In 1800 an Act of Parliament had been passed introducing a national census at a time when Britain was at war with Napoleonic France and there had been a succession of bad harvests which created widespread concern that a growing population would be unable to grow enough food to support itself. Hence there was a need for accurate statistics.  The practice of taking a census in England and Wales every ten years began in 1801.

1801-1831 The first three census returns for England and Wales were head counts to determine the size of the population and where people lived.  The Parish of Dalwood Population Totals for these years was as follows:

 Year

 1801

1811 

1821 

1831 

 Males

210

 214

 248

 215

 Females

 220

 249

 274

 219

 Total Population

 430

 463

 522

 434

Enumeration Districts These were an area the enumerator could cover in a day - usually a leading member of the parish did this.   The Parish of Dalwood was sometimes one district and sometimes divided into two.  A description of each district was given with each census.

In 1840 the organisation of the census was taken over by the General Register Office.  The civil registration districts created in 1837 for registering births marriages and deaths were the basis for creating the smaller sized enumeration districts for taking future census returns.

The 1841 Census Return was the first census which gave more details of families’ names ages and addresses in the parish.   In order to protect the individual’s privacy the records were only to be made public after one hundred years.  The latest census just published is that of 1911.

1841 Census  Returns for the Parish of Dalwood in the County of Dorset  Taken  on the night of 6/7 June 1841      Ref. No.  HO107  / 286 / 16

The 1841 census is the first surviving detailed recording of the population of the parish of  Dalwood which was  then  in the County of  Dorset and the Liberty of  Fordington  Dorchester within the Parish of Stockland Chapelry.  It was in   the Superintendent Registrar’s District  of Axminster   Chardstock .  As can be seen in the column headings this recorded each Household  with addresses  names and gender  and the person’s Profession whether Trade Employment or of  Independent Means.  The ages of everyone over  15 years   were rounded down to the nearest five years.  Recorded in one column is Where Born   whether in the same County that is Dorset or not with a Yes or  No. The entries in the Enumerator’s Book generally follow the order they were collected and so give a record of where properties are in the parish at that time in areas such as The Village Dennis Hill Dalwood Marsh Dickens Marsh Hawley Bottom and Dalwood Common and Hill.

The Dalwood Enumerator for 1841 was a leading figure in the parish Yeoman Farmer William Newbery   of Larkshayes Farm Hawley Bottom Dalwood. The enumerator was chosen to be temperate orderly and respectable and be such a person as likely to conduct himself with strict propriety and to deserve the goodwill of the inhabitants of his district.

1841 Dalwood Parish was recorded as having  a total population of 513  -  259 males  and 254 females.  The Number of Inhabited  houses  was 107 and  Uninhabited 11.

1841 Dalwood Parish was combined with Stockland Parish  divided into five  Districts of which Dalwood formed the following two described as :

District 8 Parish of DalwoodAll that part of the parish that lies East of the road from Kilmington to Stockland.

District 9 Parish of Dalwood  All that part of the parish which lies West of the above  road.  

Over the years the names of most of the farms remain the same and are identifiable today  but the names of the majority of houses and cottages change every ten years.  Some houses also disappear.

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1851  Census  Returns  for the Parish of Dalwood  now in the County of Devon  taken on  the night of 30/31  March  1851   Ref. No.   HO107/1862

In 1844 the Parish of Dalwood was transferred from the County of Dorset to the County of Devon as recorded in this census.

The 1851 Census  recorded  more information than ten years earlier as can be seen in the column headings:

  • House number or name street place or road
  • The name and surname of every person who spent the night in that household

  • The head of the family and the relationship to each person in the household

  • Person's marital status
  • Age recorded more accurate as age at last birthday - sex is indicated by which column the age is recorded in
  • Person's rank, profession, or occupation
  • Person's place of birth with county and parish - if outside of England or Wales only the country may be given
  • Infirmities whether blind deaf or dumb

Again all of the details were copied from the individual forms and later sorted and copied into the Enumerator’s  Books which are the records we can view images of today. The original householder's schedules from 1841 to 1901 were destroyed.

1851 The total population of the parish of Dalwood is  537 with 261 males and 276 females.  112 inhabited houses are listed and 5 uninhabited houses.   The Parish of Dalwood was divided into two Enumeration Districts: 

4a The first District being  All that part of the parish which lies West of river  including part of the village Tanyard and houses at Wilmington Bridge. 

