The classification of occupations in the 1881 census of England and Wales

Abstract

This article discusses the importance of classifying occupations both to the original collectors of the occupational data contained within the late-nineteenth century censuses and to present-day historians with particular reference to the 1881 censuses of England and Wales. It describes the method by which occupational data was collected and prepared for classifiation in 1881. It shows that the classifications of occupations in the 1881 were remarkably similar to a present-day recoding exercise and concludes that the rules laid down by the Census Office in 1881 for the tabulation of occupations were acted on as well as possible by the contemporary clerks. The final section demonstrates these results and explains why differences might have occurred.

Accountants in late 19th century Britain: a spatial, demographic and occupational profile

“…While they illuminate issues of occupational identity, diversity, task and jurisdiction they also involve problems of interpretation, such as determining whether an occupational title represents a separate vocation. Another issue is identifying which of the several occupations recorded 77 for an individual was the most significant (Woollard, 2004).…”

“…In almost two-thirds of such cases 'accountant' was the first named occupation (and, according to the convention adopted by censustakers, was assumed to be the most important pursued by the individual (Woollard, 2004)). In 946 (9 1.2%) cases one other occupation was entered in addition to accountant, in 78 (7.5%) cases two other occupations were recorded, in 8 (0.8%) cases three other occupations, and in 5 (0.5%) cases four or more occupations were recorded.…”

Working with Husband?“Occupation’s Wife” and Married Women’s Employment in the Censuses in England and Wales between 1851 and 1911

“…The CEBs were then sent to the local registrars and superintendent registrars. At each stage examinations, checks and simple tabulations were performed (Woollard 1998). Then the CEBs, household schedules, and various summary forms were sent to the Census Office in London.…”

Development of a Coding and Crosswalk Tool for Occupations and Industries

“…National classifications for occupation and industry were first developed in the last decades of the 19th century to serve the needs of population censuses (Conk, 1978;Woollard, 1999). They started as listings of occupations without any hierarchical structure, and tended to reflect social strata rather than tasks performed.…”