Populations and Occupations

Extract from ‘The Rayner Family of Great Wakering” by Albert Rayner Bsc (Econ) FCA [page 55]

The growth of the populations of Great Wakering and the neighbouring villages can be seen from the following figures, taken from the census index:

By 1911, Southchurch Parish had been incorporated into the Municipal Borough of Southend.

The population of neighbouring Southend in 1851 was only 1141. However, it grew rapidly with the opening of the London Tilbury and Southend Railway in 1856 and the direct line from Shenfield in 1887.

The Census of 1881 was taken at the commencement of April. George Fulcher, the licensee of the 'White Hart', was the enumerator for North Shoebury. He delivered the papers on 31 March and collected them on 4, 5 and 6 April. The collection would have been a lengthy process because many could not read or write, with the result that the enumerator often had to complete the forms himself.

From an analysis of the 1871 and 1881 Censuses, it would seem that of the working population, 40% were engaged in agriculture, 20% in brick making, 20% were craftsmen or engaged in professional occupations, 10% were shopkeepers and publicans and the remainder were in domestic employment.

In 1871, it was recorded that 57 in Great Wakering had no occupation, the majority being teenagers or elderly. The number was made up of 26 males and 31 females - most of the latter helping at home. Out of a total of 1151 names, 207 were wives or widows and 446 were children (220 males and 226 females).