Occupations of Males in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, March 1851

The above table sets out our analysis of the male population of Beeston in March 1851, by industry/occupation and by age band. A similar table for the female population can be be seen by clicking here. Each of these tables have been prepared based on the principles described in connection with the overall population table which can be seen here.

The table can be used to observe and quantify certain characteristics and trends within the population and, in particular, within the working population:

The employment rate amongst the male population is over 96% of males over 15 who are in employment.

The average age of the overall male population is 25.8 years

The average age of all male workers is 33.5 years; however, this varies considerable between industries and/or occupations

The average age of a male lace industry worker is 28.8 years
The average age of a male hosiery worker is 42.6 years
The average age of a male silk worker is 18.6 years
The average age of a male worker on the land is 41.1 years

It is suggested that the relatively high average age of workers on the land and of frame knitters, reflects their diminishing status in the commumity. Clearly, the lace industry was tending to attract those who were starting their working life. The very low average age for male silk workers (found also within female workers in that industry) appears to reflect its deliberate targeting of very low paid, very young workers some of whom may have been participants the part-time education facilities provided by the mill. As 76% of all male silk workers in the village were under 20 years of age and 89% were under 30, it seems unlikely that this industry, would have provided anything but secondary contributions to household incomes.

Click to view our analysis of the Female Population by Age and Occupational Groupings
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© David Hallam - 2008