I have over many weeks transcribed all of the census returns for the years 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1991, 1901, 1911, 1921, and the 1939 register. In all that equates to a total of 716 households and 2809 people give or take. Average through the years, seventy households and 280 inhabitants.
1881 Census page extract.
It isn’t made easy by the fact that the village is at times split between the parishes of Cosby and Narbough, for instance Littlethorpe Lodge, were there was a single farm, when searched shows 22 households but in fact 20 of those belong to Auburn, a district of Narborough, so I have tended to leave the Lodge out and stay within the village nucleolus as it existed when i knew it as a boy, i.e. Station Road, The Square, Wide Lane, The Narrows, Cosby Road, and Warwick Road.
Things are further complicated by the enumerators often seemingly haphazard route instead of going from door to door, or keeping to one side of the street! Furthermore only the 1939 register actually gives addresses with numbers and sometimes house names, even trying to follow it all today is not straight forward because some numbering has changed.
A lot of detective work therefore is needed to attempt to sync people with addresses over the years, and of course people move within the village also.
So here goes, this is as finely tuned as i can get it so far, and there’s a lot more analysis to do.
1841 and there are 50 households accommodating 234 people, that’s an average of 4.6 people per household, bearing in mind some were of little more than two rooms! The record probably belongs to the Cartwright family with ten people.
A Typical Framework Knitter working at her frame in her cottage home. Mid 19th century.
The vast majority of working people, 82 in fact, were framework knitters, renting their frames as well as their homes and earning a meagre living. The largest number after these were employed not surprisingly in agriculture with 14. The building trade accounts for 4, there are 6 people in domestic service, 2 dressmakers, 2 innkeepers, 2 shopkeepers, and a surgeon, Edward Dudley, the resident of Littlethorpe House. Also making up the numbers are a carrier, malster, rope maker, blacksmith, 2 glaziers, fellmonger (dealer in skins and hides), miller (presumably from the Narborough water mill situated where the old railway goods shed was), and a schoolmistress.
Watch this space for details from the following nine census returns available.
Sources:
As with any local history research continues on this and more information will hopefully be added as it is found, so keep checking for the latest updates. In fact if you can add anything to the above please get in touch via the contact form
