The UK Census

Pre and Post 1841

1801Information was collected on a parish basis and there were no details on households.

Forms for recording the information were distributed to each parish where the overseers of the poor, 'substantial landholders' and local clergy all had a responsibility to collect specific types of data.

Once the statistics had been collected, they were sworn before the local Justice of the Peace and eventually sent to the Home Office. The results were then collated and laid before Parliament.

1801

They were to provide information on: the number of inhabited and uninhabited houses in the parish how many families occupied them the number of people in the parish their employment numbers of baptisms, burials and marriages.

Date: 10 March 1801

Population: 8.9 million

William Pitt. The younger, PM 1801

1811

In 1811, the enumerators were asked to give more information about the reasons houses were unoccupied, so that the prosperity of the district could be more accurately gauged.

Date: 27 May 1811

Population: 12.6 million

Spencer Perceval, PM in 1811

1821

In 1821 a question relating to age was asked, in order to assess numbers of men able to bear arms, and to improve the tables on which life assurance was based.

Date: 28 May 1821

Population: 14.4 million

Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, PM in 1821

1831

More detailed questions on occupations from 1831 provided the government with economic information.

Some enumerators did record names. A very few examples survive.

Date: 30 May 1831

Population: 16.54 million

Earl Charles Grey, PM in 1831

1841

The first UK census of use to family historians. Ages and places of birth not accurate. Ages were rounded down to the nearest five years for over 15s. Places were not recorded only whether born in this county or not. Written in pencil many images are faded.

Date: 7 June 1841

Population: 15.9 million

Sir Robert Peel, PM in 1841

1851

This was the first to record the full details of birth location for individuals and states the county and parish or town of birth as well.

This was to give the rate and intensity of migration from rural to urban areas. The results confirmed there had been a significant shift from the countryside to the towns.

The 1851 census was the first to record each person's marital status and relationship to the head of the household.

1851

It also recorded details of disability - "blind, deaf or imbecile".

Each individual's exact age was also recorded (to the nearest year) rather than rounding adult ages down to the nearest five years.

Much greater detail was asked about people's occupations than in previous censuses. This enabled government analysis of occupations into "classes" and "sub-classes".

1851

The Government also conducted a census of attendance at religious services on 30 March 1851, as part of the project.

Date: 30 March 1831

Population: 17.9 million

The Great Exhibition 1851

1861

Now included relationship to the head of family, marital status, details of place of birth, and whether the person was blind, deaf, dumb.

Date: 7 April 1861

Population: 20.1 million

1871Disabilities such as whether the individual was imbecile, idiot or lunatic were added.

Date: 2 April 1871 Population: 21.3 million

1881

Date: 3 April 1881 Population: 25.9 million

1891It asked people whether they were employers, employees or neither.

Date: 5 April 1891 Population: 29 million

1901Included the number of rooms in the dwelling.

Date: 31 March 1901 Population: 32.5 million

1911

The most recent we have access to and we can see the actual household schedule in the head of household’s hand.

Date: 2 April 1911

Population: 36 million

Herbert H Asquith, PM in 1911

1921This will not be made available to the public until Jan 2022. It had been originally planned that the census would be taken on the night of 24th April 1921 but this was delayed because of strikes. Extra questions asked included • whether a marriage has been dissolved by divorce • where each person works • the industry within which someone works

Date: 19 June 1921

Population: 37.9 million

1931Destroyed by fire in 1942.

Date: 26 April 1931 Population: 40 million

1941WAS NEVER TAKEN DUE TO WORLD WAR TWO.

Census Jargon Buster

Ditto, do, “ = the same as above.

Abbreviated names = First and middle names may be shortened to ‘WM’ for William, ‘Chas’ for Charles, ‘Jas’ for James, Elizth’ for Elizabeth.

Occupational abbreviations = ‘Ag Lab’ for agricultural labourer, ‘FS’ for female servant. ‘dom serv’ for domestic servant.

Census Jargon Buster

Slash marks = double slash (//) indicate the end of one property. A single slash is a separate household within the same property.

Crossings out = usually marks made when the information was being collated and does NOT mean anything was wrong.

Census search tips:1. Enter as little information as necessary so you do not remove alternatives. Spelling or order of names may vary so be ready to try several.

2. Use variations and wildcards – Wildcards use an asterix to replace letters.

For example Ann* will search for Ann, Anne, Annie; S*mpson will find Simpsonj and Sampson. Using ‘Soundex’ allows for spellings of a word that sound the same – Taylor might also offer Naylor, Gaylor and Tayler.

Census search tips:3. Look for someone else in the family if the one you seek is not showing. This might at least bring up the household you are seeking even if your name is not present.

4. Find the censuses on each side, before and after to ensure you have as much clarity as possible. Check on local directories to find when the family might have moved house.

5. Try other websites to see if they pick up your ancestor better.