HISTORIC ARCHIVE
LITTON CHENEY CENSUSES
A census is taken every 10 years. Those currently available for public viewing cover the period 1841 to 1911 – data is only made available after 100 years have passed. Each household is required to complete a census return on a particular night. Thus, it merely provides details of who was present on that day, not necessarily of everybody who normally lives there. The data requested varies at each census, more information being available from the later ones. However, except for major dwellings such as the church, the school, larger houses and farms, there is no record of the actual location of each dwelling. The boundaries of Litton Cheney Parish have been manipulated at various times during the period covered by available census data. The following lists are taken from the introduction of each census. 1841 - View transcription see analysis below 1851 - Covers the whole of the Parish of Litton Cheney including Loder Lands Farm, Eggardon, Stancombe Charitys, Gorwell, Ashley, Parks and Litton Cheney Village.View transcription 1861 - Covers the whole of the Parish of Litton Cheney including Loder Lands Farm House, Eggardon Farm House, Dairy House and Cottages, Stancombe Cottages, Combe Farm House, Dairy House and Cottages, Litton Cheney Village and Charitys, Parks Dairy House, Ashley Dairy House and Cottages, and Gorwell Farm House and Cottages.View transcription 1871 - Covers the whole of the Parish of Litton Cheney including Litton Cheney Village, Loder Lands Farm Houses, Eggerton, Stancombe, Charitys, Gorwell, Ashley, Parks, White Cross and Combe Farm House and Cottages. View transcription 1881 - The whole of the Parish of Litton Cheney including Litton Cheney Village, Loder Lands Farm Houses, Eggerdon Farm House and Cottages, Stancombe Cottages, Charitys, Gorwell Farm House and Cottages, Ashley Dairy House and Cottages, Parkes Dairy- House, White Horse, Coombe Farm House and Cottages.View transcription 1891 - The whole of the Parish of Litton Cheney is bounded on the West by Chilcombe, on the North by Askerswell, on the South by Puncknowle and on the East by Abbotsbury. It includes Litton Cheney Village, Stancombe Cottages, Gorwell Farm House and Cottages, Ashley Dairy House and Cottages, Parkes Dairy House, the White Horse Inn and Coombe Farm House and Cottages. Unfortunately the census document does not show addresses.View transcription 1901 - The whole of the Parish of Litton Cheney is bounded on the West by Chilcombe, on the North by Powerstock and the Old Roman Road, on the South by Puncknowle and Swyre and on the East by Long Bredy. It includes the Parish of Litton Cheney, Stancombe Cottages, Coombe Farm House and Cottages, the White Horse Inn, School House and Cottages. Unfortunately the census document does not always show addresses.View transcription 1911 - The whole of the Parish of Litton Cheney is bounded on the West by Chilcombe, on the North by Powerstock and the Old Roman Road, on the South by Puncknowle and Swyre and on the East by Long Bredy. It includes the Parish of Litton Cheney, Stancombe Cottages, Coombe Farm House and Cottages, the White Horse Inn, School House and Cottages.View transcription
THE PASSING YEARS
The following are links to newspaper articles covering various aspects of life in Litton Cheney over nearly 200 years. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!
Baptisms: 1732-1880 Marriages: 1614-1812 1814-1843 Burials: 1731-1880 Bastardy Papers: 1758 - 1835
Life and Death
Deeds and Mis-deeds
Life in Wartime
Paul Kingston has compiled the following diaries covering every-day life in Litton Cheney during the First and Second world wars:
ABOUT LITTON CHENEY
OUR VILLAGE IN MEMORIAM
The 1841 census gives no schedule numbers, no indication of relationship and ages over 15 years are rounded to the nearest five years. Like all censuses, it is merely a list of names and occupations giving no idea of who owns and occupies the land and buildings within the parish. The 1841 version is different, however, as it can be cross-referenced to the 1840 tithe map and associated apportionment. A transcription of the modified data can be viewed here. The associated tithe apportionment can be viewed here The parish of Litton Cheney was much larger than it is today stretching to the Roman road to the north, Gorwell to the south east and an entirely separated area between Askerswell and Powerstock known as Loder Lands. For ease of display, the tithe maps below have been divided into five sections: a. Loders Land b. Area north of the Dorchester to Bridport main road c. Area south of the Dorchester to Bridport main road d. Litton Cheney village e. Ashley & Gorwell Occupiers of the land and buildings are denoted by coloured markers. The following table shows the main occupiers of the 581 plots identified within the tithe apportionment.
