First British Census Taken by Romans

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1046, 9 August 1930, Page 18

First British Census Taken by Romans

Early Britons Had Same Problems as Modern Householder . . .

HE British Government has for over a year been preparing for the fourteenth census of Great Britain, which is to take place in 1931, and it is

interesting to recall that, although tne first complete census -was not organ ised till 1801, the earliest census was taken as long ago as during the Roman occupation of Britain. An Unpopular Tax

This census was necesasry for the levying ot a poll-tax on every man. woman, and child in the population, and the Romans found the information thus gathered of the utmost value in assessing military strength. Another census may be said to have been taken, in the form of the Domes day Book. In describing his land and possessions, every baron was required also to inform the authorities how many men he had in his employ In this way it was estimated that Eng land had a population of two million people, but the figures cannot be considered as absolutely accurate, as a large number of clergy and others

were not recorded in the Domesday Book. Immediately after the Black Death, in the fourteenth century, which wa3 said to have killed off half of Eng land’s population, another poll-tax was levied. As a result of this unpopular tax. there occurred Wat Tyler’s famous rebellion, but nevertheless the tax was collected, and it was estimated that the population of England at that time, excluding Wales and Durham. was 2,500,000. A Quaint Belief >' In subsequent years there were Irregular and unofficial local censuses held, but the first important move t'v ward the establishment of a national census did not take place until 1752. when Parliament refused to sanction a

census of Great Britain. There was a quaint belief that were the authorities to obtain such information severe taxation or other happy results might follow, and tni» prejudice existed for many years* Eventually, John Rickman, a ' Country statistician, showed the a ’ surditv of such an argument* ana his efforts the first satisfactory ana complete census came into being, 1801. , There is much difficulty in some people to give correct I*acts1 * ac ts their census paper—about their as • for instance, and we remember Artemas Ward tells that whMi »e went to take the census, not jjeuev . their ages as stated by erta L, ... ladies, he got into tronble by openm, their mouths to examine their t