BRITISH RECORDS

1881 Census

1901 Census

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England and Wales: Census Information

Source: GENUKI.ORG

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There has been a census every ten years since 1801, excluding 1941. However, only those that date from 1841 are of real value to the family historian. The administration of the early census returns 1801-1831 was the responsibility of the Overseers of the Poor and the clergy.

Most of these early returns were unfortunately destroyed, although in some isolated instances they have been preserved. The census returns for 1841 were the first to be kept and, as far as the general public is concerned, the information is released by the Public Record Office after a hundred years. For example, the public were given access to the 1891 census returns on 1 January 1992.

The census was taken on the following dates:

10 Mar 1801 No longer exists, with a few exceptions
27 May 1811 No longer exists, with a few exceptions
28 May 1821 No longer exists, with a few exceptions
30 May 1831 No longer exists, with a few exceptions

7 June 1841 Few local indexes exist - see GENUKI county pages
30 March 1851 Many local indexes exist - see GENUKI county pages
7 April 1861 Few local indexes exist - see GENUKI county pages
2 April 1871 Few local indexes exist - see GENUKI county pages
3 April 1881 National index available online
5 April 1891 Few local indexes exist - see GENUKI county pages
31 March 1901 National index available online

2 April 1911 100 year closure - will be opened 1st January 2012
19 June 1921 100 year closure
26 April 1931 Destroyed during WW2
29 September 1939 WW2 National Registration - 100 year closure
8 April 1951 100 year closure
23 April 1961 100 year closure
25 April 1971 100 year closure
5 April 1981 100 year closure
21 April 1991 100 year closure
29 April 2001 100 year closure

The information recorded on individuals has tended to increase with each census.

The 1841 census was different from the previous censuses in two important respects. Firstly, the administration passed into the hands of the Registrar General and the Superintendant Registrars, who were responsible for the registration of births, marriages and deaths. Many recent reforms, including the 1836 General Registration Act, which had culminated in the introduction of civil registration had resulted in a new layer of central and local government.

When the 1841 census was being prepared, it was seen as a logical step that it should also supervise the census. Consequently, civil registration and census taking became inter-related; any change in local boundaries or districts affected them both.

Secondly, the emphasis changed from questions concerned with population size, and the numbers engaged in certain occupations and the condition of the housing stock, to a much more detailed analysis of individuals and families, and the communities in which they lived.

Census returns are held at:

England and Wales
"Family Records Centre"
1 Myddelton Street
Islington
LONDON EC1R 1UW

District Libraries and County Record Offices
normally have copies of the returns for their own area

LDS
have copies of the census microfilms. These usually need to be ordered unless you are visiting a branch of the LDS in the same area as the returns in which you are interested.

It is advisable before making a trip to a library or record office, to check the exact whereabouts of specific census returns in order to avoid a wasted visit. Also some libraries may have a limited number of viewers and a booking may be necessary.

In 1851, in addition to the census of population a census was taken of places of worship. Although this was purely voluntary, most places of Worship made returns.


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Information Recorded on Each Census

1841 Sunday 6 June
(PRO Class Reference HO107)
Column 1 Place, i.e. address
Column 2 Houses; separate columns for uninhabited or being built and inhabited
Column 3 Names
Column 4 Age; separate columns for males and females
Column 5 Profession, trade, employment or of independant means
Column 6 Where born; whether born in same county (Y or N), whether born in Scotland (S), Ireland (I), or foreign parts (F)
The 1841 census is the first useful genealogical census for England & Wales. You will see that no relationships are given - except occasionally in column 5 where you may see Farmer's Wife or similar. All ages 15 and above should have been rounded down to the nearest 5 year multiple, i.e. ages shown as 15 may be 15-19, ages shown as 20 may be 20-24, etc. Another point to remember for ages is that people often said that they "were in their 60th year" meaning that they had passed their 59th birthday. If a person gave information meaning they were in their 60th year, they will be shown as being 60, whereas strictly keeping to the rules, they should be recorded as 55.

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1851 Sunday 30 March
(PRO Class Reference HO107)
Column 1 No. of schedule, numbered from 1 consecutively per book
Column 2 Name of street, place or road, and name or number of house
Column 3 Name and surname
Column 4 Relationship to head of house
Column 5 Condition; marital status
Column 6 Age; separate columns for males and females
Column 7 Rank, profession or occupation
Column 8 Where born; county/place
Column 9 Whether blind, deaf-and-dumb

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1861 Sunday 7 April
(PRO Class Reference RG9)
Column 1 No. of schedule, numbered from 1 consecutively per book
Column 2 Name of street, place or road, and name or number of house
Column 3 Houses; separate columns for inhabited and uninhabited or being built (entered as 'U' or 'B')
Column 4 Name and surname
Column 5 Relationship to head of family
Column 6 Condition; marital status
Column 7 Age; separate columns for males and females
Column 8 Rank, profession or occupation
Column 9 Where born; county/place
Column 10 Whether blind, deaf-and-dumb

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1871 Sunday 2 April
(PRO Class Reference RG10)
Column 1 No. of schedule, numbered from 1 consecutively per book
Column 2 Name of street, place or road, and name or number of house
Column 3 Houses; separate columns for inhabited and uninhabited or being built
Column 4 Name and surname
Column 5 Relationship to head of family
Column 6 Condition; marital status
Column 7 Age; separate columns for males and females
Column 8 Rank, profession or occupation
Column 9 Where born; county/place
Column 10 Whether 1 - Deaf & dumb, 2 - Blind, 3 - Imbecile or idiot, 4 - Lunatic

