Belfast IrlCorpTown through time | Census tables with data for the Barony

Administrative unit

Belfast IrlCorpTown

Barony

Historical statistics
Key findings
Relationships and changes

Available Themes

Population

Densities and rates of growth. Age structure: concentrations of young people, and of the old.

Industry

How people made their living: identifying farming communities, pit villages, mill towns and so on.

Learning & Language

How many people were at school. The distribution of graduates, and of the unqualified.

Housing

Numbers of houses. Overcrowding: persons per room. Amenities: central heating, baths and WCs.

Click on the hyperlinks for direct access to key graphs and tables.

Total Population 1841 to 1891: Population grew from 77,622 in 1841 to 255,950 in 1891.
Housing in 1851: .02 per cent of houses were classed as "Mud cabins having only one room" (the all-Ireland percentage was 13.).
Literacy in 1851: 49.5 per cent of persons aged 5 and above could both read and write.

Here we are presenting statistics for a historical unit, which may have changed its boundaries significantly during the period covered.

Preferred Name:: BELFAST
Unit Type:: Barony
Status:: Irish Corporate Town
Date created:
Date abolished:
Unit ID:: 12850165
Authorities:: UK Government, Census of Ireland. 1851. General Alphabetical Index to the Townlands and Towns of Ireland (Dublin: HM Stationery Office, 1861), p. 952.

Belfast IrlCorpTown, County Antrim

Notes:

In 1851, the County Report for Antrim is clear that the town of Belfast lay wholly within Shankhill Parish, but stated "The town of Belfast having greatly increased since the Ordnance Survey was published, the Census Commissioners have no means of ascertaining its area at present" (p. 35). Although Belfast was treated specially in earlier census reports, it became independent from the surrounding counties of Antrim and Down only in 1898: "Belfast was designated a City in 1888 and in 1892 the title of 'Lord Mayor' was conferred. In 1898, Belfast became a County Borough and the Corporation took over responsibility for all the local services previously provided by the County Councils within the City boundary." (MONTGOMERY, I. (2015) 'The growth of a city. The Belfast Corporation and Council archive in PRONI'. Familia, XXXI, 53–76)

Alternative names

The following alternative names exist:

Name	Status	Language	Authority
BELFAST	Preferred	English	UK Government, Census of Ireland. 1851. General Alphabetical Index to the Townlands and Towns of Ireland (Dublin: HM Stationery Office, 1861), p. 952.
BELFAST CITY	Alternate	English	1891 Census of Ireland, Table 3, 'Area, houses, and population in 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, and 1891, of each barony, also the general valuation in 1891'.
BELFAST MUNICIPAL BOROUGH OF	Alternate	English	UK Government, Census of Ireland. 1851. General Alphabetical Index to the Townlands and Towns of Ireland (Dublin: HM Stationery Office, 1861), p. 874.
BELFAST TOWN	Alternate	English	UK Government, Census of Ireland. 1851. General Alphabetical Index to the Townlands and Towns of Ireland (Dublin: HM Stationery Office, 1861), p. 952.
TOWN OF BELFAST MUNICIPAL BOROUGH	Alternate	English	1861 Census of Ireland, Table [1], 'Area, population and number of houses'.

Unit associations

We know of no associations with other units.

Unit history

This unit was part of the following units:

Name	Type	Authority
ANTRIM	Irish County	UK Government, Census of Ireland. 1851. General Alphabetical Index to the Townlands and Towns of Ireland (Dublin: HM Stationery Office, 1861), p. 952.
COUNTY OF THE CITY OF BELFAST	Irish County	1861 Census of Ireland, Table [1], 'Area, population and number of houses'.
DOWN	Irish County	1891 Census of Ireland, Table 7, 'Area, houses, out-offices and farm steadings, and population, together with the valuation of each parish, townland, and township in 1891'.

Boundary changes

We know of no boundary changes affecting this unit.

Lower level units

This unit contained the following units:

Name	Type	Authority
HOLYWOOD	Irish Civil Parish	1891 Census of Ireland, Table 7, 'Area, houses, out-offices and farm steadings, and population, together with the valuation of each parish, townland, and township in 1891'.
KNOCKBREDA	Irish Civil Parish	1861 Census of Ireland, Table [1], 'Area, population and number of houses'.
SHANKILL	Irish Civil Parish	UK Government, Census of Ireland. 1851. General Alphabetical Index to the Townlands and Towns of Ireland (Dublin: HM Stationery Office, 1861), p. 952.

How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Belfast IrlCorpTown through time | Census tables with data for the Barony, A Vision of Ireland through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofireland.org/unit/12850165

Date accessed: 29th April 2024