British Peerage

Date:
1958-1969
Reference:
SA/PIC/F/12
Part of:
Population Investigation Committee
  • Archives and manuscripts
  • Online

Available online

Access conditions

Works in this archive created by or for the Population Investigation Committee are available under a CC-BY licence. Please be aware that works in this archive created by other organisations and individuals are not covered under this licence, and you should obtain any necessary permissions before copying or adapting any such works.

In copyright

It is possible this item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You may be able to use this digital item under a copyright exception, otherwise you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). These may be identified elsewhere in the catalogue record. Read more about copyright.

Read further guidance on copyright exceptions in the UK.

Credit

British Peerage. In copyright. Source: Wellcome Collection.

About this work

Description

Papers and correspondence relating to research and the publication of the study of the Demography of the British Peerage by Thomas H. Hollingsworth, 15 Jan 1958 - 6 Aug 1969. Includes tabulated statistics, draft appendices for publication, press cuttings relating to the study, peerage and Thomas Hollingsworth, proposal to publish study as a supplement to Population Studies, and book reviews. Also includes the application of the Population Investigation Committee to the Rockefeller Foundation for funding, 1960.

Publication/Creation

1958-1969

Physical description

1 file (in 2 parts)

Biographical note

Research into the British Peerage is first mentioned in the Annual Report of the PIC for 1959-1960. An attempt to contribute knowledge to the field was at the suggestion of the PIC by Thomas Henry Hollingsworth, who had previously carried out a study of the demography of British Ducal families. This previous research was limited and no real pin-pointing of change could be done. As a result, the Committee initiated a full scale study in 1959. It was financed by a Senior Sociological Scholarship awarded to Hollingsworth by the Nuffield Foundation, $10000 granted to the Committee by the Rockefeller Foundation, and £1000 from the Eugenics Society.

Initially the inquiry was to cover the whole of the peerage from Dukes to Barons, with legitimate children of all peers dying between 1603-1901. It was estimated that the total number of individuals would be 35,000. However the result was much smaller. In 1961 it was decided to extend the study to include the legitimate children of all peers dying up to 1938. The result of the research was published as a supplement in Population Studies in Nov 1964.

Where to find it

  • LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores

Permanent link