A cuckoo in the nest? The origins of civil registration and state medical statistics in England and Wales

Continuity and Change

Volumn 11, Issue 1, 1996, Pages 115-134

  Higgs, Edward ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CIVIL REGISTRATION; DOCUMENATARY SOURCE; HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT; MEDICAL GEOGRAPHY; MEDICAL STATISTICS; NINETEENTH CENTURY; PUBLIC HEALTH RECORDS; REGISTRATION ACT(1836);

UK, ENGLAND; UK, WALES;

EID: 0030445250     PISSN: 02684160     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1017/s0268416000003118     Document Type: Article

References (140)

1. The Act laid down that the new Poor Law Unions should be the basis of superintendent registrars' districts, these being further subdivided into registrars' districts for births and deaths registration. Births and deaths were to be registered by householders and next of kin under a prescribed form within set times, after which a fee would be payable. The death certificate asked for the date of death, name, age, sex, rank or profession and cause of death of the deceased. Duplicates of the entries in the registers were to be sent to the GRO in London, which was to be headed by a Registrar General.
2. In summary the 'MacDonagh Thesis' is that the growth of the state in the early Victorian period reflected a process whereby the exposure of 'intolerable situations' forced Parliament to pass permissive or enabling legislation, and later to appoint inspectors or other 'experts' to oversee the new legislation. As these officers responded to the continuing needs of their clients and their consciences, they pressed for further compulsory legislation, and for a superintending central body to oversee it; see Oliver MacDonagh, 'The nineteenth-century revolution in government: a reappraisal', The Historical Journal I, 1 (1958), 52-67; A pottern of government growth. The Passenger Acts and their enforcement 1800-1860 (London, 1961); and Early Victorian government 1830-1870 (London, 1977).
3. In summary the 'MacDonagh Thesis' is that the growth of the state in the early Victorian period reflected a process whereby the exposure of 'intolerable situations' forced Parliament to pass permissive or enabling legislation, and later to appoint inspectors or other 'experts' to oversee the new legislation. As these officers responded to the continuing needs of their clients and their consciences, they pressed for further compulsory legislation, and for a superintending central body to oversee it; see Oliver MacDonagh, 'The nineteenth-century revolution in government: a reappraisal', The Historical Journal I, 1 (1958), 52-67; A pottern of government growth. The Passenger Acts and their enforcement 1800-1860 (London, 1961); and Early Victorian government 1830-1870 (London, 1977).
4. In summary the 'MacDonagh Thesis' is that the growth of the state in the early Victorian period reflected a process whereby the exposure of 'intolerable situations' forced Parliament to pass permissive or enabling legislation, and later to appoint inspectors or other 'experts' to oversee the new legislation. As these officers responded to the continuing needs of their clients and their consciences, they pressed for further compulsory legislation, and for a superintending central body to oversee it; see Oliver MacDonagh, 'The nineteenth-century revolution in government: a reappraisal', The Historical Journal I, 1 (1958), 52-67; A pottern of government growth. The Passenger Acts and their enforcement 1800-1860 (London, 1961); and Early Victorian government 1830-1870 (London, 1977).
5. See Harald Westergaard, Contributions to the history of statistics (London, 1932).
6. Report of the Select Committee appointed to consider and report on the general state of parochial registries and the laws relating to them, and on a general registration of births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials in England and Wales (Parliamentary Papers (hereafter PP) 1833, XIV), pp. 6, 75.
7. This argument is rehearsed in S. E. Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick (London, 1952), 125; R. A. Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement 1832-1854 (London, 1952), 31; M. W. Flinn, 'Introduction', to Edwin Chadwick, Report on the sanitary condition of the labouring population of Great Britain (Edinburgh, 1965 edn), 27-9; D. V. Glass, Numbering the people (Farnborough, 1973), 118-19; M. J. Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act of 1836', Journal of Ecclesiastical History XXV (1974), 39-59; John M. Eyler, Victorian social medicine. The ideas and methods of William Farr (London, 1979), 37; Muriel Nissel, People count. A history of the General Register Office (London. 1987), 10-11; Lawrence Goldman, 'Statistics and the society of science in early Victorian Britain; an intellectual context for the General Register Office', Social History of Medicine 4 (1991), 418.
