Populations of Oxfordshire settlements 1901 and 2001

Alison Petch,
Researcher 'The Other Within' project

It proved impossible to easily obtain population figures for some settlements in 1901 and 2001 so here is a comparison of the 1901 and 2001 censuses population figures for districts in Oxfordshire. All the information obtained from http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/clickablemaps/region.jsp?region=southeast:

 

District	1801	1901	2001	Population change 1801-1901	Population change 1901-2001
Cherwell	30,445	43,479	131,792	+ 13,034	+ 88,313
Oxford	12,690	57,399	134,248	+ 44,709	+ 76,849
South Oxfordshire	34,219	52,083	128,177	+ 17,864	+ 76,094
Vale of the White Horse	30,341	39,052	115,632	+ 8,711	+ 76,580
West Oxfordshire	32,066	44,157	95,643	+ 12,091	+ 51,486
All Oxfordshire	139,761	236,170	605,492	+ 96,409	+ 369,322

Oxfordshire's population has increased by over 10 per cent (11.7 in fact) since 1981, with Cherwell showing the largest increase and Oxford City the smallest. (source: www.oxfordshire.nhs.uk/docs/census/census2.pdf)

Oxfordshire's population and history is set out statistically at http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/, here is an overview using statistics from that site:

Population of Oxfordshire

1801 139,761
1901 236,170
2001 605,492
Source for 1801, 1901, figures given at http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10084738&x=449682&y=212364, and based on the current 2008 boundaries. These changing boundaries of the County are shown at
http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10134808&c_id=10001043
Oxfordshire has a much lower population density than England and Wales as a whole throughout the twentieth century, see http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_rate_page.jsp?u_id=10134808&c_id=10001043&data_theme=T_POP&id=0

According to
http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10084738&x=449682&y=212364
In 1841 39 per cent of the Oxfordshire population worked in agriculture, but by 2001 70 per cent of the county's population worked in the so-called 'service industries' (these reflect national patterns). Unemployment rates in the county have always lower than the national rates: 6.6 per cent in 1931 (12.7 per cent nationally) and 2.8 per cent in 2001 (6 per cent nationally). Just over half (58 per cent) of all children aged 5-14 went to school in 1851 in the county, but by 2001 this rate was 79 per cent of 16-17 year olds stay at school. In 1841 13.4 per cent of male workers in the county had middle class jobs, but in 2001 54.5 did. However, social conditions in the county were not always rosy, in 1951 31.2 per cent (a third of the county's population) lacked their own toilet, by 2001 this had dropped to under 0.6 per cent.

Oxfordshire settlement populations [Part 1, see separate webpages for Parts 2 and 3]

http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/ gives good information for settlement size between 1801 and 1971. Many wikipedia sites for settlements give the 2001 census population figures.

Note that this is not ALL the settlements in Oxfordshire, just those represented in the Pitt Rivers Museum and Oxfordshire County Museums Service social history collections.

Note that these populations are sometimes for villages, sometimes for parishes and sometimes for wards.

Note that some Oxfordshire villages are actually smaller in 2001 than they were in 1901 (and 1801).

 

Name of town or village	District Council	Population as at 2001 (OR estimates of 'current' population) OR most recent information available	Population 1901 census
Abingdon	Vale of White Horse [VWH]	30,626	17,325
Adderbury	Cherwell	2,496	Unknown
Alvescot	West Oxfordshire [WO]	412	306
Ambrosden	Cherwell	1,749	138
Appleton with Eaton	VWH	897	466
Ardington	VWH	284	479
Ardley including Fewcott	Cherwell	666	130
Arncott [Upper]	Cherwell	1,293	196
Ascott-under-Wychwood	WO	504	Unknown
Asthall or Asthal	WO	282	358
Aston	WO	1,264	Unknown
Aston Rowant	South Oxfordshire [SO]	815	579
Balscote	Cherwell	c. 200	Unknown
Bampton	WO	2,505	1,167
Banbury	Cherwell	43,867	3,394
Barford St. John and St. Michael	Cherwell	520	55 / 231
Baulking	VWH	53	168
Beckley	SO	553	300
Begbroke	Cherwell	792	95
Benson	SO	4,464	965
Berrick Salome	SO	325	103
Bicester	Cherwell	28,672	12,435
Blackthorn	Cherwell	267	260
Bladon	WO	753	408
Bletchingdon	Cherwell	872	488 [NB 1911 fig]
Blewbury	VWH	1,528	545
Bloxham	Cherwell	2,590	1,340
Bodicote	Cherwell	2,065	689
Bould	SO	Unknown	Unknown
Bourton (Little Bourton and Great Bourton)	Cherwell	604	426
Brightwell Baldwin	SO	199	187
Britwell Salome	SO	198	110
Brize Norton	WO	1,793	537
Broughton	Cherwell	305	159
Buckland	VWH	285	665
Bucknell	Cherwell	249	205
Burford	WO	1,340	1,146
Buscot	VWH	176	403
Carterton	WO	11,805	Unknown
Cassington	WO	710	314
Caversfield	Cherwell	2,899	81
Chadlington	WO	828	685 in 1891
Chalgrove	SO	2,909	387
Charlbury	WO	2,984	1,352
Charlton	VWH	6,139	302
Charlton-on-Otmoor	Cherwell	412	301
Charney Bassett	VWH	271	163
Childrey	VWH	510	489
Chilson	WO	85	152
Chilton	SO	3,192	216
Chinnor	SO	5,857	1,002
Chipping Norton	WO	5,972 [sic discrepancy over border?]	16,004
Chiselhampton	SO	Unknown	85
Cholsey	SO	3,380	1,826
Churchill	WO	563	519
Clanfield	WO	855	445
Claydon with Clattercot	Cherwell	321	223
Combe	WO	759	468
Cropredy	Cherwell	712	436
Crowmarsh	SO	1,428	Unknown
Cuddesdon	SO	502	272
Culham	VWH	415	330
Cumnor	VWH	5,503	870
Curbridge	WO	425	470
Deddington	Cherwell	2,123	1,490
Didcot	VWH	25,231	420
Ditchley	WO	Unknown	Unknown
Dorchester on Thames	SO	992	808
Drayton	VWH	2,218	770
Ducklington	WO	1,573	413
Duns Tew	Cherwell	513	232
East Challow	VWH	1,071	506
East Hanney	VWH	796	459
East Hendred	VWH	1,092	748
Eaton Hastings and Buscot	VWH	86 in 1971	158
Elsfield	SO	91	150
Enstone	WO	1,103	925
Epwell	Cherwell	293	217
Ewelme	SO	1,103	473
Eynsham	WO	4,665	1,757
[Great] Faringdon	VWH	6,187	2,900
Farmoor	VWH	Unknown	Unknown
Fawler	WO	86	136
Fawley	SO	177 in 1971	155
Fencott and Murcott	Cherwell	258	Unknown
Fifield	WO	221	182
Filkins / Broughton Poggs	WO	404	Filkins 590 in 1881 BP 91 in 1901