The English Census and How to Use It

The census is probably the most useful of all genealogical  resources – but do you understand how to use it properly? This  article with give you a basic understanding of the census, so you  can get the most out of the information you find there.

Things you should know about the English census

With the exception of 1941, there has been a census taken every ten  years in England and Wales since 1801. For the genealogist, the ones taken before 1841 have no use as they do not contain names.

From 1851, the census contains extremely useful genealogical  information, including the relationships of everyone in the  household, ages, occupations and place of birth. In the 1911  census you can also see how long a couple have been married, and  how many children have survived and/or died.

The census provides essential statistical information for the  Government, and was never intended for genealogical purposes.   However, the information contained within the census has become  vitally important for anyone searching their family history.

For reasons of public privacy, the census remains confidential for  100 years. However, a loophole in the 1911 census regulations  allowed it to be published early, and it has been available on some  websites for the last two years.

How was the information collected?

It is vital that you understand how information was collected for  the census – especially the 19th century – as it will help you to  understand why some information seems to be inaccurate, or not  agree with other documentation you may have.

One thing that it is important to know is that the information you  are seeing is often a copy of a copy of a copy! This naturally  leads to many mistakes, misinterpretations and mis-spellings, which  can result in mis-information and sometimes not being able to find  your ancestor at all.

In each registration district enumerators were sent out to each  household with forms that were usually left for the householder to  fill in. If the householder was illiterate (very often the case,  especially in the early part of the century) the form would be  completed by the enumerator by asking questions. This of course  leads of variations of spellings, and frequent mis-hearing of a  name or place.

The enumerator then copied the information from these schedules  into enumerators’ books. These are the records that are available  to the public, so are not the original document (which I believe  were destroyed). This copying again led to various mistakes.

In latter years, these enumerators’ books have been indexed and  transcibed, both for use in archives, and, even more recently, for  internet use. Once again, the act of transcribing has resulted in  further mistakes, and the indexers’ interpretation of often difficult Victorianhandwriting has led to some names and places being so badly mis-transcribed that they do not show up when  searching the indexes.

But don’t be put off! Yes, there are many mistakes and mis-spellings on the census – but it is still an absolutely vital and  fascinating resource for family historians.

How to search the census.

Nowadays, it is very easy to search the census online if you have a  subscription to Ancestry.co.uk or one of the other big genealogy  websites.   You can usually start by doing a name search, putting in as much  information as you can into the other search criteria boxes (e.g.  year of birth, place of birth etc). Even if you are sure of the  date of birth, it is best to give a range of at least 2 years each  side, as the age may not have been given accurately when the  information was taken.   If you do not get a satisfactory result – or you get too many  possibilities, then you need to start taking out some of the search criteria, and then see what comes up.

Search the UK Census collection

I have sometimes found an ancestor whose (for example) surname has  been completely mis-transcribed, by leaving the surname blank, and  marking every other piece of criteria as being “exact”. You could  also do this the other way round by using the surname only without  the Christian name. I found my own grandfather this way. His name  was Francis Manley. But it was only when I entered “Manley” into  the search criteria – with place of birth, age etc all marked as  “exact”, that I found him. His Christian name had been written by  the enumerator as “Fracis”, which is why he had not shown up in the  earlier searches.

In theory, everyone who was living in England during the night of  each census, should be on the census. So if you cannot find your  ancestor, my advice is to just keep trying. Of course, there are  circumstances which may explain a person’s absence. They may be  out of the country (unusual for Victorian working classes – unless  they have an occupation which would involve them travelling, such  as sailor or army officer).

Another reason why your ancestor may not turn up is because they  have changed their name for some reason. I have seen this  particularly happen where the subject was illegitimate, and may  have been baptized with his father’s surname, but used his mother’s  surname later on (or vice versa).

My grandfather (again), was actually baptized Francis McEwen – but  after his parents’ early demise, he was brought up by his married  sister and her husband, John Manley. Hence from then on my  grandfather was known as a Manley – and all his children were named  Manley. This caused some complications in my searches I can tell  you!

Oh – and if you had a suffragette in your ancestry, then she may  not turn up on the 1911 census. Many suffragettes stayed away from  home – often sleeping rough – on the night of the census as a form  of protest against the Government.

As with all genealogical searches, you often have to use your  imagination. Remember, you are dealing with human beings, and  human beings can be tricksy!

And just because something is written down does not mean it is 100%  true. Every record you look at must be backed up by other  resources where possible.

Despite its difficulties, the English census remains one of the  most interesting and useful resources for the family historian, and  provides essential details about your ancestors lives and  lifestyles.