This starts with five unnamed households in the village centre before The Tuckers Arms and the farm known as Green End  to the West of the Church and finishes with The Rising Sun Inn  now known as Loughwood Cottage.

4b The second District of Dalwood Parish   All that part East of river which runs from north to south through the parish including part of the Village Brays and Woodhayes Farm  ending with Mill Water.

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1861 Census  Returns for the Parish of Dalwood in the County of Devon  Taken on the night of 7th/ 8th April1861  Ref. No.  RG 9/1372.

The completed collection for 1861 contains the same information as the 1851 census with details and information on each individual who spent the night in individual households including name, relationship to the head of the family, marital status,  age at last birthday, gender, occupation and birthplace.  Additional information about the number of uninhabited houses or buildings was collected.   All of the details were copied from the individual forms and later sorted and copied into Enumerator’s Books which are the records we can view images of today.

1861 Total population of the Parish of Dalwood is 492 with 242 males and 250 females. 112 inhabited houses and 5 uninhabited houses are listed.

The Dalwood Enumerator was William Newbery, Farmer.

The Parish was divided into two Enumeration Districts:

District No. 9.C. - Dalwood Parish- All that part of the parish east of the river.

District No. 10.A. - Dalwood Parish- All the other part of the Parish which lies West of the River.

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1871 Census Returns for the Parish of Dalwood in the County of Devon taken on the night of 2nd/ 3rd April 1871.    Ref No. RG10 / 3034.

The 1871 Census recorded the same information as in the previous census return with details and information on each individual who spent the night in individual households including name, relationship to the head of the family, marital status, age at last birthday,   gender, occupation and birthplace.  A column for Disabilities Blind and Deaf Imbecile Idiot or Lunatic was now included.   All of the details were copied from the individual forms were later sorted and copied into Enumerator’s Books.

1871 Total Population of the Parish of Dalwood is 482 with 242 Males and 240 Females.  101 inhabited houses and one uninhabited house are listed.

The Two Enumeration Districts in the Parish had separate enumerators and were described as:

District No. 9  Dalwood Parish-  All that part of theEast sidethe River Bounded North by Stockland and South by Kilmington Namely Woodhayes, Mill, Millwater, Nashes, Elford, Brays, Dennis Hill,  Furzegrove and a small portion of the village.

Enumerator: John Bowditch aged 68 Retired Farmer and Miller Annuitant of Millwater Cottages born in Dalwood.

Enumeration District No. 10  Dalwood Parish-  All that part of the Parish of Dalwood which is West of the River  including Village, Carters, Cottages, Carpenters Arms, Leigh’s, Hawley’s, Bramblecombe, Lamb Inn, Ford Farm & Cottages, Telegraph, Marsh, Andrewshayes,  Pigsloose Inn, Mill Cottages.

Enumerator: William Gould 55 Landowner and Farmer of  10 acres of Coombshead Cottage born in Dalwood.

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1881 Census Returns for the Parish of Dalwood in County of Devon Taken on the night of 3rd/ 4th April 1881     Ref. No.  RG11/2128.

The same information was collected as in the previous census return with details and information on each individual who spent the night in individual households including name, relationship to the head of the family, marital status, age at last birthday, gender, occupation and birthplace.  A column for Disabilities Blind and Deaf  Imbecile Idiot or Lunatic was included.   As before all of the details were copied from the individual forms and later sorted and copied into the Enumerator’s Books.

1881 Total Population of the Parish of Dalwood is 406 with 201 Males and 182 Females.   93 Inhabited houses and one uninhabited named as Loughwood Villa.

The Parish was divided into two Enumeration Districts each with its own enumerator:

District No. 9 East Division of the Parish of Dalwood in the County of Devon

Enumerator Mr Hermon Bowditch Assistant Overseer of Millwater Cottages.

District No. 10 All that part of the Parish of Dalwood which lies West of the River

Enumerator Mr Frederick Spiller aged 24 of Baggaton Inn Farmer of 20 acres born in Membury.

