MigrationBy Ian Yearsley

Project/Workshop

Migration intothe Rochford Hundred in Essex

in 1881

By Ian Yearsley

This presentation is copyright Ian Yearsley 2012 and must not be reproduced in full or in part without the author’s permission. If you wish to reproduce it please contact Ian on ian_yearsley@yahoo.co.uk or via www.ian-yearsley.com.

Rochford Hundred Parishes Map

Source: John Bartholomew & Sons’ Map of Essex from The Place-Names of Essex by Dr. P.H. Reaney (c.1895)

Parishes Covered By Modern Southend

Source: John Bartholomew & Sons’ Map of Essex from The Place-Names of Essex by Dr. P.H. Reaney (c.1895)

Main Migratory Flows into andaround the Hundred (>50 people)

Parish of Residence

Number of resident individuals… …born here

Prittlewell 312 London*

Prittlewell 170 Leigh

Prittlewell 162 Rochford

South Shoebury 134 Ireland

Prittlewell 131 Southchurch

Prittlewell 124 Great Wakering

Prittlewell 119 Rayleigh

Prittlewell 96 South Shoebury

Prittlewell 95 Eastwood

South Shoebury 79 Great Wakering

Prittlewell 74 Great Stambridge

Prittlewell 73 Barling

Rochford 66 Prittlewell

South Shoebury 64 Scotland

Leigh 61 Prittlewell

Rochford 60 Eastwood

South Shoebury 60 London*

Prittlewell 58 Canewdon

South Shoebury 52 Woolwich

Prittlewell 51 Foulness

Rochford 51 Great Stambridge

South Shoebury 51 Prittlewell

Source: 1881 Census

*’London’ in this table means ‘London, Middlesex’ and ‘Middlesex, London’ only

Main Migratory Flows into and around the Hundred (>50 people)

Prittlewell - 1

• Population rose by 26,086 1801-1901: 2251%• 43% of immigrants and 32% of movers-in moved into

Prittlewell• Rapid growth mid-century onwards• The creation of Southend Town Council in 1892• Domestic servant was by far the most common

occupation

Prittlewell - 2• Also notable: construction trades – labourers,

brickmakers, carpenters and bricklayers• Agricultural labourer - just 4% of the working

population• Male-to-female ratio in 1881 was 85-to-100: large

numbers of women as domestic servants, dressmakers, laundresses

• Age profile 1881: predominantly young population; also much longevity

• Conclusion: a growing parish

South Shoebury - 1

• Population rose from 101 in 1801 to 4081 in 1901: 4041%

• Royal Artillery School of Gunnery established in 1859• 1881 m-to-f ratio: 164-to-100• High numbers of individuals in their twenties• Forced migration• Growth of local businesses followed• By 1884 the railway was extended there from

Southend

South Shoebury – 2• The garrison explains the large numbers of individuals

from Ireland, Scotland, London and Woolwich• The presence of large numbers of servicemen at census

time is a good example of the problem of the ‘snapshot’ nature of census data

• Jobs with ‘Royal Artillery’ in the title = 45% of those in employment

• Brick industry grew as parish did, attracting other in-migrants from far and wide

• 15% of immigrants into Rochford Hundred moved into South Shoebury, second only to Prittlewell

• Conclusion: Gunnery/Garrison led to high in-migration.

Southchurch/Southern Parishes• Southchurch had the fourth fastest growing population

1801-1901: 557% (after South Shoebury, Prittlewell & Leigh)• These, plus Hadleigh, were the only ones with above

average growth, and they were also the five southernmost parishes

• A factor could be the railway: in 1884 the only parishes with stations in them were Leigh, Prittlewell and South Shoebury

• Separate study: the growth of Southend did have an impact on Southchurch, as the latter’s economy was transformed from agriculture in 1881, through brick-related trades in 1891 to a service economy in 1901

• Conclusion: Southchurch grew because of growth in Prittlewell and South Shoebury

Summary – Key Findings

• Movers: Prittlewell for Southend-on-Sea; plus short-distance local circulation, especially at the eastern end of the Hundred.

• Immigrants: Prittlewell/Southend and the other parishes along the southern, railway-served strip; forcibly moved to South Shoebury; immigrants outnumbered emigrants – approximately 6% growth rate in RH pop.

The End