enumerator) but the information copied by the District Registrar into an Enumeration book. Birthplace in 1841 was simply recorded as being born within the Enumeration county or not.
Inaccuracies also arose because of lack of knowledge of the informant, particularly in regard to servants, lodgers and visitors. Individuals sometimes did not remember, or made assumptions about where they were born, and the enumerator recorded place names as he heard them. In an era of high levels of functional illiteracy, mistakes often could not be checked. Also it is difficult to know how specific individual enumerators were, or if they simply aggregated places to the nearest village or town.
These factors generally result in a less detailed description of birthplace in the early censuses, and in 1851, 1861 and 1871 a local birthplace is generally simply recorded as Eccleshall. By 1881 specific villages and hamlets were recorded.
Even allowing for these factors, the censuses show that the vast majority of people were born within 5 kilometres of the Study Area
BIRTHPLACE
1851 1861 1871 1881
Born within Study Area
Copmere 12 - 18
Horseley - - 8
Offley Hay 22 - 60
Walk Mill - - - 30
TOTAL 24 0 0 116
1851 1861 1871 1881
Born less than 5 km away
Adbaston 18 21 9 2
Bishop's Offley - - - 4
Bowers Bent - - - 2
Castle - 1 - 1
Croxton - - - 2
Eccleshall 181 216 187 56
Elford Heath 1 - - 1
Flash Brook - 1 - -
Garmelow - - - 1
High Offley 4 4 5 3
Offley Brook - - - 3
Offley Marsh - - - 4
Offley Rock - - - 3
Platt Bridge - - - 1
Pershall - - - 3
Sugnall - - - 3
Sutton 1 - - -
Tunstall Staffs - - 1 -
Woodseaves - - - 2
TOTAL 205 243 202 91
1851 1861 1871 1881
Born 5 to 10 km away
Bromstead Heath Staffs - - - 1
Chalcutt - - - 2
Chebsey Staffs 1 1 - 1
Cheswardine Salop 2 1 - 1
Ellenhall Staffs 3 1 - -
Gnosall Staffs - 2 3 4
Great Bridgford Staffs - - - 1
Haughton Staffs 1 1 - 1
Knightley Staffs - - - 1
Norbury Staffs - 1 2 -
Pickstock Staffs - - - 1
Ranton Staffs 2 1 - -
Sambrook Staffs - - 1
Sleighford Staffs 1 2 1 -
Weston Jones Staffs - - 1 1
Yarnfield Staffs - 2 - -
TOTAL 10 12 8 14
1851 1861 1871 1881
Born 11 to 20 km away
Aston Staffs - - - 1
Acton Trussell Staffs - - 1 1
Ashley Staffs - - 2 -
Bolas Salop 1 1 1 -
Chetwynd Salop - - 1
Coppenhall Staffs - - 1 1
Doley Staffs - - - 4
Edgemont Salop 2 2 1 -
Hanchurch Staffs - - - 1
Hanley Staffs - - 1 -
Hixton Staffs 2 - - -
Hinstock Salop 1 1 1 -
Hopton Staffs 1 1 1 1
Hyde Lea Staffs - - 1 -
Lapley Staffs - 1 - -
Lillishall Salop 1 - 1 1
Littleworth Staffs - - 1 -
Market Drayton Salop 3 - - 1
Marston Staffs 2 - - -
Newcastle-under-Lyme Staff 2 1 1 2
Newport Salop 3 3 2 2
Norton in Hales Staffs - - - 1
Penkridge Staffs - 1 - -
Rickerscote Staffs - - 1 -
Shropshire - 1 - 1
Stafford Staffs 1 5 1 2
Staffordshire 4 17 - -
Stoke Staffs 1 1 5 1
Stone Staffs 7 8 1 3
Tean Staffs - 1 - -
Trentham - 1 - -
Weeping Cross Staffs - - 2 -
Wheaton Aston Staffs - - - 1
Woolstanton Staffs - - 2 -
