CHAPTER VIII. 



POPULATION. 



SOME forty years ago Dr Seebohm and Professor Thorold Rogers 

 were in controversy regarding the total population of England shortly 

 before the Black Death. Both agreed that in 1377 the population 

 numbered about 2\ millions : but while Dr Seebohm held that before 

 the Pestilence the population numbered five millions, Professor 

 Rogers argued that the food supply available at that time was 

 not sufficient to maintain more than i\ millions, and that the 

 population in 1346 and 1377 were the same. 



Neither disputant presented entirely conclusive arguments. This 

 at any rate seems to be the opinion of Dr Cunningham, who in 

 his (tfoii'th of English Industry and Commerce^ sums up the results 

 of the controversy as follows : 



'(i) The population was pretty nearly stationary at over two 

 millions from 1377 till the Tudors. 



'(2) Circumstances did not favour rapid increase of population 

 between 1350 and 1377. 



' (3) The country was not incapable of sustaining a much larger 

 population in the earlier part of Edward Ill's reign than it could 

 maintain in the time of Henry VII.' 



From the negative character of two of these conclusions, it 

 appears that further light is needed on the relative numbers of 

 the population before the Black Death, and in the period from 

 1377 till the Tudors. 



The question is important and difficult. In manor rolls, if 

 anywhere, we might expect to find material for its solution. It 

 is one of the purposes of this chapter to explain the methods that 

 have been employed in attempting to solve the question with regard 

 to Forncett manor. If the methods are sour 

 applied in the case of a considerable number o"" :>ther manors, we 



1 Vol. i. p. 33n., ^rd edr 