8. This argument is rehearsed in S. E. Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick (London, 1952), 125; R. A. Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement 1832-1854 (London, 1952), 31; M. W. Flinn, 'Introduction', to Edwin Chadwick, Report on the sanitary condition of the labouring population of Great Britain (Edinburgh, 1965 edn), 27-9; D. V. Glass, Numbering the people (Farnborough, 1973), 118-19; M. J. Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act of 1836', Journal of Ecclesiastical History XXV (1974), 39-59; John M. Eyler, Victorian social medicine. The ideas and methods of William Farr (London, 1979), 37; Muriel Nissel, People count. A history of the General Register Office (London. 1987), 10-11; Lawrence Goldman, 'Statistics and the society of science in early Victorian Britain; an intellectual context for the General Register Office', Social History of Medicine 4 (1991), 418.
9. This argument is rehearsed in S. E. Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick (London, 1952), 125; R. A. Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement 1832-1854 (London, 1952), 31; M. W. Flinn, 'Introduction', to Edwin Chadwick, Report on the sanitary condition of the labouring population of Great Britain (Edinburgh, 1965 edn), 27-9; D. V. Glass, Numbering the people (Farnborough, 1973), 118-19; M. J. Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act of 1836', Journal of Ecclesiastical History XXV (1974), 39-59; John M. Eyler, Victorian social medicine. The ideas and methods of William Farr (London, 1979), 37; Muriel Nissel, People count. A history of the General Register Office (London. 1987), 10-11; Lawrence Goldman, 'Statistics and the society of science in early Victorian Britain; an intellectual context for the General Register Office', Social History of Medicine 4 (1991), 418.
10. This argument is rehearsed in S. E. Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick (London, 1952), 125; R. A. Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement 1832-1854 (London, 1952), 31; M. W. Flinn, 'Introduction', to Edwin Chadwick, Report on the sanitary condition of the labouring population of Great Britain (Edinburgh, 1965 edn), 27-9; D. V. Glass, Numbering the people (Farnborough, 1973), 118-19; M. J. Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act of 1836', Journal of Ecclesiastical History XXV (1974), 39-59; John M. Eyler, Victorian social medicine. The ideas and methods of William Farr (London, 1979), 37; Muriel Nissel, People count. A history of the General Register Office (London. 1987), 10-11; Lawrence Goldman, 'Statistics and the society of science in early Victorian Britain; an intellectual context for the General Register Office', Social History of Medicine 4 (1991), 418.
11. This argument is rehearsed in S. E. Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick (London, 1952), 125; R. A. Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement 1832-1854 (London, 1952), 31; M. W. Flinn, 'Introduction', to Edwin Chadwick, Report on the sanitary condition of the labouring population of Great Britain (Edinburgh, 1965 edn), 27-9; D. V. Glass, Numbering the people (Farnborough, 1973), 118-19; M. J. Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act of 1836', Journal of Ecclesiastical History XXV (1974), 39-59; John M. Eyler, Victorian social medicine. The ideas and methods of William Farr (London, 1979), 37; Muriel Nissel, People count. A history of the General Register Office (London. 1987), 10-11; Lawrence Goldman, 'Statistics and the society of science in early Victorian Britain; an intellectual context for the General Register Office', Social History of Medicine 4 (1991), 418.
12. This argument is rehearsed in S. E. Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick (London, 1952), 125; R. A. Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement 1832-1854 (London, 1952), 31; M. W. Flinn, 'Introduction', to Edwin Chadwick, Report on the sanitary condition of the labouring population of Great Britain (Edinburgh, 1965 edn), 27-9; D. V. Glass, Numbering the people (Farnborough, 1973), 118-19; M. J. Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act of 1836', Journal of Ecclesiastical History XXV (1974), 39-59; John M. Eyler, Victorian social medicine. The ideas and methods of William Farr (London, 1979), 37; Muriel Nissel, People count. A history of the General Register Office (London. 1987), 10-11; Lawrence Goldman, 'Statistics and the society of science in early Victorian Britain; an intellectual context for the General Register Office', Social History of Medicine 4 (1991), 418.
