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Information leaflet 51


THE ECCLESIASTICAL CENSUS OF 1851

In 1851, in additlon to the  cenus of population (on which a
seperate Public Record Office leaflet is available) a census was
taken of places of worship. Although this was purely voluntary,
most places of Worship made returns. The returns for England and
Wales are now among the Home Office records in the Public Record
Office (H0 129)

The returns show the name and denomination of each place of
worship, including those of Roman Catholic and dissenting
Protestant congregations, the date of consecration or erection and
the space available for public worship. They usually give totals of
attendances at the various services on 30 March 1851, and average
attendances for the previous year. They often include information
about buildings and endowments and comments by the minister. A
digest was printed for Parliament: CENSUS OF 1851: RELIGIOUS
WORSHIP, ENGLAND AND WALES, REPORT AND TABLES (1852-3) LXXXIX. The
returns are arranged by registration districts, as given in the
fifth column of the INDEX TO THE NAMES OF PARISHES ... IN THE
POPULATION TABLES OF GREAT BRITAIN, (1852-3) (1633) LXXXVII, the
number there being the piece number in HO 129.

These returns include a small number for the voluntary Education
Census carried out at the same time. Whether an educational return
survives for a particular place can be established only by
examination of the relevant bundle. In the absence of an individual
return, the abstract Report of Commissioners for Taking a Census of
Great Britain on Education (1852-3) XC, contains details of
attendances, age of pupils, numbers, type and capacity of schools
and so on, arranged by registration or poor law districts.

The Public Record Office cannot undertake to search for the returns
of particular places within a registration district, but w~ill
supply a photocopy of the returns for a whole district if
requested. (A separate leaflet giving current photocopying charges
is available). Many public libraries and local record offices have
already acquired copies of the returns for their district: readers
unable to consult the originals may wish to make local enquiries as
to the availability of such copies. Alternatively, the Public
Record Office will supply on request the names of two professional
record agents who may be able to identify relevant returns for
photocopying.
FURTHER READING

R W Ambler, 'The 1851 Census of Religious Worship', LOCAL HISTORIAN
xi. (1975).

A Everitt, 'Nonconformity in County Parishes', in J Thirsk (ed.),
LAND, CHURCH AND PEOPLE (1970).
C D Field, 'The 1851 Religious Census: A Select Bibliography',
PROCEEDINGS OF THE WESLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY xli (1978).
W B Stephens, SOURCES FOR ENGLISH LOCAL HISTORY (1981).

D M Thompson, 'The Religious Census of 1851' in R Lawton (ed.), THE
CENSUS AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE (1978).

Copies of Parliarnentary Papers are available at the British
Library (Gt Russell Street London WClB 3DG), at the House of Lords
Record Office (House of Lords, London SWlA 0PW) and at many
reference libraries.

The reurns in this leaflet may be seen at the Public Record Office,
Kew.
