Population growth

Question 1

What was the population in 1625?

Answer 1

4.1 million

Question 2

What was the population in 1656?

Answer 2

5.3 million

Question 3

What was the population in 1688?

Answer 3

4.8 million

Question 4

What were the main reasons for population growth?

Answer 4

• The country had enjoyed domestic peace since 1485 and the end of the Wars of the Roses. In the 16th the population rose from 3 million to 4 million, and the trend continued during the first half of the 17th century
• Changes in agriculture, such as the enclosure of land the the growth of areas under cultivation, ensured a stable supply of food for the growing population
• During the 17th century many Protestants migrated from Europe to escape religious persecution

Question 5

What caused the rise population size to slow down?

Answer 5

• The large number of deaths during the civil wars
• The Great Plague of 1665, which caused up to 100,000 deaths in London alone
• Many non-conformists migrating to America, where they could worship freely
• Marriage often being delayed until people were in their late twenties, which reduced the average size of families

Question 6

Where did most people live in 1625? Where was the majority of the population concentrated in 1625? Why did this change during the 17th century?

Answer 6

The countryside. The south-east of England. This changed in the 17th Century, as young people moved from some southern parishes, where opportunities were limited, to more parishes in the Midlands and the north.

Question 7

Why were fewer people needed to work the land? What did this lead to?

Answer 7

The enclosure of agricultural land that had begun under the Tudors continued in Stuart England. This lead to depopulation in several areas of southern England - overpopulated and a limited job market in the countryside and smaller towns made London a magnet for rural migrants.

Question 8

What percentage of the population lived in towns in 1625?

Answer 8

5.8%

Question 9

What did urban and industrial development mean?

Answer 9

This meant that by the end of the century the percentage of the population living in towns had risen to 13.3%, of which 11.5% lived in in London.

Question 10

What was the population of London by 1625?

Answer 10

It had risen above 200,000.

Question 11

What was the population of London by 1688?

Answer 11

500,000 - it was on the verge of becoming the largest city in Europe.

Question 12

The growth of London was significant for many aspects of national life, including:

Answer 12

• Government
• Finance
• Industry
• Culture

Question 13

What was London’s growth partly due to?

Answer 13

People moving there from the rest of England and from Europe.

Question 14

What were the next largest English towns, ranging in population from 10,000 to 30,000

Answer 14

• Norwich - an important centre of the cloth trade
• Bristol - a thriving port
• Newcastle - the hub of a growing coal industry
• York
• Exeter