Socially and economically, the Baldons in the 1800s were radically different from today.
Property - Almost all the property, both land and buildings, were in the hands of two landlords – the Willoughby family (mostly Marsh) and The Queen’s College, Oxford (mostly Toot). Smaller amounts of property were owned by the Harcourt family and the church. Virtually none of the people who lived and worked here owned any “real estate”.
Voting - Until the 1880’s, only a handful of men (only men) were able to vote for their MP. In 1874 there were just six eligible voters in Marsh and five in Toot.
Employment - The vast majority of work was directly related to agriculture, the most common occupation amongst adult males being agricultural labourer.
Mobility - most people born in the Baldons spent the majority of their lives in the Baldons, married somebody from or near to the Baldons and were buried in the Baldons.
Trades - Because most people rarely travelled outside the Baldons there were several local businesses and shops, none of which any longer exist.
Poverty - most people were poor, some very poor. The typical wage for an agricultural labourer was about 9 shillings per week, equivalent to about £80 today, which had to support their (often large) family. Most women had no paid employment. The 1851 census, for example, defines several people as "pauper" implying that person was receiving relief from the parish or Poor Law Union.
Childhood Mortality - was high and seemed to be accepted as inevitable. For example, there were five burials in Toot Baldon in 1885, three were of children under 18 months old. The vicar, James Ross, who kept extensive notes, did not record that this was exceptional nor unexpected.
Church - Everybody was expected to attend church and those who didn’t, at least in the early part of the century, were reported by the Church Wardens, through their “presentments”, to the church authorities.