Census: further research

1. Why use this guide?

This research guide provides useful information for researchers using the census returns of England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

If you are new to this area of research you might find our signpost Looking for records of the census helpful.

2. Essential information

• A census has been taken every ten years since 1801 with the exception of 1941. The 1841 census was the first to list the names of every individual.
• Most of the information from the 1911 census for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man has been released. However the most sensitive data will be unavailable until January 2012.
• There are missing pages in all censuses but 1861 has suffered most, with entire pieces missing. You can confirm missing pieces (for 1861) in The Catalogue by searching on keyword 'missing' and series code 'RG 9'.

3. When were the censuses taken?

The dates of the censuses were as follows:

Censuses were also taken on 10 March 1801, 27 May 1811, 28 May 1821 and 29 May 1831 but these were only headcounts so The National Archives does not hold details of individuals.

In a few cases, nominal lists created by local overseers for the purposes of calculating the headcounts survive locally. See Colin Chapman, Pre-1841 censuses and population listings in the British Isles (Lochin Publishing, fifth edition) or Jeremy Gibson, Local census listings, 1522-1930: Holdings in the British Isles (Birmingham, 1997) for details of what has survived.

4. Where can I see the census returns?

5. What information can I find in the census returns?

The census returns record details of people present in England and Wales on the date of each census. From 1841, the census returns for England and Wales were compiled using the same system of registration districts and sub-districts that was used for the registration of births, marriages and deaths. This means that there is a direct link between the two most important 19th-century sources for family historians.

Each registrar's sub-district was divided into a number of enumeration districts, each of which was the responsibility of an enumerator. The enumerator delivered a form known as a schedule to each household a few days before census night, and collected the completed schedules the day after. The schedules were then sorted, and the details copied into the census enumerators' books. It is these books which have survived for 1841 to 1901 and which can be seen today online or on microform. The original householders' schedules were later destroyed with the exception of 1911. Special schedules were provided for vessels and institutions.

5.1 1841

The 1841 census was the first to ask detailed questions about individuals. The following information was recorded about each person:

• forename and surname
• age (rounded down to the nearest five for those aged 15 or over)
• sex
• occupation
• whether they were born in the county in which they were enumerated (Y or N)
• whether they were born in Scotland (S), Ireland (I) or Foreign Parts (F)

An address was also shown for each household but house numbers were rarely given, and in rural areas you will often find only the name of the village or hamlet.

5.2 1851-1901

From 1851 to 1901 the format of the census returns and the range of questions asked remained largely the same. The following details can be found for each individual:

• forename, middle names (often just initials) and surname
• relationship to the head of the household (usually the oldest male)
• marital status
• age (at last birthday)
• sex
• occupation (their source of income)
• county and parish of birth (if born in England or Wales)
• country of birth (if born outside England and Wales)
• whether they suffered from certain medical disabilities
• language spoken (in Wales, from 1891; on the Isle of Man, from 1901)

The full address is given and, progressively with each census, more information about the dwelling itself.

5.3 1911

As well as information provided in the previous censuses, 1911 is notable for the extra information supplied and because the returns completed by the householders themselves were kept for the first time. This allows researchers to see the subject's handwriting as well as some unsolicited supplementary information. Other details include:

• a married woman's 'fertility in marriage' - length of present marriage and children born to that marriage, living or deceased
• detailed occupational data
• infirmity (this and some other sensitive information remains closed until 2012)

6. Are there indexes to the census returns?

The Catalogue provides descriptions for the 1841-1911 census enumeration books in HO 107, RG 9-RG 14 and RG 78, but these only show which places are covered by a specific document reference.

Name indexes, with links to digitised images, are available for all census years on our census records page. An index to the 1881 returns is also available online at FamilySearch. Many family history societies have also produced indexes to the census returns for their own areas. The 1851 census has been well covered but there are relatively few indexes for other census years. The National Archives has a good collection of census indexes on CD ROM (accessible through public terminals).

You can search street indexing in the Historical Streets Project in Your Archives. There are street indexes to the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1891 censuses and a partial street index for 1881.

7. What about census returns for Scotland and Ireland?

Scottish census returns for 1841 to 1911 can be seen on the ScotlandsPeople website and at the ScotlandsPeople Centre, Edinburgh.

The 1881 census index for Scotland on CD ROM can be accessed through public terminals at The National Archives. Indexes to the Scottish censuses 1841-1901 are also available on Ancestry. None of these indexes has links to digitised images.

Unfortunately, few 19th century Irish census returns have survived, but the returns for the whole of Ireland for 1901 and 1911 are fairly complete, and can be viewed at the National Archives of Ireland.

CensusFinder (www.censusfinder.com/ireland.htm) is particularly useful for locating Irish census substitutes.

8. Further reading

The following recommended publications are available in The National Archives' Library. Where indicated, a publication is also available to buy at The National Archives' Bookshop.

Peter Christian and David Annal, Census: The expert guide (The National Archives, 2008) - Available to buy

Edward Higgs, Making sense of the census revisited: census records for England and Wales, 1801-1901 - a handbook for historical researchers (2005) - Available to buy

David Annal, Using census returns: pocket guides to family history (The National Archives, 2002)

Susan Lumas, Making use of the census (The National Archives, fourth edition, 2002)

Jeremy Gibson and Mervyn Medlycott, Local census listings 1522-1930. Holdings in the British Isles (Federation of Family History Societies, third edition, 1997, reprinted 2001)

R Wall, M Woollard and B Moring, Census schedules and listings, 1801-1831: An introduction and guide (Working Paper Series 5, Department of History, University of Essex, 2004)

Colin Chapman, Pre-1841 Censuses and population listings in the British Isles (Lochin Publishing, fifth edition)

1931 Census (Your Archives, retrieved 12 March 2010)

Historical Streets Project - street indexing (Your Archives, retrieved 6 April 2010)

Vision of Britain - links to census reports

The Online Historical Population Reports - the OHPR collection provides online access to the complete British population reports for Britain and Ireland from 1801 to 1937