13. This argument is rehearsed in S. E. Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick (London, 1952), 125; R. A. Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement 1832-1854 (London, 1952), 31; M. W. Flinn, 'Introduction', to Edwin Chadwick, Report on the sanitary condition of the labouring population of Great Britain (Edinburgh, 1965 edn), 27-9; D. V. Glass, Numbering the people (Farnborough, 1973), 118-19; M. J. Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act of 1836', Journal of Ecclesiastical History XXV (1974), 39-59; John M. Eyler, Victorian social medicine. The ideas and methods of William Farr (London, 1979), 37; Muriel Nissel, People count. A history of the General Register Office (London. 1987), 10-11; Lawrence Goldman, 'Statistics and the society of science in early Victorian Britain; an intellectual context for the General Register Office', Social History of Medicine 4 (1991), 418.
14. This argument is rehearsed in S. E. Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick (London, 1952), 125; R. A. Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement 1832-1854 (London, 1952), 31; M. W. Flinn, 'Introduction', to Edwin Chadwick, Report on the sanitary condition of the labouring population of Great Britain (Edinburgh, 1965 edn), 27-9; D. V. Glass, Numbering the people (Farnborough, 1973), 118-19; M. J. Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act of 1836', Journal of Ecclesiastical History XXV (1974), 39-59; John M. Eyler, Victorian social medicine. The ideas and methods of William Farr (London, 1979), 37; Muriel Nissel, People count. A history of the General Register Office (London. 1987), 10-11; Lawrence Goldman, 'Statistics and the society of science in early Victorian Britain; an intellectual context for the General Register Office', Social History of Medicine 4 (1991), 418.
15. Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act', 42-3.
16. Report of the Select Committee on parochial registries, 9-11.
17. Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act', 45.
18. Ibid., 50.
19. Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 31, Feb. 12 1836, cols. 369-77.
20. Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 32, 15 April 1836, cols. 1088-9; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 6 June 1836, cols. 133-43; Hansard, 3rd series. Vol. 34, 28 June 1836, cols. 1011-22; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 11 July 1836, cols. 79-83; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 21 July 1836, col. 375.
21. Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 32, 15 April 1836, cols. 1088-9; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 6 June 1836, cols. 133-43; Hansard, 3rd series. Vol. 34, 28 June 1836, cols. 1011-22; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 11 July 1836, cols. 79-83; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 21 July 1836, col. 375.
22. Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 32, 15 April 1836, cols. 1088-9; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 6 June 1836, cols. 133-43; Hansard, 3rd series. Vol. 34, 28 June 1836, cols. 1011-22; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 11 July 1836, cols. 79-83; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 21 July 1836, col. 375.
23. Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 32, 15 April 1836, cols. 1088-9; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 6 June 1836, cols. 133-43; Hansard, 3rd series. Vol. 34, 28 June 1836, cols. 1011-22; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 11 July 1836, cols. 79-83; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 21 July 1836, col. 375.
24. Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 32, 15 April 1836, cols. 1088-9; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 6 June 1836, cols. 133-43; Hansard, 3rd series. Vol. 34, 28 June 1836, cols. 1011-22; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 11 July 1836, cols. 79-83; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 21 July 1836, col. 375.
25. Goldman, 'Statistics and the society of science', 418.
26. Simon Szreter, 'Introduction: the GRO and the historians'. Social History of Medicine 4 (1991), 403.
27. Simon Szreter, 'The GRO and the public health movement in Britain 1837-1914', Social History of Medicine 4 (1991), 435-63.