TOTAL 31 46 28 24
1851 1861 1871 1881
Born 21 to 50 km away
Bilston 1 - 1 1
Biddulph Staffs - - - 1
Bishopswood Staffs 1 - -
Brown Edge Staffs - - - 1
Breewood Staffs - 2 1
Bryttell Staffs - - - 1
Bunbury Cheshire - - - 2
Cannock Staffs - 1 2
Cheddleton Staffs - - 1
Donnington Staffs - 1 1
Hednesford Staffs - - - 2
Horton Staffs - 2 -
Lichfield 1 - 2
Onecote Staffs - - - 1
Rugeley Staffs - 1 1
Rodbaston Staffs - - - 2
Shifnall Salop - 3
Shrewesbury Salop - 6
Walsall Staffs - - 1
Warton Staffs - - 1
Wednesbury Staffs - - 2
Wem Salop - - 1
Whitchurch Salop - - 1
Wolverhampton Staffs - - 1 2
Wombourn Staffs - - - 1
Wooton Salop - 1 - 1
Wyrley Staffs - - 1
TOTAL 3 17 16 15
1851 1861 1871 1881
Born more than 50 km away
Birmingham Worcs - 1 - 1
Church Stretton Salop - - - 1
Coventry Warks - 1 - -
Denby Derbs 1 - - -
Devonport Devon 1 - - -
Ireland - 1 - -
London 1 1 1 1
Manchester 1 - 1 2
North Leigh Oxon - - - 1
Runcorn Cheshire 1 - - -
Wales - 1 - -
Wytham Berks - - - 1
TOTAL 5 5 2 7
Not Known 18 5 - -
OCCUPATIONS
These are quite difficult to compare over time. Different names are given to seemingly similar occupations. Perhaps this was through decisions made by the enumerator or descriptions given by individuals, maybe in an attempt to raise their standing or simply by changing terms used for the same job. I have listed occupations as they appear in the census.
OCCUPATIONS
1851 1861 1871 1881
Ag Lab 48 41 35 7
Bird Stuffer 1 1 - -
Boat Builder 1 - - -
Brickmaker 2 7 3 1
Bricklayer 4 - 4 3
Brick boy 4 1 - -
Brewer's Agent - 1 - -
Butcher 1 - 2 1
Cabinet Maker - - - 1
Carpenter 1 - 1 -
Carter 6 - -
Charwoman 2 - - -
Colt Breaker 1 - - -
Cordwainer 2 6 1 -
Cow man 1 - - -
Dairy maid 1 1 - 1
Daughter 1 6 - -
Drain Pipe Maker 1 1 - -
Draper - - 1 1
Dressmaker 2 - 4 2
Dressmaker's assistant 2 - - -
Errand boy 1 - - 1
Farm Bailiff 1 - - 1
Farm Lab 1 1 - -
Farm servant 4 7 - -
Farmer under 20 acres 3 6 8 4
Farmer 21 - 100 acres 1 2 - 2
Farmer over 100 acres 2 2 - -
Farmer's daughter 3 - - 1
Farmer's son 1 - - 1
Farmer's wife 4 3 - 1
Gardener - 1 2 1
Governess - 1 - -
Greenwich pensioner (out) 1 - - -
Grocer - - - 1
Groom - 3 - -
Higgler 1 - - 1
Higgler's wife 1 - - -
House maid 1 - - -
House servant 3 15 6 17
Housekeeper 1 1 1 -
Huckster - - - 1
Invalid - 1 1 -
Joiner 1 3 3 7
Labourer 1 - 24
Land Agent - 1 - -
Laundress - - 1 -
Miller 2 2 4 2
Net Maker 1 - - -
Nurse child 4 - - -
Painter 2 1 - -
Pauper (Ag Lab) 1 - - -
Pauper( old age) 8
Pedlar - 1 - -
Pig Dealer - - - 1
Plough Boy 1 - - -
Plough Driver 1 -
Publican 1 1 2 1
Retired 1 1 2 3
Roadman - - - 1
Sawyer 9 3 6 5
Scholar 46 46 * 53
School Teacher 2 - 2 2
Servant out of place 7 - - -
Shoe Binder 1 - - -
Shoemaker /Cordwainer 1 6 3 3
Shoemaker's wife 1 - - -
Shopkeeper 1 - 1 -
Sweep - - 1 -
Tailor 2 1 4 4
Tea Dealer - 1 1 -
Tile Maker 1 - - -
Unemployed - 2 2 1
Waggoner 3 1 - 2
Wheelwright - 1 1 1
Wife 2 19 - -
Wood Man - 1 - -
