HOUSES. POPULATION.
Inhabited. Uninhabited. Building. Males. Females. Total.
Eastern Division 32,136 1,387 236 81,441 81,067 162,508
Western Division 23,503 1,336 101 55,515 58,903 114,418
Entire County 55,639 2,723 337 136,956 139,970 276,926
TABLE No. 2.—CRIMINAL STATISTICS.
The following statistics only relate to the county of Worcester. Prior
to 1821 there are no records of convictions, &c., in existence; the
Table, therefore, commences with that year.
Year. In what Court Tried. Number of Prisoner Number Number No. Sentenced Number Summary Total Number of Proportion of
Tried. Capitally Sentenced to various terms Acquitted or Convictions. Persons Convicted to
Convicted. Transportation. of Discharged. Convicted. Population.
Imprisonment.
1821 Assizes 80 25* 15 18 22
Sessions 167 — 26 92 49 292 468 1 in 359
1822 Assizes 58 16 6 10 26
Sessions 132 — 22 57 53 324 437 1 in 390
1823 Assizes 69 15* 8 20 26
Sessions 68 — 12 35 21 348 438 1 in 397
1824 Assizes 49 16 5 12 16
Sessions 86 — 8 37 41 352 430 1 in 408
1825 Assizes 54 15 6 21 12
Sessions 103 — 14 51 38 363 469 1 in 379
1826 Assizes 90 27* 10 30 23
Sessions 70 — 8 36 26 304 405 1 in 446
1827 Assizes 110 34 25 29 22
Sessions 124 — 17 79 28 332 516 1 in 354
1828 Assizes 42 13 6 10 13
Sessions 156 — 27 88 41 304 448 1 in 414
_a_1829 Assizes 83 39 5 13 26
Sessions 154 — 34 75 45 287 453 1 in 412
1830 Assizes 80 32* 3 12 33
Sessions 142 — 25 81 36 319 470 1 in 405
1831 Assizes 90 43* 7 23 17
Sessions 220 — 41 112 67 402 628 1 in 307
1832 Assizes 74 28* 9 16 21
Sessions 164 — 36 83 45 373 545 1 in 345
1833 Assizes 73 22 13 19 19
Sessions 258 — 53 137 68 448 692 1 in 285
1834 Assizes 69 3* 20 23 23
Sessions 260 — 63 124 73 526 759 1 in 262
1835 Assizes 51 11 6 16 18
Sessions 139 — 24 82 33 373 512 1 in 393
_b_1836 Assizes 47 4 14 12 17
Sessions 212 — 32 125 55 357 544 1 in 363
_a_1837 Assizes 66 14* 10 24 18
Sessions 278 — 47 141 90 328 564 1 in 354
1838 Assizes 64 3 23 21 17
Sessions 303 — 36 179 88 425 687 1 in 292
1839 Assizes 70 1 16 31 22
Sessions 323 — 44 190 89 411 693 1 in 292
_c_1840 Assizes 76 — 10 36 30
Sessions 474 — 68 278 128 566 958 1 in 202
1841 Assizes 99 1 9 60 29
Sessions 383 — 43 231 109 461 805 1 in 256
1842 Assizes 101 1 16 59 25
Sessions 440 — 57 252 131 439 824 1 in 253
1843 Assizes 120 2 14 44 60
Sessions 418 — 39 245 142 535 879 1 in 242
1844 Assizes 141 1 17 78 45
Sessions 390 — 31 239 120 535 901 1 in 237
1845 Assizes 135 1 20 66 48
Sessions 368 — 28 220 120 460 785 1 in 298
1846 Assizes 154 — 17 79 58
Sessions 329 — 7 220 102 377 700 1 in 337
_a_1847 Assizes 88 — 7 52 29
Sessions 458 — 30 302 126 458 849 1 in 281
1848 Assizes 109 — 12 70 27
Sessions 515 — 21 354 140 599 1056 1 in 228
1849 Assizes 99 3* 10 33 53
Sessions 452 — 50 289 113 614 999 1 in 244
1850 Assizes 115 3 15 62 35
Sessions 427 — 38 280 109 605 1003 1 in 246
* Executions in all these years—vide pp. 146, 148.
_a a_ Criminal code greatly mitigated. Various offences hitherto only
triable at Assizes, transferred to the jurisdiction of Quarter Sessions.
_b_ Prisoners’ Counsel Bill passed.
_c_ County Police established.
_d_ Sir John Pakington’s Juvenile Offenders’ Act passed.
* * * * *
*** In 1836 the jurisdiction of the City Quarter Sessions was extended
to the new city boundary, and the deduction of population from the county
raises the proportion of convicted persons from that year forwards. In
1845 the outlying parts of the county were included in the jurisdiction
of the County Quarter Sessions, and the ratio of convicted persons is
proportionably diminished.
TABLE No. 3.—PROVISION FOR RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.
It is not pretended that the following statistics are absolutely
accurate—the amount of accommodation afforded being altogether matter of
computation. Neither do they afford reliable data for comparing the
relative increase of different religious denominations, because a
considerable proportion of the old churches have been enlarged in the
present century; while, on the other hand, many of the new chapels built
by Dissenters, especially the Wesleyans, were erected in the place of
preaching rooms used before the year 1800.
Built before Accommodation. Built after Accommodation.
A.D. 1800. A.D. 1800.
Places of 210 63,680 24* 14,590
Worship in the
County
connected with
the
Established
Church
Wesleyans 6 3,240 34 6,760
Baptists 13 3,654 17 3,498
Independents 4 2,283 10 3,176
Primitive — — 13 1,906
Methodists
Wesleyan New — — 8 2,526
Connexion
Wesleyan — — 4 950
Association
Countess of 1 1,400 9 2,790
Huntingdon
Catholics 2 630 10 2,089
Unitarian 8 2,300 — —
The Friends 7 1,500 — —
Other Sects — — 4 500
* The Churches built in the county since 1800 are—Redditch (chapel of
ease); St. George’s Chapel, Kidderminster; St. Andrew’s, Netherton; St.
George’s Chapel, Claines; St. Peter’s, Malvern Wells; Christchurch
Chapel, Broadheath; Christchurch Chapel, Catshill; Bartley Green Chapel,
Northfield; Christchurch Chapel, Lye; St. James’s, Dudley; St. John’s
Chapel, Kate Hill, Dudley; St. Michael’s Chapel, Broadway; Christchurch
Chapel, Trimpley, Kidderminster; Yardley Wood, Yardley; St. John’s
Chapel, Kidderminster; Aston Magna, Blockley; St. Matthias, Malvern Link;
St. Paul’s, Worcester; St. Peter’s, Cookley; North Hill District Church,
Mathon; The Quinton, Halesowen; Langley Green, Halesowen; St. Peter’s,
Worcester; Amblecote, Oldswinford; Trinity Church, Malvern.
TABLE No. 4.—OBSERVATIONS AS TO FALL OF RAIN.
Year. Worcester. * Cleobury. † Orleton. ‡
1835 — 29.16 27.265
1836 — 32.93 28.155
1837 24.465 31.18 28.545
1838 23.850 28.73 26.355
1839 34.595 37.70 34.145
1840 20.715 26.94 25.800
1841 29.649 34.82 32.770
1842 — 25.09 25.480
1843 — 30.42 29.935
1844 — 23.56 21.730
1845 — 27.91 27.405
1846 — 29.24 27.015
1847 — 28.60 27.985
1848 — 36.69 39.015
1849 23.88 30.79 26.945
1850 18.66 22.84 24.615
1851 18.93 21.33 28.276
* The first series of these observations at Worcester were taken by Mr.
T. R. Hill, at the Literary and Scientific Institution, and those for
1849–51 by Dr. Turley, St. John’s. It would seem as though less rain
fell in this neighbourhood than in other parts of the county; but the
years given happen to be amongst the drier ones, and in general it will
be found that more rain falls at Worcester than in most other parts of
England. The mean height of the thermometer in the midland districts of
England is about 50°, at Worcester the mean will be found slightly to
exceed that figure.
† From observations taken by Mr. Hunter of Mawley Gardens.
‡ From observations taken by Mr. T. H. Davis of Orleton, who possesses an
accurate register of the rain which has fallen in each month for the last
twenty years. The result shows May to be the driest, and November the
wettest, month, and gives 2.19 as the average of January; February, 2.21;
March, 1.91; April, 2.05; May, 1.82; June, 2.41; July, 2.39; August,
2.70; September, 2.41; October, 2.80; November, 3.16; December, 2.17; and
of the whole year, 28.276 inches.