The population of this mountainous area of the heart of Breconshire changed throughout the Victorian period as people moved about to earn a living.
While the town of Brecon changed to exploit the opportunities offered by the canal and the railway, many of the poorest people working in the remoter areas moved out of Breconshire altogether.

Information about the local population was recorded in the censuses which were taken every ten years.
Men were employed to travel round the district recording who lived in which house and what they did. The population figures are taken from these records.

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