And for those of you who really like facts and figures....

The population of Hucknall grew by 919% between the first census in 1801 and the turn of the 20th century. In Nottinghamshire, only Kirkby in Ashfield had are more rapid rate of growth (937%), and the city of Nottingham itself grew by 732%. Hucknall greatest period of expansion was in the second half of the century when it grew faster than any other town in Nottinghamshire. At the close of the 19th century Hucknall was the fourth largest town in Nottinghamshire up from eighth place in 1801.

A century of two halves

The relative affluence of the second half of the century, which came with the development of the coal mines, was in marked contrast to the grinding poverty of the first half, which saw the decline of the cottage hosiery industry. The following report by the Hucknall Overseer for the Poor in 1816 reveals that 60% of the households were unable to pay the poor rate and nearly 40% of the popualtion were in receipt of poor relief:

'Population 1793, houses assessed to the Poor Rate 280, of these not able to pay 170. The number of poor receiving paraochial relief weekly 657. Home row men out of employ receiving relief weekly 40. Total receiving pay from the Parish 697.'

Since the end of the 16th century the welfare of the poor and sick was the reponsibility of individual parishes who appointed an 'Overseer' to set, collect and distribute a local tax for this purpose. The overseer was also required to put to work those in need and apprentice children to a trade. Overseers were unpaid and untrained, but at its best the system could be reasonably humane as the administrator and the recipent may know each other personally, but at its worst was cruel and corrupt.

These arrangements were overhauled in the Poor Law Act of 1834, which put poor relief on a more accountable, if not necessarily more humane, footing bringing parishes together into larger adminstrative groups and establishing the workhouses.

In Hucknall and surrounding parishes amalgamation had begun much earlier, following the recommendations of a previous act of parliament in 1782, to form the Basford Incorporation and by 1834 fourty parishes had joined. The prime motivation for amalgamation was to cut costs and in this respect Hucknall was extremely successful recouping a £600 subscription fee paid to join within two years.