28. Eyler, Victorian social medicine, passim.
29. Kevin Schurer, 'The 1891 census and local population studies', Local Population Studies 47 (1991), 20.
30. Report of the Select Committee on parochial registries, 6; Glass, Numbering the people, 119-20; Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 66-90.
31. Report of the Select Committee on parochial registries, 6; Glass, Numbering the people, 119-20; Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 66-90.
32. Report of the Select Committee on parochial registries, 6; Glass, Numbering the people, 119-20; Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 66-90.
33. Hansard, 3rd series. Vol. 34, 6 June 1836, col. 133; Hansard, 3rd series. Vol. 35, 11 July 1836, col. 83.
34. Hansard, 3rd series. Vol. 34, 6 June 1836, col. 133; Hansard, 3rd series. Vol. 35, 11 July 1836, col. 83.
35. This measure of religious emancipation was partly achieved by a separate set of legislation resulting from the deliberations of the Commissioners 'into the state of nonparochial registers' who reported some years later (PP 1837-1838, XXVIII). They advocated the authentication by themselves of well-kept Nonconformist registers and their removal to the GRO for safe-keeping. Their recommendations were carried into effect by the 1840 Non-Parochial Registers Act and the 1858 Births and Deaths Registration Act.
36. PP 1831-1832, I, pp. 265-72; PP 1834, III, pp. 459-77; PP 1836, I, fos. 309-26. This has been noted by Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick, 125; Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement, 31; Glass, Numbering the people, 139-40; Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 45; and Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act', 55-8.
37. PP 1831-1832, I, pp. 265-72; PP 1834, III, pp. 459-77; PP 1836, I, fos. 309-26. This has been noted by Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick, 125; Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement, 31; Glass, Numbering the people, 139-40; Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 45; and Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act', 55-8.
38. PP 1831-1832, I, pp. 265-72; PP 1834, III, pp. 459-77; PP 1836, I, fos. 309-26. This has been noted by Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick, 125; Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement, 31; Glass, Numbering the people, 139-40; Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 45; and Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act', 55-8.
39. PP 1831-1832, I, pp. 265-72; PP 1834, III, pp. 459-77; PP 1836, I, fos. 309-26. This has been noted by Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick, 125; Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement, 31; Glass, Numbering the people, 139-40; Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 45; and Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act', 55-8.
40. PP 1831-1832, I, pp. 265-72; PP 1834, III, pp. 459-77; PP 1836, I, fos. 309-26. This has been noted by Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick, 125; Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement, 31; Glass, Numbering the people, 139-40; Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 45; and Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act', 55-8.
41. The published volume of Parliamentary Papers has a bill of 21 June with no cause of death (PP 1836, I. p. 366), and one of 3 August with cause of death (PP 1836, I, p. 388). However, an unpublished version of 21 July 1836 held in the House of Lords Record Office also includes cause of death.
42. 6&7 Will. IV c. 86, s. vi.
43. Glass, Numbering the people, 119.
44. A. H. Manchester, Modern legal history (London, 1980), 2-5.
45. Dickens was an attorney's clerk and court reporter in the 1820s.
46. See Manchester, Modern legal history, passim; Sir William Holdsworth, A history of English Law, Vol. 13 (London, 1952), 1-307; Robert Mackenzie Stewart. Henry Brougham, 1778-1868: his public career (London, 1986), 179, 220, 233-8, 258-9, 277-85, 348-9. For a contemporary view of this process see John Stuart Mill in his essay on Bentham which appeared in the London and Westminster Review of August 1838; John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham, Utilitarianism and other essays, ed. by Alan Ryan (London, 1987), 158-61.
47. See Manchester, Modern legal history, passim; Sir William Holdsworth, A history of English Law, Vol. 13 (London, 1952), 1-307; Robert Mackenzie Stewart. Henry Brougham, 1778-1868: his public career (London, 1986), 179, 220, 233-8, 258-9, 277-85, 348-9. For a contemporary view of this process see John Stuart Mill in his essay on Bentham which appeared in the London and Westminster Review of August 1838; John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham, Utilitarianism and other essays, ed. by Alan Ryan (London, 1987), 158-61.
