Today Sheffield ranks among England’s largest cities but before the nineteenth century it was a modest market town. In 1801 the population of the parish was 45,755. Over the next ninety years it increased by over 700% and in 1891 there were 324,243 people living in Sheffield. The town was granted borough status in 1843 and received its city charter in 1893. A series of expansions followed during the twentieth century and since 1974 Sheffield has covered an area of 90,787 acres. Its population today is well over half a million.
The following content is accessible to Society members only. Why not join us?