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- England & Wales, Return of Owners of Land 1873
Records in this collection
- Gibraltar Census 1871-1921
- Scotland, Return of Owners of Land 1873
- 1790 Corfe Castle & District Census
- 1801 Kent, Dartford census
- 1821 Kent, Dartford census
- 1841 England, Wales & Scotland Census
- 1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census
- 1861 England, Wales & Scotland Census
- 1871 England, Wales & Scotland Census
- 1881 England, Wales & Scotland Census
- 1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census
- 1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census
- 1911 England & Wales Census
- 1921 Census Of England & Wales Official Reports
- 1939 Register
- 1939 Register Original Forms
- Boyd's inhabitants of London & family units, 1200-1946
- Caribbean Association Oath Rolls, 1696
- Cheshire Electoral Registers
- Cheshire Land Tax Assessments 1786-1832
- City of York deeds registers 1718-1866
- Devon, Plymouth & West Devon Electoral Registers 1780-1973
- Devon, Plymouth & West Devon Land Tax and Valuation Records 1897-1949
- England & Wales, Return of Owners of Land 1873
- England, Pollbooks and Directories 1830-1837
- Jersey, 1788 St Lawrence Parish Inhabitants
- Kent, Bromley Absent Voters List 1918
- Known missing places from 1939 Register
- London, Lambeth Electoral Registers 1832-1886
- London, Westminster Marylebone Census 1821 & 1831
- Middlesex Protestation Returns 1641-42
- Norfolk Electoral Registers 1832-1915
- Northamptonshire Freeholders 1795-1797
- Northamptonshire Hearth Tax, 1674
- Rate Books
- Scotland, Berwickshire, Ladykirk Heads of Household 1811
- Scotland, Edinburgh St Cuthbert's Census 1790
- Scotland, Forfarshire (Angus), Dundee Poor Relief Assessments 1822-1839
- Scotland, Perthshire, Inhabitants of the Burgh of Perth 1766
- Scotland, Scottish Catholics and their Children 1701-1705
- Scotland, Shetland, Tingwall List of Inhabitants 1785
- Scotland, Wigtownshire & Minnigaff Parish Lists 1684
- UK Electoral Registers & Companies House Directors 2002-2020
- Wales, Monmouthshire Electoral Registers 1832-1889
- Wales, Monmouthshire Electoral Registers 1839-1889
- Westminster Roman Catholic Census 1893
- Wiltshire Tithe Award Register 1813-1882
Find your ancestors in England & Wales, Return of Owners of Land 1873
What can these records tell me?
Known as the ‘Modern Domesday’, the Return of Owners of Land was the first comprehensive and complete picture of land ownership and distribution across England & Wales, Scotland, and Ireland since 1086.
You can find in the records -
- Name
- Address (will be the owner’s home address, rather than the address of the land in that county)
- Where your ancestor owned land
- Size of land own in that county (measured in acres, rods, and perches)
- Value of land (gross estimated rental value)
Discover more about these records
Following the Second Reform Bill and the election of the Liberal party under William Gladstone, more questions were being asked by politicians and the electorate over the unfair distribution and use of land in the UK including the rise in rent prices resulting in the increased wealth of landowners. John Bright, MP for Birmingham, argued that, fewer than 150 men owned half the land in England.
The assertions made by the Liberal government and MPs were challenged by the landowners including Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby, who demanded that, instead of throwing around wild speculations, a comprehensive survey be carried out of the UK to ascertain the number of landowners, as well as the amount of land owned and its value.
This was agreed by the government, and in 1872, instructions were delivered to local parishes as to how to carry out the return. Local officials used parish records and valuation lists for tax and poor rates to compile the returns for each county. In England and Wales, London was excluded from this survey. Once returns were made they were returned to the government and published – England & Wales in 1875, Scotland in 1874, and Ireland in 1876.
The Returns were sold to the public and, despite being published for political reasons, became sought after reading for society. Subsequent editions were published with corrections and edits.