Saturday 11 June 2011

Beer output by English region in 1849

Tables. Dontcha just love 'em? I do. Hence this post. Series of  posts, really. Because the tables were to big to fit into one. I'll be doing the whole of the United Kingdom eventually.

First a word on how I've compiled them. I've used the figures for number of bushels of malt used to calculate the number of barrels. I've assumed 2 bushels to one barrel of beer, which averages out at an OG of around 1056º. The figures for volumes I do have are for the whole of the UK. For the year 1849, it was 14,691,734. My guesstimated total for the UK is 14,626,587. Pretty damn close.

There's one thing that jumps right out. The dominance of London breweries. In 1851, the population of London was 2,362,200 and of England 17,932,400. I make that 13.17% of the English population living in London. But, as you'll see from the table below, London brewers were responsible for 23.14% of English beer output.

That situation was to change. As Porter fell out of fashion in the second half of the 19th century and Burton  became the centre of brewing fro the new, trendy Pale Ale. I wish I knew which collection Burton fell under. Stafford would be my guess, as Burton is in the county of Staffordshire.

Second behind London is Manchester. But it's an awfully long way behind, at just 3.61%. Though its population was just 303,400 or 1.69% of the UK population.

Anyway, here's the table for your delectation, fascination and erudition. And any other tions you fancy.


Estimated beer output in England, year ending October 1849
Collections Bushels of malt consumed  estimated output (barrels) % of output
Barnstaple 158,281 79,140.5 0.58%
Bath 679,127 339,563.5 2.50%
Bedford 399,513 199,756.5 1.47%
Bristol 461,372 230,686.0 1.70%
Cambridge 624,064 312,032.0 2.30%
Canterbury 310,169 155,084.5 1.14%
Chester 221,332 110,666.0 0.81%
Cornwall 154,368 77,184.0 0.57%
Coventry 542,648 271,324.0 2.00%
Cumberland 195,148 97,574.0 0.72%
Derby 564,541 282,270.5 2.08%
Dorset 259,871 129,935.5 0.96%
Durham 247,514 123,757.0 0.91%
Essex 286,576 143,288.0 1.05%
Exeter 240,101 120,050.5 0.88%
Gloucester 345,719 172,859.5 1.27%
Grantham 385,106 192,553.0 1.42%
Halifax 488,975 244,487.5 1.80%
Hants 433,576 216,788.0 1.60%
Hereford 113,781 56,890.5 0.42%
Hartford 554,992 277,496.0 2.04%
Hull 208,463 104,231.5 0.77%
Isle of Wight 463,658 231,829.0 1.71%
Lancaster 507,852 253,926.0 1.87%
Leeds 615,724 307,862.0 2.27%
Lichfield 305,345 152,672.5 1.12%
Lincoln 306,665 153,332.5 1.13%
Liverpool 763,123 381,561.5 2.81%
London 6,289,908 3,144,954.0 23.14%
Lynn 640,092 320,046.0 2.36%
Manchester 979,907 489,953.5 3.61%
Newcastle 404,183 202,091.5 1.49%
Northampton 325,441 162,720.5 1.20%
Northwich 392,040 196,020.0 1.44%
Norwich 372,053 186,026.5 1.37%
Oxford 337,695 168,847.5 1.24%
Plymouth 345,250 172,625.0 1.27%
Reading 496,466 248,233.0 1.83%
Rochester 443,088 221,544.0 1.63%
Salisbury 297,956 148,978.0 1.10%
Salop 266,350 133,175.0 0.98%
Sheffield 492,019 246,009.5 1.81%
Stafford 638,268 319,134.0 2.35%
Stourbridge 799,499 399,749.5 2.94%
Suffolk 328,776 164,388.0 1.21%
Surrey 846,841 423,420.5 3.12%
Sussex 465,762 232,881.0 1.71%
Wales, East 375,006 187,503.0 1.38%
Wales, Middle 91,150 45,575.0 0.34%
Wales, North 151,606 75,803.0 0.56%
Wales, South 112,835 56,417.5 0.42%
Worcester 205,813 102,906.5 0.76%
York 241,106 120,553.0 0.89%
total 27,176,714 13,588,357.0 100.00%
Source:

"Statistics of British commerce" by Braithwaite Poole, 1852, page 4.

More in the next few days. If I don't start wittering on about my Bavarian holiday again.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nothing from Nottingham? I thought that Nottingham was renowned for its beer.

Martyn Cornell said...

Marquis - as I commented on one of Ron's earlier tables excise districts didn't correspond to counties. Nottingham was quite likely included under Derby. Burton was included under Lichfield.

Tim said...

This data is just asking to be made into a map. It would be easy if there is already a map outlining the excise districts.