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1891 Census Returns for the Parish of Dalwood in the County of Devon Taken on the night of 5th/ 6th April 1891     Ref. No.   RG12/1668

The 1891 census was carried out in the same format as before with details and information on each individual who spent the night in individual households including name, relationship to the head of the family, marital status, age at last birthday, gender, occupation and birthplace.  A column for Disabilities Blind and Deaf  Imbecile Idiot or Lunatic was  included .   In addition the individual’s Occupational Status Rank Profession or Occupation had to be included and whether Employer or Employee or Unemployed.  The number of rooms in the dwelling of  each household had to be recorded if less than five. 

1891 Total population of Parish of Dalwood is 390 with 208 Males and 182 Females.  91 Inhabited houses and 5 uninhabited houses.  28 households were living in a dwelling with less than five rooms.

The whole parish of Dalwood was one District No 9  - Boundary being the whole parish of Dalwood Including Brays, Cottages on Dennis Hill, Village, Mill, Woodhayes,  Loughwood, Sun Inn,  New House,  Ford Farm, Cottages at Bridge, Telegraph, Lamb Inn,  Hawley Farms and Cottages.  The whole in the Parliamentary Division of Honiton.

Enumerator Mr Hermon Bromfield 56 Miller and Millwright born Cotleigh Devon of The Mills Dalwood.

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1901 Census Returns for the Parish of Dalwood in the County of Devon Taken on the night of 31st March/ 1st April 1901.     Ref. No.  RG13/2018

The local enumerator gave out the return forms prior to the night of the census and collected them in a day or so afterwards.  The following information was requested: Name of street avenue road etc. house number or name, whether or not the house was inhabited, number of rooms occupied if less than five, name of each person that had spent the night in that household, relationship of person enumerated to the head of the family, each person's marital status, age at last birthday, (sex is indicated by which column the age is recorded in),  occupation, whether they are employer or employee or neither and whether working at home. The person's place of birth was listed and whether deaf and dumb blind lunatic or imbecile.  All of the details were copied from the individual forms into Enumerator’s Books which are the records we can view images of today. The original householder's schedules from 1841 to 1901 were destroyed.

1901 The Total Population of the Parish of Dalwood is 346 with 179 Males and 167 Females.  Total number of  inhabited houses 85 and Uninhabited 12.

Uninhabited houses are named as Brook Cottage and one other uninhabited cottage in the village, Millwater Farm, Sunnylands Farm and Thornlea, two Cottages at Hawley Bottom, Marsh Cottage and three on Danes Hill and Brays Farm Cottage.  Twenty two households were living in dwellings with less than five rooms.

Dalwood Parish was one District No 9 as described as The whole of Dalwood Civil Parish bounded on the south by the road from Beckford to Dulcis West by the Honiton road from the Sun Inn to Wilmington North by the lane leading from Village to Telegraph.

Enumerator Edward Bennett 45 Schoolmaster of School House in the Village of Dalwood born in Exeter.

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1911 Census Returns for the Parish of Dalwood in the County of Devon Taken on the night of 2nd/ 3rd April 1911.   Ref. No. RG14

This is the first census return where the original can be viewed completed with the Householder’s own writing and signature. Previously there were only enumerators’ copies to view.  The Postal Address was requested.   In addition to previous information requested this census asked whether an individual was an Employee or Employer - the duration of their current marriage - the number of children born to the marriage with the number still living and the number who had died.  The number of rooms in the house was to be recorded – previously only requested for the number if there were less than five.  More details were required about Infirmities.

The Dalwood Census District was described as: The whole of the parish of Dalwood including Telegraph Cottage, Combshead Farm, The Lamb Inn, Combs Middle, Hawley Farm, Hawley Bottom, Danes Villa, Brays Farm and Cottage, Yew Tree, Danes Hill and Evans’s Cottage, The Village of Dalwood, Elford and Naishes Farms, Hobb Knap,  Ford Farm and Ivy Green Cottages,  Millwater Farm and Cottages, Sunnylands and Sunnylands Farm, Thornlea, Tuck’s Cottage, Dickens’ Marsh, Andrewshayes Farm, Mount Pleasant, Hill Farm, Dalwood Hill, Loughwood Farm, The Sun Inn.

Enumerator was Ernest Edwards 26 Farmer born in Dalwood living at Danes Villa with his parents William and Mary Edwards Retired Shopkeepers.

1911 Total population of the Parish of Dalwood is 361 with 181 Males and 180 Females.  93 Inhabited houses and 4 Uninhabited houses.

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