Great Tosson : Population

The census details show that the population of Great Tosson, Little Tosson and Ryehill oscillated quite dramatically during the course of the 19th century, with 150 inhabitants recorded at the beginning of the century, rising to a peak of 209 in 1841 after an initial slump to 110 in 1821.

A further sharp slump followed, falling as low as 78 by 1861, before partial recovery and then renewed decline towards the end of the century. Despite the wild fluctuations the overall trend was clearly downwards. The reasons for the fluctuations may be related to the state of the agrarian economy and perhaps also the prosperity of Tosson woollen mill.