Agricultural Census of Box, 1803 Claire Dimond Mills March 2019
Still a very rural parish (photograph courtesy Carol Payne)
This report wasn't a real census but the information it revealed is even more valuable. It was the first detailed view we have of the names and lives of ordinary Box men. As such it is a unique snapshot of the village in 1803, both of the people in the parish of St Thomas a Becket and the number and variety of livestock held by parishioners. Along with the population census which started with outline details in 1801, this report was the basis of national policy and increased government control over local arrangements. It is a trend that has continued and magnified, so that the amount of local autonomy experienced now is a fraction of that of our Georgian ancestors.
Purpose of the Census
The point of the census was to enable the government to evaluate conditions in the country in the event that Napoleon invaded and held only part of Britain. They wanted to know the names and residences of fit and able-bodied men who could be called to fight in the militia, what weapons they held and any military experience they might have already obtained.
They also wanted to know if the country had enough food supplies to survive a full naval blockade by Napoleon’s forces. The information showed estimates of crops and animals which would be lost to the French or destroyed by locals in scorched-earth tactics, and where supplies might be obtained to feed those who fled from the French advance. In short, it was an indication of how long Britain could survive.
Purpose of the Census
The point of the census was to enable the government to evaluate conditions in the country in the event that Napoleon invaded and held only part of Britain. They wanted to know the names and residences of fit and able-bodied men who could be called to fight in the militia, what weapons they held and any military experience they might have already obtained.
They also wanted to know if the country had enough food supplies to survive a full naval blockade by Napoleon’s forces. The information showed estimates of crops and animals which would be lost to the French or destroyed by locals in scorched-earth tactics, and where supplies might be obtained to feed those who fled from the French advance. In short, it was an indication of how long Britain could survive.
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The census wasn’t a local initiative but was an instruction from the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, similar to that in other counties. The numbers were produced locally and submitted by Superintendents appointed by the Rev Isaac William Horlock, vicar of Box Church. He appointed reliable local worthies, the largest farmers, Overseers of the Poor and Churchwardens, and included the Tythingman, who was responsible for militia ballots. In order to fulfil the instructions, Rev Horlock made two returns: first, a census of every man between the ages of 17 and 55, and, secondly, a census of livestock, waggons and horses in the parish.
Population Returns The list of farmers included the head of households and his adult sons. It gives an indication of men’s ages and occupations and number of children in the household. Anyone who had previous service in the Volunteers was noted together with any weapons that they held. The list sometimes gave details of overage residents and of single women and widows. Setting a precedent for future censuses it included ages and marital status of individuals. According to the census there were 234 men between those ages, 140 agreed to assemble in case of invasion to serve with arms as Volunteers; 28 agreed to be Pioneers whose role was to break up roads to hinder the enemy’s progress; 15 agreed to be cattle guides or waggoners whose job was to remove livestock. There were also 882 women, children and the infirm that also had to be moved. |
Isolated farmsteads in smallholdings (courtesy Carol Payne)
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The main purpose of the report was to ascertain those eligible for military service and the animals held in the area. There were 18 men listed as yeomen although 6 did not serve (2 Superintendents, 2 Tythingmen and 2 who would only serve in the event of invasion). The 2 Esquires and 1 gentleman would also not be likely to serve. The bulk of the agricultural labourers (82 in total) did agree to join the volunteers or pioneers, a number of them having waggoner or cattle driving skills, 3 having previously served in the army, but a few having debilitating injuries (lame, lost eye, leg or disabled arm). There were 5 millers (including 1 meal man) but no mention of hauliers or an organised coach travel provider.
| people_census_1803.pdf |
Of the other occupations mentioned, there were 15 male servants (no female servants included), There is mention of 37 quarrymen (30 masons, 6 men associated with the tile industry and 1 stone cutter). It is difficult to know what was meant by the word mason but it may reflect surface quarrymen, rather than ornate stone sculptors. We also know that there were many quarrymen living in Box from other records of Georgian Residents.
We get a picture of the facilities available in the shops of the village: 12 carpenters, 3 blacksmiths, 6 butchers, 4 bakers, 3 tailors, 2 brewers, 1 cooper, 4 publicans (victuallers), 3 schoolmasters (the Mullins family) and 1 thatcher. It is a picture of a very self-contained but limited range of supplies, where most people had little access to travel and relied on what they could provide for themselves and buy from village tradesmen. The paucity of supplies is reflected in the almost total absence of apprentices in the village, just 2 mentioned.
A number of families are mentioned who form part of the leaders in Box’s Victorian society. Of those, it is worth noticing the Vezys were listed as tallow chandler and soap boilers, the Bullocks clockmakers and the Fudge family, masons. There are few unusual occupations: Edward Blandy turnpike keeper, Jonathan Humphreys botanist, William Moore Kidd usher and William Osman corn factor.
