Home > Local History > English Town Rankings - 1377 (Based on Taxpaying Populations)

Note:

The table is based upon figures compiled by Professor Beresford of the University of Leeds and most of the difficulties discussed for the 1334 table apply to this table also. According to Hoskins, “The local historian will also bear in mind that this is an exceptional period for population statistics, in the middle of half a century of devastating outbreaks of plague which hit different towns with varying force.  Some of the changes in ranking since 1334 would therefore be abnormal, e.g. Newcastle and Great Yarmouth.  In the case of Newcastle the drop was temporary (see the 1523-27 table), but at Great Yarmouth it was a more permanent fall from which there was little or no recovery until about 1600.  It will be noted, too, that where poll-tax assessments or certificates are missing for particular places, it has been necessary to make an estimate of the population in 1377.”

Town history extracts are taken from Wikipedia and are licensed under GFDL