ABSTRACT
Gregory King's estimate of the population of England and Wales is the first upon which any reliance can be placed; it was probably an over-estimate, but the computation was extraordinarily accurate considering the meagreness of the data upon which it was based. The general opinion is that the population of England and Wales increased, though but slowly, during the 17th century. An alteration in the rate of growth of the population is due to an alteration in the birth rate, in the death rate and in the migration rate. The problem as to which of these is mainly operative is complicated by the fact that a growth of population from any cause will alter the age composition and possibly the sex composition of that population and that this will react on the crude marriage, birth and death rates. In a rapidly growing population a change in the crude rates is an imperfect indication of a change in the corrected rates.
