THE HISTORY OF EAST GRINSTEAD - Online Book

The rise and progress of the town and the history of its institutions & people.

	GENERAL DESCRIPTION.                                   7
	showed a total population of 800 above the age named, though this is possibly an approximate estimate. It would make the total population of East Grinstead about 1,100. Those concerned were also ordered to ascertain " what number of Popish recusants are there among such inhabitants ? " They found that there were only five in this parish. Thirdly, they were required to state " what number of other dissenters are resident in such parishes which either obstinately refuse, or wholly absent them­selves from the communion of the Church of England ? " East Grinstead was found to contain 28 of such, so that the seed of Nonconformity had not taken very deep root at that date. This left 767 " Conformists." In the whole county at that time there were only about 52,000 inhabi­tants over 16 years of age and of these, all but 385 Papists and 2,452 " Sectaries," were returned as members of the Church of England. A somewhat similar census was taken again in 1724, when it was ascertained that out of 310 families in the parish of East Grinstead eleven were Presbyterian, one was Quaker and one Anabaptist, all the rest belonging to the Established Church. This would mean a total population then of about 1,250. The first properly organised census of England was made in 1801 and has been continued every 10 years since, generally being taken on the first Sunday in April. Until 1891 the parish included Forest Row and no separate returns were made for the town and country divisions of the parish. Appended are the complete returns for the whole parish of East Grinstead from the commencement: