Sunday 20 August 2017

Eton Wick Census 1871

The United Kingdom Census of 1871 was taken on Sunday 3rd April, 1871 and was the fourth of the UK censuses to include details of household members. The enumerated population of England and Wales was 22,704,108 souls. This is an increase of 2,637,884 over the numbers living at the previous Census and exceeded the Government's expectations. To the above numbers the Army, Navy, and Merchant Seamen Abroad needed to be added. Foreigners were numerous in England, but their numbers were set-off against the numbers of Englishmen of other classes abroad. 

Details collected include: 

Place: street name, house number or house name.

Houses: inhabited, uninhabited or a building.

Names of each person who was resident in the house on the night preceding the census.

Age and sex of each person: The actual age in years or months for babies under one year are recorded in the 1871 census.

Rank, Profession or Occupation.

Birth place, county and country.

Whether Blind, Deaf or Dumb.

The Superintend Registrar's District was Eton, Bucks and the Registrar's district was Eton. Enumeration District No. 6. The enumerator was Alfred Holderness.

The area classed as Eton Wick for the 1871 census was part of the Parish of Eton comprising all the houses and cottages west of the Great Western Railway including Eton Wick, Lillywhites Farm, Saddocks Farm and Aldridges Farm.

The 1871 Census reveals that there were 106 households and 452 people resident in the village on the 3rd April. The oldest person, Mary Deverell age of 81, he was born in 1790. There were two other residents in their 80’s. Sarah Ann Croxford was youngest at three weeks old, she was the fifth child of James and Lydia. Sarah Ann was one of eight children recorded as being born inborn in the first three months of 1871.


Click on this link to see our transcription of the 1871 census records for Eton Wick. We will be looking deeper into what the census reveals about Eton Wick and publish our findings in future articles.