They began by making an elaborate census of all the poor in the city. They give the name, age, occupation and dwelling of every man, woman and child of the poorer classes. They stated whether they received alms or not, and they sent a small number away from the city or to the House of Correction. The greater number they classified as "able to work," "not able to work," and "indifferent." Most of these poor people were able to work and very few altogether incapable[225]. There were nearly four hundred men, more than eight hundred women, and almost a thousand children thus enumerated. The men belonged to every kind of trade, there were many weavers, tailors, carpenters and glaziers. The women more often than not spun white warp. With regard to the children it is astonishing how often the little boys of seven and eight go to school[226] and sometimes also the little girls. Children of six are often reported to be "idle[227]." We shall have many other proofs of the fact that some attention to popular education was not a creation of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but that it was fairly general during the days of good Queen Bess and the first half of the seventeenth century. Work was however begun sometimes by very young children, especially by the girls. For example, Gifferne Potterne a "cordiner and in worke and Anne his wife that botcheth" had three daughters, the eldest was nine years old and span, while the others went to school: two of the youngest workers were two daughters of Christobell Roll, "the eldiste of the age of seven yeres," these packed wool. There are many other entries of the same kind that show that the children began to work when they were nine or ten or younger still. [225] Thus in Middle Wymer the classification was as follows:-- Indifferent Able to work Not able to work Men 20 50 14 Women 32 89 13 Children 58 52 69 In other districts a few were ordered to depart and one or two were described as disreputable. [226] Thus Richard Smith has one sonne "that goe to scole at times." See Appendix. [227] Thus the following is a fairly typical entry concerning a man belonging to the parish of St John's on the Hill in the ward of "Bearestrete": In Nichols | Roger Mason of the age of 56 yeres tailor that worketh, and fleman's | Elizabeth, his wyfe, of the age of 38 yeres that spins white house | warpe and one daughter of the age of 6 yeres that is idle; he iii^d a weke| hath dwelt here 32 yeres. indiff. | See also Appendix where the part of the census relating to St Peter's of Southgate is printed.