London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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The population for each ward has been calculated on the assumption that the rise or fall in
the last intercensal period has continued at a slightly reduced rate.
Marriages.—The marriages celebrated during the year numbered 1,690. The number of
marriages celebrated annually and the annual marriage rate since 1856 were given in the annual
report for 1908, Appendix II., Table A, page 60.
Births. —The number of births registered in the district was 3,173, but this figure does not
include 162 infants born of Kensington mothers in Queen Charlotte's Lying-in Hospital and other
institutions beyond the Borough The total number of births belonging to the Borough was,
therefore, 3,335. The birth-rate expressed as the number of births per 1,000 of the population was
19.4 Arranged as to sex and legitimacy the births were as follows:—
Male.
Female.
Total.
Legitimate 1,608 1,564 3,172
Illegitimate 81 82 163
Total 1,689 1,646 3,335
Still births are not registered and are therefore not included in the above figures.
The following Table shows the number of births and the birth-rate in North and South Kensington and in the several Wards, after distribution of the births at the Borough Infirmary, Queen Charlotte's Hospital, and other Institutions.
| Total Births. | Birth-rate per 1,000 of the Population. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Kensington | 2,411 | 27 | ||
| South Kensington | 924 | 11 | ||
| St. Charles | 688 | 30 | ||
| Golborne | 830 | 33 | ||
| Norland | 609 | 29 | ||
| Pembridge | 284 | 15 | ||
| Holland | 250 | 12 | ||
| Earl's Court | 211 | 12 | ||
| Queen's Gate | 104 | 7 | ||
| Redcliffe | 237 | 12 | ||
| Brompton | 122 | 10 | ||
| The Borough | 3,335 | 19 | ||
The effects of social status on the birth-rate are illustrated by the fact that the rate for South
Kensington is less than half the rate for North Kensington, whilst the birth-rate for Golborne Ward
in the North is more than four times as great as the rate for the Ward of Queen's Gate in the
South. To a certain extent this wide discrepancy is no doubt due to differences in the numbers of
married women of child-bearing age in the districts compared.