Parish- and Barony-level socio-economic statistics for Ireland in 1851.

Table ID:
PAR_1851_I_GENERAL     (1252358)
Contents:
Parish- and Barony-level socio-economic statistics for Ireland in 1851.
Approx. number of rows:
5,030
Table type:
Raw Data
Documentation Author:
Humphrey Southall
Chronology:
The data are for the single year 1851.

Sources:

  1. These data are a complete transcription of the 'General Table' within each the county sections of the General Report of the 1851 Census of Ireland. Unlike the lengthy tabulations of parishes and townlands in the County Reports, held here as 'par_1851_i', these tables provide information on housing quality, occupations, socio-economic status and literacy: a total of 58 numeric columns (however, this table does not include any data from earlier censuses, or the Poor Law Valuations).
  2. The initial transcription was limited to the nine counties of Ulster: Antrim, Armagh, Cavan, Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Monaghan and Tyrone, plus the 'Town of Belfast', which was included with Down. This was done by Humphrey Southall using OCR software in Summer 2022. The remainder of Ireland was manually transcribed by Harold Price at Portsmouth in Spring 2023. The geogrphical names were extracted from an existing table transcription. This is now a complete transcription of the entire table, except for the footnotes.


Notes:

  1. Within each county, sections for each barony are arranged alphabetically, and within these sections parishes are similarly listed. Some parishes have a single row, but others have separate rows for 'Rural Portion' and named 'Towns', many of the latter having less than 1,000 population. Where parishes have multiple rows, the table does not include parish totals, and many parishes were divided between two or more baronies, so grouping MUST be used to extract parish totals. Many of the baronies also include separate rows for 'Public Institutions', not associated with particular parishes but contributing to barony totals; and a few braonies also have entries for 'Tideway', which would seem to be tidal areas with an acreage but no population. Additionally there is an entry for the 'Port of Waterford' which covers 390 people residing on board vessels in the port, outside of any parish boundary. Each county table ends with overall county totals.
  2. The Antrim report includes a separate listing for 'The County of the Town of Carrickfergus', and the Down report similarly contains a separate listing for the 'Town of Belfast'. These units have been included in the transcription, but the 'Counties' and towns have not been matched to the AUO. Instead, the single parish of Carrickfergus and the two parishes listed within Belfast, Knockbreda and Shankill, have been manually assigned unit IDs, so all parish data can be mapped for Ulster.


Checking:

  1. Very extensive row-wise and column-wise checksums were used when the data were entered into Excel. Some of this checking has been replicated in Postgres, as listed below.
  2. These single-row checksums have been computed:
    • That the number of male family members, visitors and servants matched the total number of males, and similarly for females;
    • That the summed total males and total females matched the total number of persons
    • That the summed total inhabited houses of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th class matched the total number of inhabited houses
    • That the summed total inhabited and uninhabited houses matched the total number of houses
    • That the summed total families inhabiting houses of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th class matched the total number of families
    • That the summed total families chiefly employed in agriculture, manufacture and other pursuits matched the total number of families
    • That the summed total families cheifly dependent on vested, direct, [manual] labour and unspecified means matched the total number of families
    • That total number of males over 15 employed in food, clothing, lodging, charity, justice, education, religion, or unclassified occupations matched the total number of ocupied males, and similarly for females;
  3. The following columns have been checked to ensure that the reported totals for baronies match the sum of the parish rows, and similarly that the reported totals for the counties match the sum of the baronies:
    • Total area in acres
    • Total population
  4. The only identified numerical error is between the given total for females and the summed total of females as heads of families, visitors and servants. This is in two sub areas of Inishmacsaint parish, in Tirhugh barony, in Dongegal county, in the Province of Ulster. The 'rural portion' calcualted figure has a +1 difference to the given figure, while the part of 'Ballyshannon T.' has -1 difference. The transcription is correct.
  5. All counties, baronies and parishes have been matched to the AUO. The 'Towns' and 'rural portions' within the parishes have not been so matched, and therefore there may be transcription errors in the names. As noted above, the 'Town of Belfast' is not in the AUO.
  6. Almost all "Towns", i.e. sub-parish areas whose names are suffixed by "T.", have also been matched to the AUO. To do this, a number of variant names and new relationships were matched to the AUO, but only one new unit was defined (Tramore, in Drumcannon parish, Co. Waterford, as it also appeared in the 1831 set of towns and was clearly supported by evidence from descriptive gazetteers). The area around Dublin seems to have been particularly confused, and in particular St. Peter's parish in Uppercross barony, Co. Dublin, contained three Towns, except that they were divided into parts (e.g. Ranelagh North and Ranelagh South. These parts were grouped together to provide data for three towns which were in the AUO: Haroldscross, Ranelagh and Rathmines. Following this work, six Towns were not matched to the AUO: Beggarsbush, Donnybrook East and Donnybrook West, all in Donnybrook parish, Dublin barony, County Dublin; Honeypark in Monkstown parish, Rathdown barony, County Dublin; Dock in Ringrone parish, Kinsale barony, County Cork (East Riding); and Ballyloughnane in Loughkeen parish, Lower Ormond barony, County Tipperary (North Riding). All except Dock are listed as townlands, rather than as towns, in the 1851 townlands index.


