In 1801 Escomb parish was still a small rural community covering a larger area than it does today, as it included the areas of Woodside and Witton Park. The rapid expansion of the population as seen bwelow was due mainly to the coming of the railway line through the village, the opening of the coalmine in Escomb by H.Stobart and partners in the 1830s and the opening of the Ironworks in 1846 in Witton Park by Bolckow and Vaughan.

The Revd Henry Atkinson became the first resident vicar for many centuries when a vicarage was built on top of the hill in 1848. Bishop Maltby purchased the land and £300 for the house was granted from the Maltby Fund. In 1861, in his 4 yearly survey report to the Bishop, the vicar  pleaded that the Saxon church was far too small for the needs of the growing population. A new church, St. John’s seating 250, was built opposite the vicarage in 1863 at a cost of £1,100. A cemetery of 2 acres was enlarged to 3 acres in 1892. In 1869 Witton Park became a separate district, later parish, and St. Paul’s church (1877) was built from public subscriptions.

Escomb chapelry income in 1853 was £90 and was increased by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and other sources to £204. In 1858 income of the living was £220 rising to £300 by 1879. As the population decreased the income shrank. In 1902 it was worth £275 p.a.

Population Records

 Occupation Records for the first half of 19^th Century