John Rickman (1771-1840)
Rickman’s aim was to make estimates of the population for England & Wales from 1700 onwards using the figures gathered in the 1801 census as a base. He set out his workings in the 1821 census. Some parishes were known to hold registers dating back to 1570 and, in 1836, Rickman wrote to their officiating Ministers requesting that they volunteer the numbers of baptisms, burials and marriages registered at various increments from 1570 onwards. Then, using the numbers gathered in the 1801 census as his start point, Rickman made population estimates of each county at various points from 1570 through to 1750. Unfortunately, he died in 1840, before he had the opportunity of publishing these estimates himself in the 1841 census. However, his findings were forwarded to the General Register Office.