48. See Manchester, Modern legal history, passim; Sir William Holdsworth, A history of English Law, Vol. 13 (London, 1952), 1-307; Robert Mackenzie Stewart. Henry Brougham, 1778-1868: his public career (London, 1986), 179, 220, 233-8, 258-9, 277-85, 348-9. For a contemporary view of this process see John Stuart Mill in his essay on Bentham which appeared in the London and Westminster Review of August 1838; John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham, Utilitarianism and other essays, ed. by Alan Ryan (London, 1987), 158-61.
49. See Manchester, Modern legal history, passim; Sir William Holdsworth, A history of English Law, Vol. 13 (London, 1952), 1-307; Robert Mackenzie Stewart. Henry Brougham, 1778-1868: his public career (London, 1986), 179, 220, 233-8, 258-9, 277-85, 348-9. For a contemporary view of this process see John Stuart Mill in his essay on Bentham which appeared in the London and Westminster Review of August 1838; John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham, Utilitarianism and other essays, ed. by Alan Ryan (London, 1987), 158-61.
50. See Manchester, Modern legal history, passim; Sir William Holdsworth, A history of English Law, Vol. 13 (London, 1952), 1-307; Robert Mackenzie Stewart. Henry Brougham, 1778-1868: his public career (London, 1986), 179, 220, 233-8, 258-9, 277-85, 348-9. For a contemporary view of this process see John Stuart Mill in his essay on Bentham which appeared in the London and Westminster Review of August 1838; John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham, Utilitarianism and other essays, ed. by Alan Ryan (London, 1987), 158-61.
51. First report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the law of England respecting real property, PP 1829, X, pp. 6-7.
52. Second report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the law of England respecting real property, PP 1830, XI. Crowther and White have recently pointed out the importance of the proper medical registration of live births for establishing rights to property; see M. A. Crowther and Brenda M. White, 'Medicine, property and the law in Britain 1800-1914', The Historical Journal 31 (1988), 859-60.
53. Second report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the law of England respecting real property, PP 1830, XI. Crowther and White have recently pointed out the importance of the proper medical registration of live births for establishing rights to property; see M. A. Crowther and Brenda M. White, 'Medicine, property and the law in Britain 1800-1914', The Historical Journal 31 (1988), 859-60.
54. Third report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the law of England respecting real property, PP 1831-1832, XXIII, p. 434. See also Jeremy Bentham, An introduction to the principles of morals and legislation (London, 1798), Chapter IV, section VIII.
55. Third report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the law of England respecting real property, PP 1831-1832, XXIII, p. 434. See also Jeremy Bentham, An introduction to the principles of morals and legislation (London, 1798), Chapter IV, section VIII.
56. PP 1824, II, pp. 671-82.
57. PP 1831-1832, I, pp. 265-72.
58. Report of the Select Committee on parochial registries, 9.
59. Ibid., 20, 37, 42-3, 47, 68, 97, 125.
60. Ibid., 55, 58, 64, 77.
61. Ibid., 28-31.
62. Ibid., 10.
63. PP 1836, I, fos. 393-402.
64. 1st Annual Report of the Registrar General (hereafter ARRG) (London, 1839), 5-6, 68.
65. Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 6 June 1836, col. 139. Brougham had defended his own bill in similar terms: Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 24, July 2 1834, col. 1077.
66. Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 6 June 1836, col. 139. Brougham had defended his own bill in similar terms: Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 24, July 2 1834, col. 1077.
67. J. S. Burn, a lawyer who gave evidence before the 1833 Select Committee, contrasted the religious intent of the Marriage Act with the secular purpose of the Registration Act: John Southerden Burn, The Marriage and Registration Acts with instructions, forms, and practical directions for the use of officiating ministers, superintendent registrars, registrars, etc. (London, 1836), 1-7.
68. Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 13 June 1836, cols. 490-4; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 28 June 1836, col. 1017; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 21 July 1836, col. 375.
69. Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 13 June 1836, cols. 490-4; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 28 June 1836, col. 1017; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 21 July 1836, col. 375.
70. Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 13 June 1836, cols. 490-4; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 34, 28 June 1836, col. 1017; Hansard, 3rd series, Vol. 35, 21 July 1836, col. 375.
71. Quoted in G. R. Elton, Policy and police. The enforcement of the Reformation in the age of Thomas Cromwell (Cambridge, 1972), 259-60.
72. 22nd ARRG (London, 1861), xlv. By 1875, 25,407 searches were made in that year at Somerset House, and 19,639 certificates were issued (38th ARRG (London, 1877), vii).
73. 22nd ARRG (London, 1861), xlv. By 1875, 25,407 searches were made in that year at Somerset House, and 19,639 certificates were issued (38th ARRG (London, 1877), vii).
74. The ' public records ' were originally envisaged as the records of the courts of law rather than the records of central government departments (Public Record Office, Guide to the contents of the Public Record Office, Vol. 1 (London, 1963), 2).
75. The establishment of the latter was seen by the Registrar General as the bringing together of the official documentation relating to the transfer of property on death (22nd ARRG (London, 1861), xlv).
76. Avner Offer, Property and politics, 1870-1914. Landowner ship, law, ideology and urban development in England (Cambridge, 1981).
77. Jacques Dupâquier, Histoire de la population française (Paris, 1988), 16-26; Ernst Posner, Archives and the public interest (Washington DC, 1967), 25-6.
78. Jacques Dupâquier, Histoire de la population française (Paris, 1988), 16-26; Ernst Posner, Archives and the public interest (Washington DC, 1967), 25-6.
79. This is a perfect example of Bentham's 'Duty and Interest junction principle'; see Ross Harrison, Bentham (London, 1983), 117-34, 268-71. This was also a view expressed to r the 1833 Registration Committee: see the Report of the Select Committee on parochial registries, 92, 117.
80. This is a perfect example of Bentham's 'Duty and Interest junction principle'; see Ross Harrison, Bentham (London, 1983), 117-34, 268-71. This was also a view expressed to r the 1833 Registration Committee: see the Report of the Select Committee on parochial registries, 92, 117.
81. This is one of the strictures made in Bill Luckin's, 'Death and survival in the city : approaches to the history of disease', Urban History Yearbook (1980), 53-61.
82. 23rd ARRG (London, 1862), xliv.
83. Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 60-1.
84. Glass, for example, suggests F. Bissett Hawkins, Professor of Materia Medica at King's College, Factory Commissioner in 1833, and later Inspector of Prisons and Metropolitan Commissioner in Lunacy (Glass, Numbering the people, 140).
85. The Library, University College, London, Papers of Sir Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890): 2181/3, Copybook III: letter to Dr Laycock, 13 April 1844, p. 26. Chadwick's claim is rehearsed by: Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick, 125; Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement, 31 ; Glass, Numbering the people, 139-40; Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act', 55-8;
86. The Library, University College, London, Papers of Sir Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890): 2181/3, Copybook III: letter to Dr Laycock, 13 April 1844, p. 26. Chadwick's claim is rehearsed by: Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick, 125; Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement, 31 ; Glass, Numbering the people, 139-40; Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act', 55-8;
87. The Library, University College, London, Papers of Sir Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890): 2181/3, Copybook III: letter to Dr Laycock, 13 April 1844, p. 26. Chadwick's claim is rehearsed by: Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick, 125; Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement, 31 ; Glass, Numbering the people, 139-40; Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act', 55-8;
88. The Library, University College, London, Papers of Sir Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890): 2181/3, Copybook III: letter to Dr Laycock, 13 April 1844, p. 26. Chadwick's claim is rehearsed by: Finer, The life and times of Sir Edwin Chadwick, 125; Lewis, Edwin Chadwick and the public health movement, 31 ; Glass, Numbering the people, 139-40; Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act', 55-8;
89. Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 45; and Goldman, 'Statistics and the society of science', 418.
90. Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 45; and Goldman, 'Statistics and the society of science', 418.
91. PP 1836 I, fos. 309-37.
92. Cullen, 'The making of the Civil Registration Act', 58.
93. Ann La Berge, 'Edwin Chadwick and the French connection', Bulletin of the History of Medicine 62 (1988), 23-41. Eyler also notes Chadwick's sanitary concerns (Victorian social medicine, 45).
94. Ann La Berge, 'Edwin Chadwick and the French connection', Bulletin of the History of Medicine 62 (1988), 23-41. Eyler also notes Chadwick's sanitary concerns (Victorian social medicine, 45).
95. Public Record Office (hereafter PRO), (Home Office, Various Commissions) HO 73/51 : Permanent Officers. The same document also implies that Poor Law officers might use the registration system for establishing settlement for Poor Law purposes.
96. Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 108-9; Report of the Select Committee on friendly societies, PP 1825, IV, pp. 416, 456-70.
97. Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 108-9; Report of the Select Committee on friendly societies, PP 1825, IV, pp. 416, 456-70.
98. Edwin Chadwick, An essay on the means of insurance against the casualties of sickness, decrepitude, and mortality : comprising an article reprinted from the Westminster Review (No. XVIII) from April 1828, with additional notes and comments (London, 1836).
99. Chadwick, An essay on the means of insurance, 154. The eradication of ill health would, of course, also help to reduce the burdens of the poor thrown onto the Poor Law as a result (Flinn, 'Introduction', 43).
100. Chadwick, An essay on the means of insurance, 154. The eradication of ill health would, of course, also help to reduce the burdens of the poor thrown onto the Poor Law as a result (Flinn, 'Introduction', 43).
101. Jeremy Bentham, Pauper management improved (London, 1798), 180-1. William Farr took much the same stance in his 'Letter' in the 12th ARRG (London, 1853), xxxvi-xxxvii.
102. Jeremy Bentham, Pauper management improved (London, 1798), 180-1. William Farr took much the same stance in his 'Letter' in the 12th ARRG (London, 1853), xxxvi-xxxvii.
103. Papers of Sir Edwin Chadwick, 1733, Correspondence with Lord John Russell: letter of Sunday, July 3 1836, p. 17.
104. Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 46.
105. Anthony Hyman, Science and reform. Selected works of Charles Babbage (Cambridge, 1989), 110.
106. Raymond G. Cowherd, Political economists and the English Poor Laws. A historical study of the influence of classical economics on the formation of social welfare policy (Athens, Georgia, 1977), 8-9.
107. Report of the Select Committee on friendly societies, PP 1825, IV; Report of the Select Committee on friendly societies, PP 1826-1827, III; Report of the Select Committee on life annuities, PP 1829, III.
108. Report of the Select Committee on friendly societies, PP 1825, IV; Report of the Select Committee on friendly societies, PP 1826-1827, III; Report of the Select Committee on life annuities, PP 1829, III.
109. Report of the Select Committee on friendly societies, PP 1825, IV; Report of the Select Committee on friendly societies, PP 1826-1827, III; Report of the Select Committee on life annuities, PP 1829, III.
110. Barry Supple, ' Legislation and virtue : an essay on working-class self-help and the state in the early nineteenth century', in Neil McKendrick ed., Historical perspectives. Studies in English thought and society in honour of J. H. Plumb (London, 1974), 246.
111. La Berge, 'Edwin Chadwick and the French connection', 36-40.
112. PRO RG 29, GRO Treasury Letter Books: RG 29/1, p. 16.
113. Ibid., RG 29/1, p. 35.
114. Ibid., p. 36.
115. For Farr's use of the comparison see Simon Szreter, 'The GRO and the public health movement in Britain', 436-41.
116. PRO. RG 29/5, p. 56.
117. PRO, RG 29/5, pp. 59-60. Farr did not become head of the Statistical Department until a year later, in July 1839 (RG 29/1, p. 61).
