Courses / Module

The ‘new’ sciences of political economy and statistical inquiry that were embraced in nineteenth century Britain and Ireland resulted in a flood of investigations and reports of huge value to the historian. Private individuals, statistical societies, and above all parliament itself conducted numerous inquiries into areas urgently needing attention or reform, or with the potential for economic development. This module will explore this huge investment in surveys and surveying across both Britain and Ireland, what one commentator described as ‘the knowledge of the present state of a country with a view to its future improvement … resting not on visionary theory but on the sure basis of investigation and experiment’ (William Shaw Mason).