Transcribed from the 1876 T. Brakell edition by DavidPrice.  Many thanks to the British Library for making theircopy available.

ON
THE INACCURACIES
WHICH PROBABLY EXIST IN THE
CENSUS RETURNS OF AGES.

BY
THOMAS A. WELTON, F.S.S.

LIVERPOOL:
T. BRAKELL, PRINTER, COOKSTREET.

1876.

p. 3ON THEINACCURACIES WHICH PROBABLY EXIST IN THE CENSUS RETURNS OFAGES.

By Thomas A. Welton,F.S.S., &c.

Some years ago, before thepublication of the third volume of the Census of England andWales, 1871, I was anxious to calculate the approximate deathrates in particular parts of England, amongst females at certainages, during each of the years 1851–1870.  I thereforeapplied myself to the preliminary process of estimating thepopulation in each year at the ages in question.

I found that it was not safe to assume that, if population ina given county or district had increased generally, at a certainrate, there had been an increase at each particular age atsomething like the same rate.  On the contrary, there was asurprising irregularity in the respective rates of increase ordecrease observed amongst persons of the several ages in the samepopulation.

Table I shows the rates of increase in the numbers enumeratedat each age up to 80 amongst males and females respectively inthe several registration divisions, and in England andWales.  On inspecting this table, it will be seen that,partly owing to the effect of emigration, the ratios of increaseat particular ages are very diversified.  In the EasternCounties males aged 20–25 decreased by nearly one-tenth,but males aged 65–70 increased by nearly a quarter. In the same division, females aged 25–30 p. 4decreased byalmost 5 per cent., whilst females aged 40–45 increased bymore than 15 per cent.

Such being the state of the facts, I abandoned all thought ofdeducing from the total numbers enumerated in 1871 any reliableestimates of the numbers at particular ages, unless indeed someother mode of treatment of the figures could be found leading tomore regular results.

On comparing with the population enumerated in 1851 thenumbers, ten years older, found to be living in 1861, I obtainedother sets of ratios, which are shown in Table II.

The following is a comparison between the proportions forEngland and Wales, shewn in Table II, and the numbers out of 100living in 1851 who would have survived in 1861 according to theEnglish Life Table No. 3.