Census Returns
Understandable genealogy services
Census returns are particularly valuable as they record information on all members of a family in residence at that time, this may show the parents but also children and sometimes aunts, uncles or even grandparents. The information obtained from census returns and birth, marriage and death certificates can often lead researchers to earlier records of the family.
The censes started in 1801, but for genealogical purposes, the first useful census occurred in 1841. There is a 100-year privacy rule for UK censes, so the last available census is the 1901 return. Through a quirk of the law, and now the the 1911 census is available, but but the website is not yet stable enough to guarantee access!
The censes were held every ten years, and recorded the location of all people in the UK over the night of the census and recorded as the location as of midnight on the Sunday. These dates are as follows:
- 6th June 1841
- 30th March 1851
- 7th April 1861
- 2nd April 1871
- 3rd April 1881
- 5th April 1891
- 31st March 1901
- 2nd April 1911 (available now in part)
- 19th June 1921 (available 2022)
- 26th April 1931 (destroyed by fire in WWII)
- 29th September 1939 - ID cards (except service personnel - not covered by the census act, so it is unsure if and when this will be released)
- 1941 - no census due to war
- 8th April 1951 (available 2052)
- 23rd April 1961 (available 2062)
- 25th April 1971 (available 2072)
- 5th April 1981 (available 2082)
- 21st April 1991 (available 2092)
- 29th April 2001 (available 2102)
- 2011 census is said to be the last census
The 1841 Census
In 1841, information was limited to a list of the households, addresses were not all that common in rural areas, and there was no idea of the relationship between the people listed. 1841 was the first time that the head of each household was given a form to fill in on behalf of everyone in the dwelling on a set day. This system still forms the basis of the method used today.
The census taken on the night of 6th June 1841 gave the total population of Great Britain as 18,534,332.
1 - Town and Parish
This shows you where the census was taken. It can be confusing in larger towns and cities, where the parish appears more important than the town name.
2 - Address
Addresses can be limited to the village or town name, or to a local derivation of it, for example - 'Chapel End'.
3 - Name
The first and surname of the person - different spellings are possible even within the same family. An enumerator would write the details in, so the handwriting should be consistent throughout the page (if somewhat illegible), and they would interpret names as they felt it should be spelt if the person didn't know. Wives often responded to the enumerator, so if the couple weren't married the woman's surname could appear as the family name. There are no "original census records". What were called "Household Schedules" were delivered to each household a few days before the census date, a person called an Enumerator then collected the schedules in the days after the census date. What we are left with are the census returns, the Enumerator's interpretation of what the householder wrote on those schedules.
4 - Age
Self explanatory, and split between male and female, which does help if names are unclear. Their ages had to be the exact age for children up to 15, but confusingly ages over 15 were rounded down to the nearest 5 years so people could be conveniently recorded in "age bands" for statistical purposes. For example, a person recorded as 30 years old could be either 30, 31, 32, 33 or 34!
NOTE: Thus if someone is recorded with an age of 2, their birth year will be shown as 1879. The 1881 census was taken on the evening of Sunday 3rd April 1881. People born between 1 January 1879 and 3 April 1879 will be aged 2 and will have their birth year shown correctly.
5 - Occupation
It was normally only male entries and single women (often just servants) who had occupations listed.
6 - Born in the county
The 1841 census fails us in telling us where people were born, except that the were (or not) born in the county where they lived on the 6th June. It provides a guide, and if the person survived to 1851, the data improves. Marriages and deaths cloud your research. The answer was either yes "Y" or no "N", or "S" for Scotland, "I" for Ireland or "F" for a foreign country.
7 - Source citation
This is the record number, comprising of the following:
- Class which is always HO107 for 1841
- Piece - At some point in the enumeration process the returns were organised into distinct County groups. And a number of Enumeration Books were gathered into "Pieces". Unused leaves of the books were discarded
- Book - This is the enumerator's book
- Civil Parish - This is the parish for the census
- County - The county for this census
- Enumeration District - Self explanatory
- Folio - A folio is either a leaf of the enumerator's book, or it is the two pages that can be viewed side by side in the open enumerator's book
- Page - Self explanatory
- GSU roll - Copyright reference for the film of the page
The 1851 Census
The 1851 census is similar to the 1841 return, but with more information available, including the relationship to the head of the household (4), marital status (5) and place of birth (8). In true, uncompassionate Victorian style, there is also a column for recording whether the person is Deaf, Dumb or Blind (9).
The census taken on the night of 30 March 1851 gave the total population of Great Britain as 20,816,351.
The 1861 Census
In addition to the information recorded in 1851, the 1861 census also noted whether properties were uninhabited (3).
The census taken on the night of 7 April 1861 gave the total population of Great Britain as 23,128,518.
The 1871 Census
There is no difference between the 1861 and 1871 census forms. The census taken on the night of 2 April 1871 gave the total population of Great Britain as 26,072,284.
The 1881 Census
The only differences between the previous censes and the 1881 return is the addition of 'lunacy' as one of the disabilities listed in column 9.
The census taken on the night of 3 April 1881 gave the total population of Great Britain as 29,710,012.
The 1891 Census
No changes form previous censes. The census taken on the night of 5 April 1891 gave the total population of Great Britain as 33,028,172.
The 1901 Census
The only difference in this census is the detail of data collected. The 1901 census was taken on 31 March 1901 and gave the population of Great Britain as 36,999,946.
Definition Of Terms Used On Census Returns - England & Wales 1841-1891
Annuitant - The term annuitant could describe someone on an annual allowance as well as someone receiving annual income from an investment. Often however, it was also used for institutionalised pensioners.
Boarder - a person who shares the dinner table with the family.
Lodger - a person who has separate accommodation to the householder.
Lunatic - a mentally ill person with periods of lucidity.
Imbecile - persons who have fallen in later life into a state of chronic dementia.
Idiot - persons who suffer from congenital mental deficiency.
Scholar - from 1861 onwards a child was described as a scholar if he/she was over 5 and receiving daily schooling or regular tuition at home. There was no definition of the latter. In 1871 the census officials in London broke the confidentiality pledge and divulged the names of all children 3-13 and their parents (with addresses) to the London School Board to help enforce compulsory education.
Dressmaker - the occupation of 'dressmaker' was commonly given by prostitutes (!) as well as bona-fide dressmakers. Unmarried women with children are sometimes listed as Widows, with Husband Lost at Sea!
In-Law - terms such as Brother and Brother-in-Law were used interchangeably and somewhat unreliably. Likewise Sister and Sister-in-Law. Step-children are sometimes listed as in-laws.