Columns within table:

ColumnTypeContents
row_type Text string (max.len.=28). Type of row:
  • Nation (1)
  • Province (4)
  • County (36)
  • Barony (333)
  • Parish (2086)
  • Parish Part (2322)
  • Public Institutions (195)
  • Tideway (52)
  • Port (1)
province Text string (max.len.=20). Name of the province containing the county.
county Text string (max.len.=44). Name of the county. This always contains a value.
bar_seq Integer number. This is a sequence number included in the original, appearing for all rows containing actual data, except for barony and county totals, starting again at 1 for each barony. These were added in after the transcription for everywhere except Ulster
barony Text string (max.len.=44). Name of the barony. This will be empty for counties.
parish Text string (max.len.=84). Name of the parish. This will be empty for counties and baronies. For rows of type 'Parish' and 'Parish Part' it will match area_name.
area_name Text string (max.len.=84). Non-indented names, generally for parishes but also including areas outside the administrative system, e.g. 'Public Institutions' and 'Tideway'. This will be empty for counties and baronies
sub_area Text string (max.len.=34). Indented names. This will be empty if a row covers a whole parish, and otherwise contains either 'Rural portion' or the name of a 'town' followed by ' T.'.
part_of Text string (max.len.=14). Contains 'Part of' if part of the parish was separately listed under a different barony, and otherwise empty. The notes column usually provides more details.
area_a Integer number. AREA in Statute Acres.
male_family Integer number. Persons: Males: Heads of Families and their Children.
male_visit Integer number. Persons: Males: Visitors.
male_serv Integer number. Persons: Males: Servants.
male_tot Integer number. Persons: Males: TOTAL NUMBER OF MALES.
fem_family Integer number. Persons: Females: Heads of Families and their Children.
fem_visit Integer number. Persons: Females: Visitors.
fem_serv Integer number. Persons: Females: Servants.
fem_tot Integer number. Persons: Females: TOTAL NUMBER OF FEMALES.
persons_tot Integer number. Persons: TOTAL NUMBER OF MALES AND FEMALES.
houses_inh_1st Integer number. Houses: Inhabited: 1st Class.
houses_inh_2nd Integer number. Houses: Inhabited: 2nd Class.
houses_inh_3rd Integer number. Houses: Inhabited: 3rd Class.
houses_inh_4th Integer number. Houses: Inhabited: 4th Class.
houses_inh_tot Integer number. Houses: Inhabited: TOTAL INHABITED.
houses_uninh Integer number. Houses: UNINHABITED.: Built.
houses_build Integer number. Houses: UNINHABITED.: Building.
houses_tot Integer number. Houses: TOTAL NUMBER OF HOUSES.
families_in_1st Integer number. Families: Residing in: 1st Class Houses.
families_in_2nd Integer number. Families: Residing in: 2nd Class Houses.
families_in_3rd Integer number. Families: Residing in: 3rd Class Houses.
families_in_4th Integer number. Families: Residing in: 4th Class Houses.
families_tot Integer number. Families: TOTAL NUMBER OF FAMILIES.
families_agric Integer number. Occupations: Families, classified according to their: Pursuits, as chiefly employed in: Agriculture.
families_manuf Integer number. Occupations: Families, classified according to their: Pursuits, as chiefly employed in: Manufactures, Trade, &c.
families_other_p Integer number. Occupations: Families, classified according to their: Pursuits, as chiefly employed in: Other pursuits.
families_mn_vested Integer number. Occupations: Families, classified according to their: Means, as chiefly dependent on: Vested means, Professions, &c.
families_mn_direct Integer number. Occupations: Families, classified according to their: Means, as chiefly dependent on: The direction of labour.
