over the previous 10 years. The largest decline in population occurred over a timescale of 30 years with a total population 165 people less than the last report 30 years beforehand. The gender ratios have stayed almost consistent since 1801, with the number of males generally 10-20% higher than that of the female residence. Anomalies to this pattern include the year 1801, where the number of males was 111, yet the number of females was nearly half that at 65. The only years where there has been a greater number of female residents are 1881 by a value of 1, and 1951 by a value of 7. The reported area of the parish in acres has expanded with time starting at 1,560 in 1831 and increasing to 1,709 by 1851. By 1891 this changed to a value of 2,182 and since stayed constant through to 1961. Economy Historically, Ashton appears to have primarily been an agriculturally focused area as according to the 1831 census the number of males over 20 in labor based occupation was 41, and the number of males defined under Middling sorts was 27, which covers 76.40% of the overall male population over 20 that was in occupation at the time. At this time, Middling sorts was defined as middle class, normally small scale farmers not employing their own workers or those with the skills of manufacturing or handcrafting. However, since the census data for occupational categories shows us that 57 workers were into agriculture and 15 into handicraft and there has only been records of farmhouses and large areas of farmland on the land of Ashton it is most likely that these middle class workers owned their own farmland. The record of 21 employers and professionals in Ashton in 1831 therefore were most likely upper class land owners employing the laborers to work the land. According to the 1881 census of occupational structure, 72% or 39 out of 54 males were working in agriculture which largely dominated the workforce of Ashton, with the next highest category workers in mineral substances at 5 male workers. For the female occupational structure of Ashton at this time, 76% or 44 out of 58 females were unemployed, with the next highest category being domestic services or offices with 9 female workers. Currently in Ashton according to the 2011 census, the amount of those of working age between 16 and 74