What happens every 10 years since 1841 and always on a Sunday?
The UK census has been taken every 10 years since 1801, but it is only since 1841 that householders’ names have been officially included and so prove of interest to the genealogist. There are some areas where some names were collected in earlier censuses but these are few and far between. Do you know exactly where you were on Sunday 21st April 1991 or Sunday 25th April 1971? You could guess, but you probably won’t know 100%. But in years to come, your descendants will be able to know exactly where you were, who you were with, what your age was and your occupation as well as other information.
The census is a very useful tool for the genealogist to track families back through history, though there is a 100year closure rule in the UK, so those looking for more recent census records will be disappointed. The most recent available UK census is the 1911 census, also known as the fertility census, because it is the first one which asked people to list the number of children they had had and how many were still living. It is also the first census where the record available is a scan of the actual form filled in by the householder, rather than the schedule transcribed by the enumerator, so it may be the first time you are able to see your ancestor’s signature.
Census records 1841-1911 for England and Wales are available on the main family history pay websites and a lot of transcriptions are available on FreeCen www.freecen.org.uk, but this site is a work in progress by volunteers, making census record transcriptions available to all for free. For Scotland, transcriptions can be found on paysites and FreeCen, but all scanned records are only accessible through Scotland’s People www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. Unfortunately, both for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland the earlier records were destroyed and this presents a problem for genealogists who manage to trace their ancestors back to the island of Ireland. It is advised to seek specialist help in this situation, there are various books on the subject (in particular Tracing your Irish Ancestors by John Grenham, the new edition of which is due out 5th April 2019) and both the National Archives of Ireland http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/ and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni have further information.
It should be borne in mind that the main purpose for the census (as with all records) was for the record takers and not for family historians and genealogists. We are simply the beneficiaries of the opening of these records to the public. As such the questions asked by, what is now, the Office for National Statistics, do vary year on year. In 2011, there was much complaint amongst genealogists that one of the most useful questions for us had been dropped from the form, that of place of birth.
Likewise, over the years from 1841 to 1911, there have been various changes. In 1841, names and occupations of those living in the house were requested plus their age rounded to the nearest 5 years, if they were adults, and exact if they were children plus a yes/no question on whether the occupants were born in the same county or not and whether they were born in “Scotland, Ireland or Foreign Parts”. From 1851 to 1881, exact ages, places of birth, relation to the head of the household, marital status, and whether 1) deaf and dumb, 2) blind, 3) imbecile or idiot or 4) lunatic were included. In 1891 and 1901, employment status was added, the number of rooms occupied if less than five and, in Scotland, whether Gaelic or English speaking and, in Wales, whether Welsh or English speaking.
The release date of the 1921 census, which was held on 19th June 1921, will be in January 2022. The questions on this census, in addition to those on the 1911 one, include further employment questions including employer’s name, for marital status divorced as a status is now included and for children they were asked if their parents were alive or not and also educational status.
It is likely that the 1931 census for Scotland will be released in 2032, however sadly, the schedules and enumerators’ books for the 1931 census for England and Wales were destroyed in 1942 (not by enemy action). Further details can be found on this website: http://www.1911census.org.uk/1931.htm
The Irish Free State/Republic of Ireland was by this point separated from the United Kingdom and so responsible for their own censuses. And in Northern Ireland, a census was taken on 18th April 1926 and statistical reports from this are already available though not currently the schedules or enumerators’ books.
The 1941 census was not taken due to the Second World War, but the 1939 Register taken at the beginning of the conflict has already been released. It continued in use up to 1990 by the NHS and so does have annotations which can be very useful such as the marital surname of women who subsequently married after 1939.
The census can be very useful in following the trials and tribulations of your ancestors, children being born, family members dying, changes in status, address and employment.
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