So, you know, that thing where you're constantly learning!
I knew about the 1803 agricultural census of Ireland*, for which some returns have survived from counties Antrim and Down, but was unaware of any subsequent agricultural censuses. Well it turns out statistical information on agricultural practices has been gathered annually in Ireland since 1847 (and in Britain apparently since 1867).
The historic agricultural census data for Northern Ireland is available to view via the Northern Irish Government's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs' Agricultural statistics website at www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/agricultural-census-historical-data. You'll find equivalent information for the Republic on the Central Statistics Office's Farming Since the Famine platform at www.cso.ie/en/statistics/othercsopublications/farmingsincethefamine1847-1996/.
An introductory guide on the CSO's site, which might be of interest to Irish family historians researching agricultural ancestors, is available at www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/agriculture/farmingsincethefamine/General_Details_-_Farming_Since_the_Famine.pdf. It notes the following (p.3):
The crop and livestock series which extends over 150 years is one of the oldest in the world. Sir Thomas A. Larcom initiated it in 1847 as part of his duties at the Board of Works. He had previously been responsible for carrying out the Ordnance Survey of Ireland during the period 1826 to 1842 and for the Census of Population in 1841. The Great Famine of 1846-1847 was a major factor prompting the commencement of the series. Comparable British returns, giving the acreages under crops and the numbers of livestock, did not commence until 1867. Credit for the series must also go to the farmers who supplied the figures, to the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Gardaí who collected them over most of the period and to the staff who processed them.
And details on what the enquiry forms to farmers included (p.31):
"The
names of the persons giving such information must be entered on the
form by the Enumerators in a column arranged for that purpose. These
entries, I may add, amount to well over half-a-million names. The Tables
relating to the produce of the crops as well as those relating to the
area under crops have been carefully compiled from information obtained
by the Enumerators from practical farmers and other persons qualified to
form an opinion as to the area and yield in that Poor Law Electoral
Division for which they were requested to afford the information. The
names and residences of the parties so co-operating and assisting are
also stated by the Enumerators on the returns. The Enumerators, on
completing their returns, forward them to the District Superintendent,
who despatches the complete returns for his district to this Department
early in July and November. As the information in the returns is
collected and tabulated by police districts, the returns have to be
checked and sorted in the central office with a view to their being compiled by unions and counties as published in the official reports."
I've also learned today that there is an annual agricutural census for Northern Ireland, and a similar census for the Republic (on a slightly less frequent basis) - you can find out about the latest for each at www.daera-ni.gov.uk/farm-census and at www.cso.ie/en/methods/agricultureandfishing/censusofagriculture/censusofagriculture2020/.
I genuinely have no idea if the original records are retained in archives anywhere, how useful they may be if so, or whether they are destroyed shortly after the information has been extracted, or whether the earlier records were pulped, or destroyed in 1922 (I'd welcome any information on that) - but the statistical information alone may be of interest for research, and the CSO's guide is certainly an interesting read.
Have fun!
* The 1803 Agricultural Census for both counties is available in a database via the Ulster Historical Foundation at www.ancestryireland.com; entries from County Antrim are freely available via www.billmacafee.com/19centurydatabases.htm.
UPDATE: I see on the catalogue for the National Records for Scotland that the equivalent Agricultural Censuses for Scotland from 1866-1911 resulted in parish summaries, catalogued under AF39, but also that "The original returns made by proprietors were regarded as confidential and destroyed." I'll certainly be looking into these Scottish equivalents a bit more in due course - they look like they could be interesting (not least because some of my ancestral families were farmers at the point they started).
Also, thanks to genealogist Gill Blanchard for some information about the Agricultural Census taken in England on 4 June 1941, which asked questions about types of crops, acreage under cultivation and livestock, the number and type of workers by age range and gender, and noted how many were family members.
Chris
Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.
No comments:
Post a Comment