PARISH OF ST NINIANS.

PRESBYTERY OF STIRLING SYNOD OF PERTH AND STIRLING.

III.-POPULATION.

In the former Statistical Account, the population, in 1755, is stated, on the authority of Dr Webster, to have been 6491. The session registers show the , average number of births in the parish for that period to be 19 per annum. Assuming the record to exhibit the total amount of births, and there is reason to believe that it does so very nearly, this will give one birth to 34 inhabitants. Applying this principle to the earliest period to which the registers extend, the population appears to have been,

In 1645, 4760

In 1745, 5916

Taking the number of marriages at the, present day, and cormparing them with the present population, both of which elements are ascertained with the utmost exactness, and assuming the ratio to, have, been the Same at the periods specified above, the very same results are obtained. A similar calculation proves Dr Websters estimate of the population to have been very near the truth.

Population in 1792, 7079

1801, 6849

1811, 7636

1821, 8274

1831, 9552 males, 4658; female, 4894.

The population is believed to be still increasing, and the increase may be mainly attributed to the extension of trade and manufactures.

Population in villages in 1831, 5687

in the country, 3865

The record of births is so imperfectly kept, that the yearly average cannot be ascertained. No record or deaths kept.

.
The yearly average of marriages for the last seven years is 78.36
In 1831, there were of males above 20 years of age, 2301
under 20 , 2357

In 183I, the number of capitalists, professional and other educated men, was 86
Number of proprietors of land of the yearly value of L.50 and upwards, 50
Of these 20 are residenters.
Number of families in 1831, 20 2055
employed in agriculture, 4 478
trade and manufactures, 897
others, 6 680
Number of inhabited houses in 1831, 1706
houses uninhabited 81
building10

By the recent census, the population of this parish amounts 10,234 -increase from 1831, 684. Of these, however, more than 2000 including the village of St Ninians itself, are comprehended in the Parliamentary burgh of Stirling, so that we cannot enter into the same minute detail as at the former enumeration.