Ingram : Population

The Militia List of 1762 gives a total of 30 men from the parish of Ingram, including Reaveley, Fawdon and Clinch. This is just under half the total of 64 given on the muster roll of 1538.  The occupations of the men recorded in the 1762 list were predominantly associated with farming, as might be expected in this rural district. There were 5 farmers, 10 herdsmen, 7 husbandsmen, 2 shepherds, 1 miller, 1 boulouner, 2 servants and 2 clerks.

The census figures for Ingram Township which included Linhope and Greenside Hill (and later Hartside), show population of the township remained relatively constant throughout the 19th century. 66 persons were recorded, rising to a peak of 92 in 1841 before dipping back to 65 by 1881. The inclusion of Hartside in Ingram Township in the 1880s brought the level up to 82 by 1891, falling only slightly to 77 by the onset of the 20th century. By contrast, the populations of Fawdon and Reaveley, which both very nearly equalled that of Ingram in the early and middle parts of the century, declined significantly towards its end (down to 40 and 50 respectively by 1901) and, moreover, continued to do so in the early part of the following century (down to 27 each by 1931), whereas that of Ingram township remained relatively stable.

Bulmer's directory in 1887 records the school was attended by 36 pupils on average. However the school logbooks make clear just how difficult it could be to achieve such attendance levels in the last decades of the 19th century, in the face of severe winter weather and periodic bouts of sickness. Daily attendance figures as low as 12 and 15 are mentioned in 1890 and 1889, with totals no higher than 25-26 and weekly averages of 14.7 and 19.5 being recorded. In 1910, Kelly's directory stated the school could cater for 50 children, but average attendance was a mere 9 (Kelly 1910, 174).