1841 Census

The 1841 Census is the first national UK to record the names and addresses. It is this fact that makes it so important for family historians. The census covered England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, but not Scotland or Ireland which had different censuses.  If someone on the census was 80 at the time of the census then the person and family instantly gets taken back to 1760.

However, there is a major omission on the census - the place of birth.  The 1841 census only records whether the person was born in the same county as they were then living, or in Scotland, Ireland or Foreign Parts.  It is desperately frustrating to have a 'N' (No) as there is then no indication of where the person was born.  Even if the answer is 'Y' (Yes) then for a very large county such as Yorkshire it can be immensely difficult to find the correct parish. (The place of birth is included in the 1851 Census).

The 1841 Census was taken on 6 June 1841 and collected the name of everyone at the cited address on that night.  It was the fourth national census. The previous censuses, which started in 1801  - and every ten years thereafter in 1811, 1821 and 1831 -  just collected the numerical figures for the number of people in households or occupations.  Just occasionally local enumerators added the names of people and so a few more detailed records survived, but these are few and far between.  

For the 1841 Census each householder was required to complete a census schedule which contained the household address and the names,  sexes, occupations and places of birth of each person living at the address. In the 1841 returns ages of persons over 15 years were generally given only to the nearest five years; in 1851 exact ages were returned. 

 The census schedules were pre-printed and then left with the householder to fill in and were collected later.  The enumerator collected the information if there was no-one in the household who could write.

The schedules were then collected in and copied by the enumerator into the official books, called the 'Census Enumerator's Books.  It is these which have survived and researchers can now see - the originals have been destroyed. (There are missing pages in all censuses but 1861 has suffered most.)

The records that are now available have therefore been through two possible transcriptions and hand writing decipherment

1) Hand writing of the original person writing the entries - or (and often worse) - the verbal dictation, often with a heavy accent, of the family names to the enumerator

2) The enumerator then copying out the entries into the Books

There is also a third stage for the modern researcher - the transcription from the Books into the computer which now make up the transcriptions for Ancestry, Findmypast etc.  

Example

The following example is taken from the Findmypast census collection and involves a search for the Seabrook in Long Marston, Hertfordshire in 1841.

The first search results returns long list

 from which is chosen the first (Ann Seabrook)

It is lucky that Ann was 60 in 1841 so was born in 1781, hopefully in the same county to narrow down the search area. (But beware, be a little wary of the ages, especially 'rounded' ages as they are likely to be an approximation.  Many people did not want to reveal their true age, or had forgotten.) Clicking the Transcription gives the type written information

Clicking the 'image' icon gives the original - which can be vital if the transcription is wrong (normally because the original is unclear).

The original looks very unclear and faint (and many are, especially in the 1841 Census) but thankfully the image can be zoomed and the information can be seen clearly, with the entry for Ann at the bottom ('Do' means 'Ditto' ie the 'same as above').  Although not stated, I assume that Ann was William's mother (though this would need to be checked) and William was unmarried at this point.  He is described as an 'Ag Lab' - ie Agricultural Labourer, which generally indicates poor and unskilled.

Internet Sources

All the major genealogical websites have the Census returns for England, Wales etc but only Scotland's People and FamilySearch contain the Scottish Census returns.

I have collected the major sources and they are at

http://www.familyhistoryrecordsonline.com/index.html#UKcensuses

Scotland's censuses are at

http://www.familyhistoryrecordsonline.com/index.html#scottishcensuses

Irish censuses are at 

http://www.familyhistoryrecordsonline.com/index.html#irishcensuses-ie

UK Census Returns 1801

Census information is a vital part of family history with the 1841 census giving the household occupants by name for the first time.  It is unfortunate for family historians that the location of birth is only given as a Yes/No in the county.  The form was amended in 1851 to record where the person was born - an incredibly useful piece of information.

However, the 1841 Census was the fourth census to be undertaken with the preceding censuses being in 1801, 1811, 1821 and 1831.  

Whilst the 1841 and 1851 censuses are commonly used, less known is the format of the earlier censuses.  In looking at these I searched for a small village in Hertfordshire called Long Marston where my own ancestors came from.

The censuses from 1801 to 1831 are on the Histpop site at

http://www.histpop.org/ohpr/servlet/Show?page=Search

The 1801 Census

The increase in population and its rapid growth had caused a lot of interest and anxiety about how the nation would cope, especially after Thomas Malthus's work about population and food supplies.  Therefore the Government decided to hold a census of the population.  This was passed in Parliament in 1800 and the census was carried out the following year.

The second census was carried out 10 years later and the interval between censuses has lasted to the present day.

There were two counts taken for the 1801 census. The Enumeration count, which counted households, males and females and occupations.  The second was the Parish Register count which counted births, marriages and deaths and thus the increase or decrease in population could be determined.  England. Scotland and Wales was covered in this census, and Ireland was first included in 1821.

The three questions for the enumerators were:

1) How many Inhabited Houses are there in your Parish, 
Township or Place; by how many Families are they occupied; and, how many Houses therein are Uninhabited? 

2. How many Persons (including Children of whatever Age) are there actually found within the Limits of your Parish, Township, or Place, at the Time of taking this Account, distinguishing Males and Females, and exclusive of Men actually serving in His Majesty’s Regular Forces or Militia, and exclusive of Seamen either in His Majesty’s Service or belonging to Registered Vessels?

3. What Number of Persons in your Parish, Township, or Place are chiefly employed in Agriculture; how many in Trade, Manufactures, or Handicraft; and how many are not occupied in any of the preceding Classes? 

To gather the data Overseers of the Poor were used (though in Scotland schoolmasters were used) and they visited each household.

Then the Overseers affirmed the schedule in front of JP, being endorsed by another officer of state and then it was sent to the Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department, who compiled the statistical summaries.


The statistical summaries were then compiled into tables and published.  Above is the Enumeration summary for Dacorum Hundred in Hertfordshire and Long Marston is given (as Marston, Long).

Occasionally as the overseers had to count individuals they made a list of each household for their own purposes.  Most have been lost over time, but a few have survived.

The following is the number of survivals by county as given in the Essex University publication (details below)

There does not appear to be any rhyme or reason to the survivals and it is pot-luck if one exists for any particular area.  It is also speculated that many more exist.

The second element is that of the parish registers. The three questions asked relate to the numbers of baptisms, burials and marriages recorded in the parish registers.  The number of baptisms, marriages and burials were counted, initially once every ten years and then annually from 1780 in order to get the increase or decrease in population.  The information was presented by Hundred with a list of registers used - which was not all of them - given at the bottom. Tring parish registers were used, but Long Marston registers were not.

As can be seen, for population studies this information is very useful, but for family history it is practically useless.


Note There is an academic description of the pre 1841 censuses at  http://www.essex.ac.uk/history/documents/research/RT2_Wall_2012.pdf