Two households in Coundon, County Durham

Explore the census entries for two households living in Coundon in County Durham in 1851. Compare their places of birth, their relations to the head of household and occupations by selecting the different features. Discover how to interpret this information and what the data can reveal.

	John Cooper head married 44   potter Derbyshire, Chesterfield Charlotte Cooper wife married 39   Derbyshire, Dronfield Edward Cooper dau 11   Yorkshire, Bradford George Cooper son 10   scholar Yorkshire, Leeds Louisa Cooper dau 7   Durham, Thickley Charles Cooper son 5   Durham, Coundon Mary Jane Cooper dau 3   Durham, Coundon Charlotte Cooper dau 1   at home Durham, Coundon Henry Kay brother unmarr 15   house servant Derbyshire, Chesterfield William Hardy visitor widower 55   late potter Derbyshire, Chesterfield John Sproats lodger unmarr 24   carrier Durham, St Andrew Auckland Henry Sanderson servant unmarr 28   basket maker Yorkshire, Great Driffield
	Occupation The census evidence gives useful detail about the workforce. John Cooper is described as a potter, even though he actually owned the works. Others recorded on the 1851 census are recorded as 'potmaker', telling us they were people who made the pots, turning them on the wheel or using moulds for ornamental pieces - the term 'thrower' is also found. Others were 'pot finishers' who applied the decoration and glaze, or simply labourers who heaved and carried the clay and finished pots.
	Looking closer The census shows that quite a few people were described as 'potter', 'potmaker' and similar descriptions. We see similar divisions of labour in other industries - several terms are used for those in coal-mining such as 'screen boy', who sorted the coal after it had been raised to the surface. Many other types of jobs are mentioned, for Coundon was a place with several different industries as well as service trades. There were 'pottery families' - generally these were quite distinct from mining families, and this might suggest that fathers found worked for their children in the pottery and maybe even passed on their skills. Trade directories can reveal more about the industrial profile of an area. Note also that the Cooper son, George, is unusual for this village because he is described as a 'scholar'. It would have been unusual for any child to receive schooling at this time as education was not compulsory before 1870.