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1881 Sunday 3 April
(PRO Class Reference RG11)
Column 1 No. of schedule, numbered from 1 consecutively per book
Column 2 Name of street, place or road, and name or number of house
Column 3 Houses; separate columns for inhabited and uninhabited or being built (entered as 'U' or 'B')
Column 4 Name and surname
Column 5 Relationship to head of family
Column 6 Condition; marital status
Column 7 Age last birthday; separate columns for males and females
Column 8 Rank, profession or occupation
Column 9 Where born; county/place
Column 10 Whether 1 - Deaf & dumb, 2 - Blind, 3 - Imbecile or idiot, 4 - Lunatic

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1891 Sunday 5 April
(PRO Class Reference RG12)
Column 1 No. of schedule, numbered from 1 consecutively per book
Column 2 Name of street, place or road, and name or number of house
Column 3 Houses; separate columns for inhabited and uninhabited or being built (entered as 'U' or 'B')
Column 4 Number of rooms occupied if less than five
Column 5 Name and surname
Column 6 Relationship to head of family
Column 7 Condition; marital status
Column 8 Age last birthday; separate columns for males and females
Column 9 Rank, profession or occupation
Column 10 Employer; 'X' inserted
Column 11 Employed; 'X' inserted
Column 12 Neither employer nor employed; 'X' inserted
Column 13 Where born; county/place
Column 14 Whether 1 - Deaf & dumb, 2 - Blind, 3 - Lunatic, Imbecile or Idiot
In Wales and Monmouthshire only, the household schedules and enumeration books had an extra column for 'Language Spoken' which required either 'English', 'Welsh' or 'Both' to be entered.

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1901 Sunday 31 March
(PRO Class Reference RG13)
Column 1 No. of schedule, numbered from 1 consecutively per book
Column 2 Name of street, place or road, and name or number of house
Column 3-6 Houses; separate columns for inhabited, in occupation, not in occupation, being built
Column 7 Number of rooms occupied if less than five
Column 8 Name and surname of each person
Column 9 Relationship to head of family
Column 10 Condition; marital status
Column 11-12 Age last birthday; separate columns for males and females
Column 13 Profession or occupation
Column 14 Employer, worker, or on own account
Column 15 If working at home
Column 16 Where born; county/place
Column 17 Whether 1 - Deaf & dumb, 2 - Blind, 3 - Lunatic, 4 - Imbecile, feeble-minded
In Wales and Monmouthshire only, the household schedules and enumeration books had an extra column for 'Language Spoken' which required either 'English', 'Welsh' or 'Both' to be entered.

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1911 Sunday ?
(PRO Class Reference ?)
The 1911 census returns are not open for public inspection until January 2012 as they are subject to a 100-year closure rule.


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Abbreviations Used On Census Returns
England & Wales 1841-1891

In the course of copying out their returns, the census enumerators were given permission to use certain abbreviations for occupations. This practice was most extensive in 1841, and gradually diminished thereafter. By 1871 the only abbreviation mentioned was ‘Ag. Lab.’ for agricultural labourer. In 1881 a more general instruction was given - such contractions may be used as ‘ag. lab.’ for agricultural labourer, but care must be taken that the contractions used are such as will be readily understood.


Ag. Lab. ~ Agricultural Labourer (1841-81 Census)

Ap. ~ Apprentice (1841-61 Census)

Army ~ Members of HM land forces of whatever rank (1841 Census)

Cl. ~ Clerk (1841-61 Census)

F.S. ~ Female Servant (1841 Census)

H.P. ~ Members of HM armed forces on half-pay (1841 Census)

Ind. ~ Independent - people living on their own means (1841 Census)

J. ~ Journeyman (1841 Census)

M. ~ Manufacturer (1841 Census)

m. ~ Maker - as in ‘Shoe m.’ (1841 Census)

M.S. ~ Male Servant (1841 Census)

Navy ~ Members of HM naval forces, including marines, of whatever rank (1841 Census)

P. ~ Pensioner in HM armed forces (1841 Census)

Rail. Lab. ~ Railway Labourer (1841 Census)

Serv. ~ Servant (1841 Census)

Sh. ~ Shopman (1841 Census)

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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 institutionalized pensioners.

Boarder ~ a person who shares the dinner table with the family.

Lodger ~ a person who has separate accomodation 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.

In-Law ~ terms such as Brother and Brother-in-Law were used interchangeably and somewhat unreliably. Likewise Sister and Sister-in-Law.

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Some Points To Remember About Census Returns
England & Wales 1841-1891

For the 1881 Census the number of married women apparently outstrips that of married men by 61,064. The discrepency is greatest amongst 'married' women under 20.

Children sometimes had their ages inflated because of the Factory Act and other child labour laws.

Many people gave as their place of birth their earliest remembered place of residence.

One farm labourer, who lived in a shed in the farmer's garden, described his relationship to the head of household as 'friendly'!

Some of the missing census returns:

1841:
Kensington, Paddington, Golden Lane and Whitecross

1851:
Salford and parts of Manchester badly water-damaged. Also all ships' returns.

1861:
Belgravia and Woolwich Arsenal.

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This page was last updated May 31, 2008.