The population of Langham continued to increase throughout the 19th c differing from the more generally held view that village populations in the UK decreased during the second half of this period. Population in UK towns and cities increased rapidly during the latter part of 18th c and during the 19th c. This population growth did not occur without causing considerable anxiety, with many being concerned that such a rapid rise would soon lead to food shortages and starvation. These concerns proved to be groundless but led the government to implement its first modern census in 1801 and each subsequent ten years to the present day, with the exception of 1941 during WWII. The early censuses did return some information but it was not until 1841 that we see individual data per household, this change was due to the way the data was collected. Each household was given a document which they were legally required to complete on census night. Successive census required more detail to be given and this information was usually collected by local people. The national figures for 1851 show that approximately 40% of the workforce was now involved in some form of manufacturing, whilst 25% were in services and 22% in agriculture. The figures for Langham at the same census were 18.4% Skilled Trade or Manufacturing process, 12% in Services and 52% in agriculture. In fact it is likely that much of the skilled trade/manufacturing and the services were linked very closely to agriculture as would be those employed in retail. It would be fair to say that the majority of the Langham population would still be tied very closely to agriculture as the main form of employment. What the data shows is that for most of the 19th c the village maintained a life style very much based on agriculture and where life and occupations changed very little. The arrival of the Midland Railway and its station in the nearby town of Oakham during 1848, and the opening in 1880 of a more direct route via Kettering to London began to bring about change. Affluent families moved into the village and surrounding areas to take advantage of a country way of life with its fox hunting and other country pursuits, commuting to the towns and cities during the week.
1795 1801 1811 1821 1831 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 455 485 487 571 608 591 629 636 632 676 619 634 625 558 614 706 823 875 1092 1079 1042 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 Population No census 1941 Population Langham Population 1795 - 2001 ND Midland Railway Oakham Station opened (1848) Connection via Peterborough to London Midland Railway Oakham - Kettering - London (1880) Born in the UK but not in Rutland Born in Rutland but not in Langham Born in Langham Total Population 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 Year People Langham in Rutland Population 1841 > 1901
Langham Village History Group ~ © 2019
Langham Census Data
Langham Village History Group