Census Returns for England & Wales

There has been a census of the population of England and Wales every ten years since 1801 ( with the exception of 1941). From 1801 to 1831 inclusive, however, the numbers of people in each parish were recorded by the local Overseers of the Poor and Clergy. However their names and any personal details were NOT recorded. Conversely inhabited and empty houses, and approximate occupations were recorded.

From 1841 the information was compiled by census enumerators each of whom was responsible for a district (defined in the country as an area where an enumerator would not have to walk more than 15 miles and in towns as approximately 200 houses). Heads of households filled in their own forms and mistakes are not uncommon. The forms were copied into books by the enumerators and sent to the Census Office in London: these are the "census returns" and they had to be completed in English. The originals are now kept at the Public Record Office, but have been microfilmed and are available locally.

The 1841 census took place for the night of 6 - 7th June 1841. For the first time the name, the age (rounded down to the nearest 5 for everyone over 15 years) and occupation were recorded. Residents were asked if they were born in the county in which they now resided.

The 1841 census was the first census of the country in which the names of individuals were officially recorded and retained, and so is the first general census of use to genealogists and family historians. Nevertheless, the information is very limited compared to that in later censuses. The major differences from the censuses which followed are:

• The head of each household is not specifically identified, although he/she is normally the first person listed.
• The relationship of each person to the head of the household is not stated.
• Ages of adults are rounded, not exact. Anyone aged from 15 to 19 is listed as age 15, anyone from 20 to 24 is shown as 20, etc.
• Marital status is not shown.
• Two small columns are used for place of birth instead of the one larger column in later censuses. The first states "Yes" or "No", often abbreviated to a single initial letter, to the question "Born in the same county?". The second indicates by an initial letter whether the person was "Born in Scotland, Ireland or Foreign Parts".

The columns shown on the enumeration schedules for this census are:

• PLACE
• HOUSES, sub-divided into:
  • Uninhabited or Building
  • Inhabited
• NAMES of each Person who abode therein the preceding Night
• AGE and SEX, subdivided into:
  • Male
  • Female
• PROFESSION, TRADE, EMPLOYMENT or of INDEPENDENT MEANS
• Where Born, subdivided into:
  • Whether Born in same County
  • Whether Born in Scotland, Ireland or Foreign Parts

In addition to those limitations, the quality of the records is often poor, for a variety of reasons:

• The handwriting used is in some cases so poor as to be unintelligible.
• There are often marks on the original which obscure the writing. Ages are particularly prone to this problem, on this and later censuses.
• Most people at the time were illiterate, so the enumerator wrote down what he heard, or thought he heard. This leads to many variations in spelling of names. 
• The quality of filming the original records is vary variable, some being too faint to read. (Access is available only to the films, not the original paper records).
• The schedules which were retained and filmed were themselves transcribed by the enumerators from their own original records, and so are prone to transcription errors.

The 1851 census took place for the night of 30 - 31st March 1851. Exact ages were recorded, marital status and relationship to the head of the household. Birth places in England and Wales are given precisely.

The 1861 census took place for the night of 7 - 8th April 1861; the 1871 census for the night of 2 - 3rd April 1871; the 1881 census for the night of 3 - 4 April 1881; and the 1891 census for the night of 5 - 6th April 1891. Each of these contains basically the same information as the 1851 census described above. In 1891 the further information as to number of rooms occupied, if less than five was added

All personal information on the census remains confidential for 100 years, and so the latest returns that can be consulted are those for 1911. The 1901 census became available in January 2002

1841 Sunday 6 June
(PRO Class Reference HO107)

1851 Sunday 30 March
(PRO Class Reference HO107)

1861 Sunday 7 April
(PRO Class Reference RG9)

1871 Sunday 2 April
(PRO Class Reference RG10)

1881 Sunday 3 April
(PRO Class Reference RG11)

1891 Sunday 5 April
(PRO Class Reference RG12)

1901 Sunday 31 March
(PRO Class Reference RG13)

The UK 1911 Census

The 1911 census was taken on the 2nd April and contains millions more records than the previous 1901 census. This is the first available census to be filled in by our ancestors, enabling us to view our ancestors handwriting.

The 1911 is thought to be one of the most important record sets as it will show family records in detail before the WW1. It gives details of where our ancestors lived, who with, age, place of birth and occupation as you would expect. Additional pieces of information included for the first time are nationality, duration of current marriage, number of children born within that marriage, number of living children and the number of any children who had died. Extra occupation information may show details of the industry in which they worked. 

The 1911 Census is the first census where the original forms were kept. The handwriting on the original image is that of your ancestor. This is the first census to record full details of British Army personnel stationed overseas. This census asks women how long they had been married and how many children they had (including how many that had died).

The UK 1921 Census

The 1921 census was taken on the 19th of June 1921 at a time when the population for England and Wales stood at over 37 million.

The 1921 census gives greater detail than any previous census. In addition to the questions asked in the 1911 census, the 1921 census included more information about the profession and branch within it. It asked what materials they worked in, place of work and their employer’s name. For those over the age of 15 information about marital status, including if divorced was given. For those under 15 the census recorded whether both parents were alive or if either or both parents had died. It also had detailed questions on education including whether you were in full-time or part-time education.

For the first time individuals in a household could also make separate confidential returns.

The censuses from 1921 onwards were taken under the Census Act 1920. The 1921 Census and later censuses are held in the custody of the UK Statistics Authority.

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This page was last updated on 02/07/25 14:25