We get a picture of the facilities available in the shops of the village: 12 carpenters, 3 blacksmiths, 6 butchers, 4 bakers, 3 tailors, 2 brewers, 1 cooper, 4 publicans (victuallers), 3 schoolmasters (the Mullins family) and 1 thatcher. It is a picture of a very self-contained but limited range of supplies, where most people had little access to travel and relied on what they could provide for themselves and buy from village tradesmen. The paucity of supplies is reflected in the almost total absence of apprentices in the village, just 2 mentioned.
A number of families are mentioned who form part of the leaders in Box’s Victorian society. Of those, it is worth noticing the Vezys were listed as tallow chandler and soap boilers, the Bullocks clockmakers and the Fudge family, masons. There are few unusual occupations: Edward Blandy turnpike keeper, Jonathan Humphreys botanist, William Moore Kidd usher and William Osman corn factor.
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Agricultural Details
The Agricultural census may not be absolutely accurate. For fear of losing their livestock and crops, we might imagine that farmers understated their numbers. But with the vicar and the Overseers having to certify the official returns, they were scrutinised for accuracy and the authorities had a good knowledge of each person’s stockholding through the tithe system whereby they paid one-tenth of their produce each year to the vicar and the rector who, in the case of Box Church, was the lord of the manor. According to the census, in the parish of Box Church, there were 13 oxen (owned only by William Northey), 143 cows, 86 calves, 2971 sheep and goats, and 298 pigs between 31 farmers. To move this large amount of livestock they had 92 draft horses, 36 wagons, 40 carts and if needed 22 riding horses to call upon. In addition, here were 346 quarts of wheat, 63 of oats, 35 sacks of barley, 40 sacks of beans, 1059 loads of hay, 33 loads of straw, 10 sacks of potatoes, 64 sacks of malt and 750 barrels of beer that either needed to be taken with them or destroyed. If invasion happened, moving the livestock would have been a huge task. |
Jethro Tull, inventor of the seed drill (courtesy Wikipedia)
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The number of animals was minute compared to modern livestock holdings. The whole census records only 143 cows and 86 calves, less than the size of a single herd today. Many people had a cow or two, domestic animals providing a little milk from the garden. The census also reflects how little Box’s landlords had adopted Georgian innovations to enable them to over-winter large numbers. Indeed, the thirteen oxen held by the lord of the manor, William Northey, indicates ploughing by oxen in the same way as in medieval times. The amount of straw (33 loads) and hay (1,059 loads) shows the issue in keeping animals during the winter without adequate feed.
| livestock_census_1803.pdf |
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We can say more about the animals listed in the report, the first time that there had been a general survey of livestock holdings in the village.
It is hardly surprising that the number of sheep and goats (2,971) was high because they were more suitable than cattle on the steep hillsides. There is another aspect to piggeries as well because the number of pigs (298) indicates that Box was still a heavily-wooded area, probably allowing pigs to forage wild. Many farms had a single riding horse and two or three draft horses. The exception to the riding horses were the richer yeoman farmers, William Brown 6 animals and William Northey 4. Four-wheeled wagons became widespread for farm purposes after 1700 and were especially needed locally because of the steep hillsides. There were 36 of them, but they were still exceeded by 40 old-fashioned two-wheel carts. Perhaps the most surprising result of the census, was the very little wool held in the area, 25 units only. The wool trade had always been a domestic industry in Box, and may not have been recorded in the census, but the market had already gone to the industrial towns of the north of England after the innovations of the Industrial Revolution. Left: Tracks for most rural roads (courtesy Carol Payne) |
Conclusion
As valuable as the Agricultural Census is, it isn’t a complete list of residents in the parish and impossible to extrapolate total residents in 1803. For a start, many women were involved in business but only one, Ann Baldon, is mentioned in the livestock census. Other omissions include those in the Poorhouse, clergy, most domestic servants, many tradesmen, some shopkeepers, and all vagabonds and travellers.
The census is a snapshot of village life in Box at a time when rural Box was still flourishing. Within a generation, the railways had arrived, new houses flourished everywhere and Box became an entirely different village, for better or worse.
As valuable as the Agricultural Census is, it isn’t a complete list of residents in the parish and impossible to extrapolate total residents in 1803. For a start, many women were involved in business but only one, Ann Baldon, is mentioned in the livestock census. Other omissions include those in the Poorhouse, clergy, most domestic servants, many tradesmen, some shopkeepers, and all vagabonds and travellers.
The census is a snapshot of village life in Box at a time when rural Box was still flourishing. Within a generation, the railways had arrived, new houses flourished everywhere and Box became an entirely different village, for better or worse.