No. Plots No. Acres Name Owned Occupied Owned Occupied Remarks Richard Brinsley Sheridan Esq. 101 18 1179 148 William Legg 84 81 376 353 Walter Long Esq. 79 0 840 0 Rev Charles Fryer 59 0 426 0 Rev. Septimus Cox 45 72 143 500 Samuel Brown 23 26 100 100 All in Loders Land Blandford Charity 22 0 164 0 Rev. Gregory Raymond 20 0 140 0 George Fry 18 33 35 177 18 plots owned by Bradford Charity Charles Henvele Esq. 18 0 84 0 Francis Gladwyn 15 16 17 18 Richard Groves 15 23 86 114 Elizabeth Hansford 9 0 56 0 Charlotte Hunter 7 0 54 0 Parish of Litton Cheney 6 5 10 5 Includes chalkpit, sandpit, Poor House and Pound Richard Fowler 2 0 80 0 William Symonds 0 68 0 958 All plots owned by Richard Brinsley Sheridan Esq. Charles Fry 0 78 0 830 All owned by Walter Long esq. John Kellaway 0 55 0 425 All in Loders Land; owned by Rev. Charles Fryer Thomas Palmer 0 15 0 100 Thomas Baker 0 2 0 80 Plots owned by Richard Fowler Richard Mellish 0 14 0 65 All plots owned by Charles Envele Esq.
1841 CENSUS RELATED TO THE 1840 TITHE MAP
**Note: 1901 and 1911 scholar totals estimated from children’s ages i.e. 5 to 13 which was the compulsory period for education, although difficult to enforce. In 1841 there were 70+ children between the ages of 5 and 13 but no compulsory education. Families It is interesting to see how many names crop up during the period covered. Some families appear on as many as seven censuses and may continue after the 1911 version. The table HERE lists those that appear on at least two censuses.
Map a: Loder Lands
Part of Loder Lands
Map b: North of A35
Map c: Souh of A35
Part of Ashley/Gorwell
a village in the Bride Valley Litton Cheney Dorset
Photo by Claire Moore 3_7_2021
LITTON CHENEY CENSUSES
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Occupations The table below summarises the occupations of Litton Cheney residents during the period covered. As one would expect, the majority were involved with various types of farm-work. However, many now defunct (as far as the village is concerned) occupations are listed e.g. cordwainer, brewer, baker, harness maker and, in particular, servant.