118. See Maurice Wright, Treasury control of the Civil Service 1854-1874 (Oxford, 1969), 151.
119. Eyler, for example, discusses his efforts in this field as if it were an adjunct to his medical work or part of a personal crusade; see Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 84-90.
120. 1st ARRG (London, 1839), 15-16.
121. 4th ARRG (London, 1842), 3.
122. 5th ARRG (2nd edn; London, 1843), 16-49, 342-67; 6th ARRG (London, 1845), 517-666; 8th ARRG (London, 1849), 277-348; 1 2th ARRG (London, 1853), 1-152; 20th ARRG (London, 1859), 174-204.
123. 5th ARRG (2nd edn; London, 1843), 16-49, 342-67; 6th ARRG (London, 1845), 517-666; 8th ARRG (London, 1849), 277-348; 1 2th ARRG (London, 1853), 1-152; 20th ARRG (London, 1859), 174-204.
124. 5th ARRG (2nd edn; London, 1843), 16-49, 342-67; 6th ARRG (London, 1845), 517-666; 8th ARRG (London, 1849), 277-348; 1 2th ARRG (London, 1853), 1-152; 20th ARRG (London, 1859), 174-204.
125. 5th ARRG (2nd edn; London, 1843), 16-49, 342-67; 6th ARRG (London, 1845), 517-666; 8th ARRG (London, 1849), 277-348; 1 2th ARRG (London, 1853), 1-152; 20th ARRG (London, 1859), 174-204.
126. 5th ARRG (2nd edn; London, 1843), 16-49, 342-67; 6th ARRG (London, 1845), 517-666; 8th ARRG (London, 1849), 277-348; 1 2th ARRG (London, 1853), 1-152; 20th ARRG (London, 1859), 174-204.
127. Geoffrey Finlayson, Citizens, state, and social welfare in Britain 1830-1990 (Oxford, 1994), 25, 82-3.
128. 33rd ARRG (London, 1872), 441-57.
129. Decennial supplement to the 45th A RRG (London, 1885), vi-xi ; Decennial supplement to the 55th ARRG (London, 1895), xi-xx; Decennial supplement to the 65th ARRG (London, 1907), xv-lxiii.
130. Decennial supplement to the 45th A RRG (London, 1885), vi-xi ; Decennial supplement to the 55th ARRG (London, 1895), xi-xx; Decennial supplement to the 65th ARRG (London, 1907), xv-lxiii.
131. Decennial supplement to the 45th A RRG (London, 1885), vi-xi ; Decennial supplement to the 55th ARRG (London, 1895), xi-xx; Decennial supplement to the 65th ARRG (London, 1907), xv-lxiii.
132. 50th ARRG (London, 1888), xvii-xxx.
133. Eyler, Victorian social medicine, 84.
134. Szreter, 'Introduction: the GRO and the historians', 401-14.
135. G. Kitson Clark, '"Statesmen in disguise": reflections on the history of the neutrality of the civil service', The Historical Journal II (1959), 19-39.
136. Szreter, 'The GRO and the public health movement', 450-7.
137. Ibid., 458-62.
138. T. H. Marshall, 'Citizenship and social class', in Bryan S. Turner and Peter Hamilton eds., Citizenship: critical concepts. Vol. II (London, 1994), 5-44. Citizenship also needs to be seen in terms of nation-building; see Philip Kreager, 'Quand une population estelle une nation? Quand une nation est-elle un état? La démographie et l'emergence d'un dilemme moderne, 1770-1870', Population 6 (1992), 1639-56.
139. T. H. Marshall, 'Citizenship and social class', in Bryan S. Turner and Peter Hamilton eds., Citizenship: critical concepts. Vol. II (London, 1994), 5-44. Citizenship also needs to be seen in terms of nation-building; see Philip Kreager, 'Quand une population estelle une nation? Quand une nation est-elle un état? La démographie et l'emergence d'un dilemme moderne, 1770-1870', Population 6 (1992), 1639-56.
140. PRO, RG 29/5, insert p. 385, p. 1.