213 



Weston increased 4000, Clevedon, 1000, and Bedminster, 3000. 

 At Bridgwater, Watchet, Taunton, Bruton, Yeovil, Castle Gary, 

 Somertou, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, and Radstock, there was 

 increase. 



The growth of small towns or open villages is not always a real 

 increase of population, nor is it a favourable sign if the new 

 people are immigrants from surrounding villages. This is a 

 general question on which I have entered at some length elsewhere, 

 and which I do not now propose to touch. 



A general view of the county may be gained by dividing it 

 into its 17 Poor Law Unions. It is then found that there was 

 decrease in 8, Wellington, Langport, Chard, Yeovil, Frome, Shepton 

 Mallet, Clutton, and Bath ; with increase in 8, Williton, Dulverton, 

 Taunton, Bridgwater, Wells, Wincanton, Axbridge, and Bedminster. 

 There remains Keynsham Union, of which the Somersetshire 

 parishes decreased, and the Gloucestershire increased. 



The varying fortunes of the parishes cannot however be put in 

 the clearest light by thus grouping 30 or 40 parishes into one 

 Poor Law Union. Of parishes of Somersetshire 185 increased out 

 of a total of 513. If then the decrease of people has been 

 diffused over more than 300 parishes while the increase is drawn 

 from less than 200, we shall expect to find the increase in the 

 larger masses, such as Weston, Clevedon, and Bedminster, which 

 among them account for 8000, while (omitting the peculiar 

 instance of Bath), the decrease is a drain of general impoverish- 

 ment, trickling evenly from the great majority of the smaller 

 villages in all parts, except the recently reclaimed marshes. 



Besides the internal migration from some parts of the county 

 to others, there has been a vast external emigration, and a veiy 

 small immigration. During the ten years, 140,000 births were 

 registered in the county against 92,000 deaths, making a balance 

 of natural increase of 48,000, but as the real increase was under 

 one thousand, it follows that 47,000 persons left the county, in 

 addition to and beside a number equal to that of the strangers 

 who come in to reside. In the ten years there was an emigration 

 equal to about an eighth of the people. To estimate duly the 

 serious import of this movement, there must be kept in mind — 



