Pender's Census, or Petty's Census, was undertaken by the English economist
William Petty
Sir William Petty FRS (26 May 1623 – 16 December 1687) was an English economist, physician, scientist and philosopher. He first became prominent serving Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth in Ireland. He developed efficient methods to su ...
between December 1654 and 1659. This 'census' was completed on behalf of the Commonwealth government probably as part of the
Down Survey
The Down Survey was a cadastral survey of Ireland, carried out by English scientist, William Petty, in 1655 and 1656.
The survey was apparently called the "Down Survey" by Petty, either because the results were set down in maps or because the su ...
.
Content
The census provides returns of the inhabitants of most of the country, arranged in counties, baronies, parishes and townlands. The counties of Cavan, Galway, Wicklow, Mayo, Tyrone and most of Meath are not included. The number of English, Irish and Scotch in each townland was also noted. These designations of nationality are vague; 'Irish' may refer to those who speak
the language
"The Language" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his third studio album ''Nothing Was the Same'' (2013). "The Language" was produced by frequent collaborator Boi-1da, along with additional production by Allen Ritter and Vinylz. It also fea ...
and English may refer to only the newest settlers. The 'Scotch' are found widespread in Ulster, with the exception of Co. Monaghan and Co. Antrim. This census gives no Scotch settlers in the provinces of Munster and Connacht , where the Irish outnumber the English by a ten to one ratio.
In addition to this, the 'census' also recorded the names of those with titles to land and are referred to as 'Tituladoes'. A Titulado may have been a land-owner, but did not necessarily own land.
The census also recorded the principal Irish surnames in each barony.
Discovery
The original papers were discovered amongst the
Lansdowne manuscripts
The Lansdowne manuscripts are a significant named collection of the British Library, based on the collection of William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne. The purchase of the collection by the British Museum was in 1807.''Dictionary of National Biog ...
in
Bowood House
Bowood is a Grade I listed Georgian country house in Wiltshire, England, that has been owned for more than 250 years by the Fitzmaurice family. The house, with interiors by Robert Adam, stands in extensive grounds which include a garden designed ...
,
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
by W. H. Hardinge. He announced his discovery in a paper read before the
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...
in 1864. The papers were edited by Séamus Pender and were published by the Manuscripts Commission in 1939.
Significance
Although it is not a true census and lacks information for some key counties, Pender's Census is important for historians and genealogists alike as almost no other records survive for the Ireland of this period. The census also allowed a population estimate for this period; Hardinge gave a figure of around 500,000 at the time.
When published in 1939, Pender considered it to be a count of the whole population and, therefore, a census. More recent opinion, however, considers it to essentially be a
poll tax
A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources.
Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...
, levied on every head of household counted.
[Familia No. 8: Conference Essays, Vol. 2, Issue 8, Kenneth Darwin (1998)]
See also
*
Down Survey
The Down Survey was a cadastral survey of Ireland, carried out by English scientist, William Petty, in 1655 and 1656.
The survey was apparently called the "Down Survey" by Petty, either because the results were set down in maps or because the su ...
*
Civil Survey
The Civil Survey was a cadastral survey of landholdings in Ireland carried out in 1654–56. It was separate from the Down Survey, which began while the Civil Survey was in progress, and made use of Civil Survey data to guide its progress. Whereas ...
References
{{Reflist
*Pender, Séamus. A Census of Ireland, circa 1659 (1939)
External links
Digital version of the 1939 Edition
Censuses in the United Kingdom
1650s in Ireland