Analysis of 2021 Census Results
2021 CENSUS RESULTS ANALYSIS An analysis of the 2021 Census results, which as carried out by the Bridport Local Area Partnership, creates valuable evidence about the area and its needs. Key findings for the Parish and Town Councils within the Partnership’s area are that, when compared with Dorset as a whole and with England as a whole: They have a high proportion of older residents who are aged 65 or over; They have a low proportion of young adult residents who are aged 20 to 34; They have a high proportion of working residents who work part-time; Roughly a fifth of residents have a disability or long-term health issue which limits their day-to-day activities; Roughly a tenth of residents are providing regular, unpaid care for someone else Levels of car ownership are generally high, reflecting the paucity of public transport and the journeys often required to reach jobs or services. The findings from this analysis have real world implications for the area. For example, the economic impact from losing many young adults and their skills, the demand placed upon health and care services from an ageing population and the isolation faced by some who don’t have access to a car (especially where there is no alternative transport option). Whilst some of these findings may come as no surprise to local people, it is hoped that having accurate and up-to-date figures will prove useful as evidence to make the case for local service improvements and to support bids for grant funding. Census results for individual Parish and Town Council areas can be found in the full report which is available at this webpage https://www.bridport-tc.gov.uk/bridport-area-census-profile/ Further information Older age groups: all fourteen Parish and Town Councils in the Partnership’s area have a high proportion of residents aged 65 or over. Parishes with the highest proportion are Burton Bradstock (48% of all residents), Chideock (47%) and Charmouth (46%). The comparable figure for England is 18% and for Dorset 30%. Young adults: all Parish and Town Councils in the Partnership’s area have a low proportion of residents aged 20 to 34. Parishes with the lowest proportion are Bothenhampton & Walditch, Burton Bradstock, Charmouth, Char Valley and Chideock (in each case 8% of residents). The comparable figure for England is 20% and for Dorset 13%. Part-time working: another notable feature is the high proportion of working residents in the Partnership’s area who work part-time. Parishes with the highest proportion are Chideock (46%), Bothenhampton & Walditch (45%), Symondsbury (45%), Char Valley (43%) and Allington (43%). The comparable figure for England is 30% and for Dorset is 35%. Health and care: parishes with the highest proportion of residents with a disability or long-term health issue which limits their day-to-day activities are Bridport (24%), Charmouth (24%) and Bradpole (22%). Proportions for this measure and for residents who provide regular, unpaid care to someone else are quite high by comparison with England as a whole. Car ownership: car ownership is generally high in the Partnership area. The most rural Parishes have the highest proportion of households with a car – notably Netherbury, Char Valley, Litton Cheney and Shipton Gorge. An exception is Bridport (town) where almost a quarter of households (24%) have no car. Other topics covered by this 2021 Census analysis include home ownership and renting, employment and unemployment, qualifications held by residents and working from home. The Bridport Local Area Partnership is a network with around 80 member organisations or groups from the public, private and voluntary sectors. They include Bridport Town Council and thirteen nearby Parish Councils (see list below). The 2021 Census shows that 21,780 people live in this area, very similar to the count ten years earlier by the 2011 Census. A Census has usually been held every ten years, run by the Office for National Statistics, to count the population and measure its characteristics right across England and Wales. Analysis by the Bridport Local Area Partnership focusses on findings for the Parish and Town Councils within its area, showing variation between them and making comparison with Census figures for the whole of Dorset and whole of England. The following Parish and Town Councils are members of the Partnership: Allington Parish Council Bradpole Parish Council Bothenhampton and Walditch Parish Council Bridport Town Council Burton Bradstock Parish Council Charmouth Parish Council Char Valley Parish Council Chideock Parish Council Litton Cheney Parish Council Loders Parish Council Netherbury Parish Council Puncknowle and Swyre Parish Council Shipton Gorge Parish Council Symondsbury Parish Council
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FOOTNOTE An interesting statistic that has been missed from the BLAP analysis is the fact that Litton apparently has within its confines the brightest and best qualified inhabitants in the Bridport and Lyme Regis area - see below - and it would appear, the rest of Dorset, and England. Allington a) 28% b) 16% c) 22% Bothenhampton & Walditch 37% 16% 34% Bradpole 31% 16% 29% Bridport 30% 20% 26% Burton Bradstock 38% 14% 40% Charmouth 37% 14% 34% Char Valley 38% 13% 31% Chideock 35% 17% 34% Litton Cheney a) 54% b) 8% c) 46% Loders 37% 10% 34% Netherbury 37% 13% 33% Puncknowle & Swyre 39% 10% 34% Shipton Gorge 37% 16% 30% Symondsbury 36% 14% 34% Dorset (county) 32% 16% 32% England 34% 18% 33% KEY: a) Proportion qualified to degree level, b) Proportion with no formal qualifications, c) Proportion in managerial or professional occupations
VILLAGE APPRAISAL c.1985
In 1985 the Village Society carried out an informal appraisal in order to ascertain the state of the village population-wise. Purely as amatter of interest, the results can be read here