Estimating population sizes and demographic trends in Ipswich c. 1570-1620: re-evaluations and new approaches

Abstract

This article explores the characteristics and experiences of the population of the town of Ipswich, Suffolk, between 1570 and 1620. It reassesses current estimates of the total number of inhabitants in the town at specific points throughout this period. This provides a basic framework for the subsequent analysis of the parish registers, which enables a better understanding of the town's demographic trends in this period. In addition, it puts forward new methods to estimate population size. These methods combine data from the town's communicant returns, parish poor rates, poor relief payments, and similar sources in order to determine the social structure of the town, the relative wealth of the town's parishes, and the approximate population sizes of the town's main socio-economic groups.