Welsh Journals

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ABERYSTWYTH BOROUGH:- A DEMOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE 1841 CENSUS Occupations. The principal occupation listed was that of servant (male and female), with 406 entries. The majority of these related to females. Following this, the next principal occupation was that vaguely listed as independent, with 281 persons recorded in this category. It should not be inferred from this that there was a great deal of financial inde- pendence among the town's citizens. It is more likely that the explan- ation lies in the wording of the census schedules column headed Profession, Trade, Employment, or of Independent means'. The census enumerators probably judged that if a man or woman could answer to having no profession, trade or employment, then he or she must fall into the independent category. With better guide-lines in later censuses, the term took on a clearer meaning. In descending order of the numbers employed, we next find marin- ers and master mariners, with ninety-six entries, followed by shoe- makers, bootmakers, cordwainers and cobblers, with ninety-five recor- ded. Then came agricultural labourers with eight-two, and labourers with forty-seven. There then followed forty-five builders, masons, slaters and plasterers, forty-five cabinet makers and joiners, forty-five drapers and mercers, and forty-three tailors. There were thirty-seven innkeepers, publicans, wine merchants, spirits sellers, malsters and coopers in all, including ten female publicans. Of blacksmiths, smiths, shoers and farriers there were thirty-four, twenty-seven carpenters and twenty-six skinners, tanners and curriers. Dressmakers and mantle makers numbered twenty-five, and milliners and hatters, twenty-three. Carriers followed, with twenty-three in number. Other occupations each followed by between two and nineteen persons were Auctioneers, bakers, bonnet makers, bookbinders, butchers, charwomen, Chelsea pensioners (incl. one pensioner), clerks, coachbuilders, coachmen, Cus- toms officers (incl. Excise officer and tide waiter), drivers, engineers, farmers, fishmongers, flour dealers, glass dealers, glaziers, governesses (incl. tutors), grocers, hairdressers (incl. barbers), hawkers, ironmongers, jewellers (incl. lapidaries, goldsmiths and watchmakers), lath splitters, laundresses (incl. washerwomen), lodginghouse keepers, merchants (unspecified trades), millers, ministers (incl. clergymen), nurses, ostlers (incl. grooms), painters, paupers, porters, Post office workers (postboy, postman, letter carriers, postmaster) printers, ropemakers, saddlers, sawyers, shopkeepers (unspecified trades), soldiers, solicitors, stationers, street musicians, surgeons, surveyors (incl. one land surveyor), tinmen, tinplate workers, tollgate keepers, turners, victuallers, weavers and writers.