1911 Census for Armenians in Calcutta

I always like discovering "new" snippets of information regarding Armenians in India. Recently, whilst browsing Alien documents at the NA Kew I found this small but important gem.

A British Government official confirming that there were 815 Armenians in Calcutta at the time of the British 1911 Census.

1911 Census for Armenians in Calcutta

Just take a moment. This has NEVER been released before. Analysis of the 1911 Census in India does not show Armenians as a separate group (unlike Parsi's who are listed separately) but rather they are part of the "Christian" group analysis.

This is a significant statistical find for the Armenian population of Calcutta and it is brought to your attention here first.

All I need to do now is find the actual Census returns, and we're laughing 😊

Armenians in Calcutta, True Population: Snapshot View of the Early 19th Century

Have you ever wondered about the number of Armenians who lived in Calcutta during the 19th century? 

Many people think it was actually more than just a few hundred. In fact it can be seen from these figures, that it really was only just a few hundred. 

Originally extracted from the Armenian Church Registers of the Holy Nazareth Church Calcutta, this snapshot gives a far more realistic picture of the Armenian minority community of the city. Compiled from the Statistics of the Colonies of the British Empire, 1839.

In 1814 there were 464 Armenians in Calcutta
In 1815 there were 480 Armenians in Calcutta
In 1836 there were 505 Armenians in Calcutta