Local population lists were made from the earliest times, usually for taxation or parish purposes. A few of these records survive in local record offices.
The first general census of England and Wales was held in 1801, and except for the war year 1941, it has been conducted every ten years since.
The Government has ruled that in the interests of confidentiality census returns shall not be published within 100 years of the date of the census.
The returns thus available to researchers are those conducted on :-
10 March 1801
27 May 1811
28 May 1821
30 May 1831
The census of 1801 to 1831 exists mainly as statistical extracts from the original returns; however some enumerators included head of familiy names and occasionally full details of families: These records aside, the 1801-1831 census are of little genealogical value.
06 June 1841 - EATLYs in the 1841 Census:
30 March 1851 - EATLYs in the 1851 Census:
07 April 1861 - EATLYs in the 1861 Census:
02 April 1871 - EATLYs in the 1871 Census:
03 April 1881 - EATLYs in the 1881 Census:
05 April 1891 - EATLYs in the 1891 Census:
31 March 1901- EATLYs in the 1901 Census:
The census of 1841-1901 contain in various degrees a great deal of useful information, including; addresses,full names of all residents, their relationship in the household, place of birth, and occupation.
We all have our secrets and there is no reason to believe that our ancestors were not above telling the occasional white lie to the census enumerators, particularly as regards to age, and marital state.
Census records are a guide not a gospel.
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