68 



A. D. 



1527- 



the people is not exadly known. Accordingly, we find many various, 

 and fome not a little extravagant, computations on this fubjed. But, 

 without paying any attention to fuch guelles, it may be lufficient to ob- 

 ferve, that from many various reafonings, there may probably be above 

 7,000,000 of fouls in England at this time. Lord Chief-juftice Hale, 

 in his Primitive origination of mankind, written above 90 years ago, 

 makes them to be at leaft 6,000,000, and fubjoins, ' That nothing can 

 * be clearer than the gradual increaie of mankind, to be feen by the 

 ' curious obfervations on the bills of mortality.' He alfo makes an ela- 

 borate compariibn between the number of people in Glocefterfliire 

 (with which county he was well acquainted), in the time of making 

 Domefday-book and in his own time ; and he thinks them at leaft 

 twenty times as many as they were at that time, by reafon of the vafh 



Hereford, 

 Monmouth, 

 York, 

 Richmonfl, 



Befidcs great chapels. 



4?9- 

 104 



176 

 563 



Durham and Northumberland, ii8 



Lancaller, only - - 36 



Wellmoreland, - - 26 



Cumberland, - '5^ 



Parifiies in all England, about 



9161 



Par't/hes in Wales. 



Radnor, 



Brecknock, 



Glamorgan, 



Carmarthen, 



Pcnbrokc, 



Cardigan, 



52 



61 



ii8 



87 



145 



64 



Montgomery, 



Merioneth, 



Carnarvon, 



Anglefey, 



Denbigh, 



Flint, 



Pariflies in Wales, 



Total in England and Wales, accordiiig to Camdi.n, 



47 

 37 



74 

 57 

 28 



8j8 



9999 



From a glance of this table it is evident that 

 the number of parilhes affords no jnfl iiandard for 

 an ellimate of the population ; for by fuch a 

 ftandard Hertford mull have contained more peo- 

 ple than Durham and Northumberland together, 

 Suffolk moi-e than York, and the fmall pal'toral 

 fhire of Rutland more than Lancalter, which even 

 in Wolfey's time had fome manufactures and com- 

 merce. 



It is proper to obferve, that Camden \_Bntan- 

 nia, p. 117, ed. 1607] gives 9407 as the total 

 number of pariflies in Wolfey's catalogue. He at 

 the fame time gives another enumeration of the 

 parilhes in England and Wales, a» divided into 

 diocefes, amounting to 92 84, taken from a cata- 

 logue prefented to King James I ; and he offers 

 fome conjedlures to reconcile the d.fitrent num- 

 bers. 



THe difference between the total in this tabic 



and 9407, the total as given by Camden, is per- 

 haps owing to fome error in the printing ; for alF 

 the number's are in figures. The table is collated 

 with two editions, viz. that of iGoo in quarto,., 

 and that of 1C07 in folio, the lafl and beft ; and 

 the only variations are in Rutland, as above noctd, 

 and the total omifliou in the edition of 1600 of the 

 pariflies in London and its fuburbs, in Monmouth, 

 and in ali Wales. 



The Magna Britannia publiilied in 1720 \_V. i, 

 f. 2i6j reckons 191 parilhes in Duckinghamfiiire.. 

 Stow \_yinna!(;s, p. I 112, cd. l6co] reckons iig. 

 pariflies in London and the fuburbs in the year 



The enumeration of pariflies made in the year 

 1371, for the purpofe of a pai-ocliial taxation, 

 dillers widely from the above, and ihe total num- 

 ber is only 86co. [5/ow'.r jinnaL-i, p. 424, ed. 

 1600.] M. 



