This history resource for secondary schools is aimed at both teachers and students of senior history. The type of information contained in old censuses is very varied. As well as actual numbers, there is information on population structure, housing, religion, education, occupations, literacy, emigration and a host of other areas. Any one of these could form the basis for a student’s research topic.
This package will present six sample studies, based in one County Wicklow village. However, the methods employed in the sample studies may be applied to any city, town, village or rural area in the country.
Resource material relating to the use of census information as a source in the teaching and learning of Senior History.
An overview of the six studies below.
Sample 1 involves a comparison/contrast between the 1841 census figures and the 1851 census figures. The object here is to show the effects of the Great Famine at local level.
Sample 2 is taken from the period 1881-1901. This is a study of population change over time and involves the construction of population pyramids using the census returns.
Sample 3 will be taken from the same three census years – 1881, 1891 and 1901. However, in this case the pattern of building over this period will be examined.
Sample 4 centers on religion, education and gender. It examines the literacy rates of both Catholic and Protestant children – males and females – between 1881 and 1901.
Sample 5 concentrates on the 1901 census. The study will examine the form B returns for one row of houses along a single street and will use form A detail from a sample of six of these houses to build a picture of a local community.
Sample 6 is similar to the previous one, but involves only one household from 1901. By concentrating on this information, the student can present a sourced literary picture of a particular household on the 1901 census night.
A conclusion with explanations about graphs.
Exercises based on the above studies
The Central Statistics Office wish to thank Chris Lawlor and Pat Callan for producing this resource.
Documents in PDF format may be viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded here free of charge from the Adobe website (links to the Adobe website).
