This chapter seeks to present a selection of data to assist in the interpretation of themes discussed elsewhere in this volume. Some information which has not previously been employed in published histories of the Island is presented, and a short guide to other sources of demographic information is included.

The main themes addressed are: population levels; employment patterns; birthplaces of residents; and passenger arrivals. The first three themes are approached using information gathered by the decennial censuses 1841–1991, the fourth using Manx government and other records.

A Note on Census Data

Census data must be approached with caution. Though our presentation gives it an appearance of uniformity, it was gathered according to the needs and idiosyncrasies of its time. For instance, occupational census data was originally gathered to create accurate life insurance tables. Job descriptions also change over time, and the census has other biases. It has been calculated that the number of workers in the tertiary sector may be up to 16 per cent greater than previously thought. Female workers were certainly unevenly recorded, as a glance at the numbers of females in agriculture will show (see Table 1). This is because in some years the daughters, wives and nieces of farmers were automatically counted, in others not. Other areas must be approached with awareness that sometimes no historical source can ever give the whole picture. In the case of seasonal summer labour in the Manx tourist industry, May census nights preceded the arrival of many migrant or part-time workers, and thus we can only guess at their numbers.

However, an awareness of the problems of the census does not invalidate it as an irreplaceable and, for many areas, by far the best source of information. A good starting point is to consider what it tells us about the Manx population.

Population and Work

It is helpful to examine Manx population levels in the light of economic activity. Up to the 1820s and 1830s this was mostly geared to meet Insular needs. Substantive change came during the late 1840s when mining activity increased and improvements in shipping and harbours bolstered the Island's economic viability, and slowed population decline. Mining was a large employer of that 20 per cent of the Manx population who worked in the ‘classic industrial revolution industries’ of cotton, wool, iron, railways, machine-making and mining.