Description

An edition, with introduction and notes, of the unique census for religious worship, in north-east England.

In 1851, for the only time in British history, a count of those attending any place of religious worship was held alongside the usual decenial census of population. This volume is an edition of the census for the counties of Northumberland and Durham, together with some outlying parts of the diocese of Durham now in modern-day Cumbria and North Yorkshire. An introduction sets the census in context, as well as highlighting some surprises, such as the number of Mormon churches in the North-East by this time, or the returns signed off by women, or even the Church of England clergyman too drunk to complete the return. A detailed description of each place of worship follows, showing for instance the numbers who attended the various churches, the age of the church, its endowment if any, together with comments from those who completed the form. The census returns are supplemented with additional information by the editor, and also by a list of those places of worship overlooked by the census.