1873 Dalton Landowners in England & Wales

In 1872 the House of Lords requested that "Her Majesty's Government undertake to take any steps for ascertaining accurately the number of proprietors of land and houses in the United Kingdom, with the quantity of land owned by each proprietor. They all knew that out-of-doors there was from time to time a great outcry raised about what was called the monopoly of land, and, in support of that cry, the wildest and most reckless exaggerations and mis-statements of fact were uttered as to the number of persons who were the actual owners of the soil. It had been said again and again that, according to the Census of 1861, there were in the United Kingdom not more than 30,000 landowners; and though it had been repeatedly shown that this estimate arose from a misreading of the figures contained in the Census returns, the statement was continually reproduced, just as though its accuracy had never been disputed."

The report was published in 1875, and exclusive of the London Metropolis, provides:
1. The number and names of owners of land of one acre and upwards, whether built upon or not, in each County, with the estimated acreage and annual gross estimated rental of the property belonging to each owner.
2. The number of owners of land, whether built upon or not, of less than one acre, with the estimated aggregate acreage and the aggregate gross estimated rental of the lands of such owners.
3. The estimated extent of commons and waste lands in each County.

Our appreciation is extended to DGS Member Mike Dalton of Oregon for his extraction of the Dalton surname data from these sources: Return of Owners of Land 1873, Volume I and Volume II.

As with all data, it is the onus of the user to verify.

If you have researched your Dalton family and wish to contribute your data to the Bank, it will be most welcome.  Contact for more information on how to submit your data.

This page was added 15 December, 2011