The population grew and grew.
Christie’s/Wikimedia Commons
Christie’s/Wikimedia Commons
Needless to say, the population of the British Empire as a whole grew as Britain continued to add new territories — but even back at home, Britain’s numbers were continually swelling.
The population of the United Kingdom doubled between 1801 and 1871, with large numbers of Irish people moving to England to escape the potato famine. Migration went the other way as well, with vast numbers of people leaving the Old World to seek a better life in North America.