Census Records – A Beginners Guide

If offered the chance to have just one super power, I bet most of us family historians would opt for time travel. We’d happily skip back through the years dropping in on our ancestors for a cup of tea and a catch up.

We could congratulate our three times Great Grandfather on his ever expanding business… We could share in the joy of the birth of our Great Great Aunt Mabel… We could tell that fool Great Uncle Colin just what we think of him for squandering the family fortune.

Unfortunately, in the absence of a genie or a major breakthrough in physics we are unlikely to get the chance to do this.

You’re off the hook Colin.

But there is something we can use to drop in on our ancestors. No tardis required.

I’m talking about the census records…

What Is The Census?

A census is a survey of the population taken every 10 years. On census night the head of every household and institution (e.g. hospitals and prisons) must fill in a questionnaire listing everyone present at the address. In addition to their names occupants are also asked for their age, occupation and place of birth.

The records are collected by the Office for National Statistics who use them to count the population and compile statistics about the way we live. Its main purpose is to help the government plan for public services, such as hospitals and schools.

For us it’s a chance to peer through the window of our ancestor’s home every ten years and see how the last decade has treated them.

So how far back can we go?

The History Of The Census

The first census for England and Wales was taken back in 1801. At the time there were concerns about privacy and so names and ages were not recorded. This census simply provided a head count of the nation and revealed a population of 9 million.

The next three censuses of 1811, 1821 and 1831 were carried out in a similar way and therefore aren’t much use to us family historians. Fortunately, it was decided that the 1841 census should record more details.

In 1841 the heads of each household submitted the names, gender, ages (rounded down to the nearest 5 for anyone over 15) and occupations of all persons present at the address.

Occupants were also asked if they were born in their current county of residence or in “Scotland, Ireland or Foreign Parts”.

From 1851 onwards the information provided gets even more useful to us. The relationship of each member of the household to the head (e.g. wife, daughter, son etc) is recorded. So we’ve potentially got evidence confirming the names of our ancestors’ parents and siblings if we find them.

Ages of adults were no longer rounded down to the nearest five. And instead of a yes or no answer about whether someone was born in their current county of residence or not, their place of birth was simply requested instead.

This means we can now more accurately pinpoint an ancestor’s likely time and place of birth, allowing us to try and locate a birth certificate or baptism record.

Also included is marital status and whether blind, deaf of dumb.

From 1871 onwards questions were added relating to the mental health of citizens, asking if anyone in the household was a lunatic, imbecile or idiot (later changed to feeble-minded).

Living Conditions

The 1891 census provides more information about our forebear’s abode, requesting them to state how many rooms of a house they occupied if less than five. The 1901 census went one step further and simply asked how many rooms there were in a dwelling.

Overcrowding was a major problem in the poorest inner city areas during the Victorian era. You can often find examples of large families occupying just 2 or 3 rooms. Were your ancestors living in these conditions? Or were they one of the lucky ones, whose census returns reveal the presence of domestic servants, cooks and maids working in the household?

Why not be a nosy neighbour on your ancestor’s behalf and look at the records of other families living in the same street. It all helps to build up a better picture of their surroundings, class and economic status.

Working Life

As well as occupation residents had to state whether they were an employer, employed or neither from 1891 onwards. In 1901 a question was added to ask if anyone worked from home. And in 1911 the “industry or service with which worker is connected” was requested.

Occupations provide a fascinating glimpse into your ancestor’s everyday life, class and wealth. Were your ancestors among the thousands that gave up agricultural labour jobs in the country to go to the city factories during the industrial revolution? Were they well paid professionals, highly skilled craftsmen or general labourers? Did they go from rags to riches? Or riches to rags? Following the census returns for a family every 10 years can hold the answers.

Occupations also serve as a great clue when cross referencing census records with birth, marriage and death certificates to make sure you have found the correct person.

The Fertility Census

Prior to the 1911 census the government had concerns about a potential fall in the population. Birth rates had declined and emigration was up. To find out whether the British workforce could be sustained they decided to add additional questions to the 1911 census about the nation’s fertility.

Married women were asked how many years their marriage had lasted. With this information we can now calculate what year the marriage took place and try to find a marriage certificate or parish record.

Also asked was how many children had been born alive, how many had since died and how many were still alive. If the number of children in the household doesn’t match the number recorded to be still alive we know there are others out there to find. Often they are older children who have now married and flown the nest.

Sadly, the infant mortality rate was high back then. It was quite common for families to lose several children. There may have been children born alive who had died before they could be recorded on a census. With this new question we can make sure their names are still found and added to the tree.

The 1911 census is the only one available to us where the original forms filled out by our ancestors were kept. The records you can access online are scanned copies of these forms. So you can actually see the handwriting and signature of whoever was tasked with filling out the form, usually the head of the household.

Where Can I Find The Census Records?

The census returns are protected by the 100 years rule to safeguard the privacy of living people. The 1911 census is therefore the last census to be released and available for public viewing.

In the past the only way to view the census was to visit a library and spend hours scrolling through microfilm to find the right record. When the 1901 census was released in 2001 all the records were scanned, transcribed and put online for the first time. Now a record could be found simply by searching the database for a name. Demand for this new resource was so high the website holding the records crashed almost as soon as it was released.

With the phenomenal success of the 1901 census online the race was on for family history websites to transcribe and scan the previous census records. We are now lucky enough to have several websites offering searchable databases of all the available censuses on a subscription or pay per view basis.

1841 – 1911 Census Records

Ancestry – UK Census Collection
findmypast – Census Records
Genes Reunited – Census Records
The Genealogist – www.thegenealogist.co.uk