families_mn_labour Integer number. Occupations: Families, classified according to their: Means, as chiefly dependent on: Their own manual labour.
families_mn_unspec Integer number. Occupations: Families, classified according to their: Means, as chiefly dependent on: Means not specified.
occup_food_m Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Physical Wants: Food: Male.
occup_food_f Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Physical Wants: Food: Female.
occup_cloth_m Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Physical Wants: Clothing: Male.
occup_cloth_f Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Physical Wants: Clothing: Female.
occup_lodge_m Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Physical Wants: Lodging, &c: Male.
occup_lodge_f Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Physical Wants: Lodging, &c: Female.
occup_health_m Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Physical Wants: Health: Male.
occup_health_f Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Physical Wants: Health: Female.
occup_charity_m Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Physical Wants: Charity: Male.
occup_charity_f Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Physical Wants: Charity: Female.
occup_justice_m Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Moral Wants: Justice: Male.
occup_justice_f Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Moral Wants: Justice: Female.
occup_educ_m Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Moral Wants: Education: Male.
occup_educ_f Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Moral Wants: Education: Female.
occup_relig_m Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Moral Wants: Religion: Male.
occup_relig_f Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Classified as ministering to Moral Wants: Religion: Female.
occup_unclass_m Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Unclassified: Male.
occup_unclass_f Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Unclassified: Female.
occup_tot_m Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): TOTAL: Male.
occup_tot_f Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): TOTAL: Female.
occup_not_m Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Number not having specified Occupations: Male.
occup_not_f Integer number. Occupations: Persons (Fifteen Years old and upwards): Number not having specified Occupations: Female.
edu_both_m Integer number. Education: Persons (Five Years old and upwards): Who can Read and Write: Male.
edu_both_f Integer number. Education: Persons (Five Years old and upwards): Who can Read and Write: Female.
edu_read_m Integer number. Education: Persons (Five Years old and upwards): Who can Read only: Male.
edu_read_f Integer number. Education: Persons (Five Years old and upwards): Who can Read only: Female.
edu_neither_m Integer number. Education: Persons (Five Years old and upwards): Who can neither Read nor Write: Male.
edu_neither_f Integer number. Education: Persons (Five Years old and upwards): Who can neither Read nor Write: Female.
notes Text string (max.len.=404). Footnotes appearing in the original tables. N.B. these are currently included only for County Antrim.
province_unit Integer number. ID number for the province containing the county, as defined in the AUO.
county_unit Integer number. ID number for the county, as defined in the AUO.
barony_unit Integer number. ID number for the barony, as defined in the AUO.
parish_unit Integer number. ID number for the parish, as defined in the AUO.
town_unit Integer number. ID number for the town, as defined in the AUO. This has been added only for rows that are for sub-areas, and where the area_name ends in " T.".
rec_num Integer number. Sequence number to keep rows in their original order, added on loading the data into GBHDB.