Perim Island

Perim Census 1891 & 1901

 

Details of the 1891 census are taken from two tables of statistics; one by religion but not by race of those resident on Perim and the other by religion and race but including those on ships in Perim harbour on census day.

 

From the total for 1891 one must exclude the 359 on ships in Perim harbour. These included 262 Christians, most of whom were presumably Europeans. As regards Eurasians it is likely that both were resident. Since there were 8 Native Christians in 1881 and there would be 14 in 1901, an estimate of 11 in 1891 would give a total of about 22 male Europeans as being resident on Perim in 1891.

 

The census statistics also provide details of the number of occupied houses. In 1891 there were 209, distributed and occupied as follows:

 

Thus the military detachment was Hindu; the two houses by the harbour were those of the commissariat agent and the engineer, together with their servants.  A comparison between the census of 1891 and the next census in 1901 is given in the next Table. It is not clear if the figures include children under 12, but on the available evidence it is likely that they were excluded.