Revealing comment by census enumerator

[familydar]

Whilst chasing after one of my distant dead rellies I came across this:  "Husband in prison.  A very queer lot doubtful how they get their living"

RG12 1031 fol 124 p 10 for anyone who wants to take a look.  Surname NASH but on Ancestry they've been transcribed under the same surname as the couple next door.

Jane :-)

[Maiden Stone]

One 19thC census enumerator or clerk had a low opinion of some Irish people. "Low lodging house" was description for several properties. One of these "low" lodging houses has "pig sty" written next to it.
I cannot judge whether some women were being honest about their occupations or if it was the census enumerators' libellous labels but there were towns and cities containing large numbers of prostitutes while others appeared to have only virtuous women. Properties were marked "brothel". Occupation of keepers of some lodging houses  was "brothel keeper". Some women had a respectable occupation followed by "& prostitute". All inhabitants of some households, even young children of both sexes, were bracketed together and "prostitute" was written alongside.

[Greensleeves]

I was rather shocked to see that the enumerator had written next to my ancestor in the census 'Concubine' as she was living with a man out of wedlock.  But interestingly, in a similar discussion to this elsewhere, I found someone else whose ancestor had also been thus described, and in the same area of the same town.  Which only goes to show that the guy with the job had some kind of axe to grind.

[Maiden Stone]

I was rather shocked to see that the enumerator had written next to my ancestor in the census 'Concubine' as she was living with a man out of wedlock.  But interestingly, in a similar discussion to this elsewhere, I found someone else whose ancestor had also been thus described, and in the same area of the same town.  Which only goes to show that the guy with the job had some kind of axe to grind.

Some early census enumerators were clergymen.

[Greensleeves]

That's interesting, MS - would explain the moralistic response to those 'living in sin'.  Didn't know that before, but thinking about it, it certainly makes sense.

[Maiden Stone]

Schoolteachers too. A census enumerator had to be able to read, write, count and add up.
I know who a census enumerator for part of my village was in 19thC. One of his sons, who I think was a shopkeeper, did a part of it as well. The father was variously a weaver, farmer and later the sub-district registrar. Friends of mine lived in his house in 20thC. I recognised the name when I saw his signature in the census enumerator's book.

[Sloe Gin]

Are you sure that the term 'concubine' wasn't merely used factually?  I don't think it was necessarily pejorative. 

The same could be said for 'prostitute'.  It's not as though he wrote 'harlot' or 'strumpet' - although I bet there are some examples of that too!