Population.—­Hutton “calculated” that about the year 750 there would be 3,000 inhabitants residing in and close to Birmingham.  Unless a very rapid thinning process was going on after that date he must have been a long way out of his reckoning, for the Domesday Book gives but 63 residents in 1085 for Birmingham, Aston, and Edgbaston.  In 1555 we find that 37 baptisms, 15 weddings, and 27 deaths were registered at St. Martin’s, the houses not being more than 700, nor the occupiers over 3,500 in number.  In 1650, it is said, there were 15 streets, about 900 houses, and 5,472 inhabitants.  If the writer who made that calculation was correct, the next 80 years must have been “days of progress” indeed, for in 1700 the town is said to have included 28 streets, about 100 courts and alleys, 2,504 houses, one church, one chapel, and two meeting-houses, with 15,032 inhabitants.  In 1731 there were 55 streets, about 150 courts and alleys, 3,719 houses, two churches, one chapel, four Dissenting meeting-houses, and 23,286 inhabitants.  The remaining figures, being taken from census returns and other reliable authorities, are more satisfactory.

Year.  Inhabitants.  Houses. 1741 24,660 4,114 1773 30,804 7,369 1778 48,252 8,042 1781 50,295 8,382 1791 73,653 12,681 1801 78,760 16,659 1811 85,755 19,096 1821 106,721 21,345 1831 142,251 29,397 1841 182,922 36,238 1851 232,841 48,894 1861 296,076 62,708 1871 343,787 77,409 1881 400,774 84,263

The inhabitants are thus divided as to sexes: 

Year.  Males.  Females.  Totals. 1861 143,996 152,080 296,076 1871 167,636 176,151 343,787 1881 194,540 206,234 400,774

The increase during the ten years in the several parts of the borough shows: 

Part of
Birmingham Edgbaston Aston in
parish. parish. borough.  Totals.

1881       246,352    22,778    131,644    400,774
1871       231,015    17,442     95,330    343,787
-------    ------    -------    -------
Increase    15,337     5,336     36,314     56,987

These figures, however, are not satisfactorily correct, as they simply give the totals for the borough, leaving out many persons who, though residing outside the boundaries are to all intents and purposes Birmingham people; and voluminous as census papers usually are, it is difficult from those of 1871 to arrive at the proper number, the districts not being subdivided sufficiently.  Thus, in the following table Handsworth includes Soho and Perry Barr, Harborne parish includes Smethwick, Balsall Heath is simply the Local included district, while King’s Norton Board is Moseley, Selly Oak, &c.

    Places.  Inhabitants. 
  Aston Parish 139,998
  Aston Manor 33,948
  Balsall Heath 13,615
  Handsworth 16,042
  Harborne Parish 22,263
  Harborne Township 5,105
  King’s Norton Parish 21,845
  Yardley Parish 5,360