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Population Statistics

In: Medieval Statistics

Author

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  • John S. Lee

    (University of York)

Abstract

Medieval England lacks most of the key data sources that have been used to calculate population size in more recent times. The most useful national data for estimating the extent of the population in medieval England are tax records. Taxation generated a huge residue of records, and on occasions, when taxes extended to the lowest levels of society, they provide a reasonably comprehensive coverage of the population. These taxes with national coverage can be supplemented by local sources, such as the poll tax levied on adult men in some lordships. Historians trying to use this incomplete and partial data to estimate population trends over time need to link the benchmark years of 1086, 1377 and 1524, based on the data in Domesday Book and the tax returns, to establish population trends. Despite its limitations, this data can be applied to produce estimates of the national population of medieval England between 1086 and 1530, and explore changes in mortality, fertility and migration. Disagreements remain though, over the size and timing of the medieval population peak and the extent of the impact of the crises of the fourteenth century, including the Black Death.

Suggested Citation

  • John S. Lee, 2024. "Population Statistics," Palgrave Studies in the History of Finance, in: Mark Casson & John S. Lee (ed.), Medieval Statistics, chapter 0, pages 69-106, Palgrave Macmillan.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:psitcp:978-3-031-69730-2_4
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-69730-2_4
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