Censuses
Click on a date below to go directly to the census extract of that year.
1841 1851 1861 1871 1881
You might also like to look at this worked example of an 1841 Census Enumerator's Schedule.
Brief introduction
From 1801 onwards, by means of a census, information about the population has been collected every ten years. The censuses of 10 March 1801, 27 May 1811, 28 May 1821 and 30 May 1831 were confined to the compilation of the totals (by parish) of houses habited and uninhabited; families; men and women; occupations (in broad categories); and various statistics of baptisms, marriages and burials.
A partial enumeration of age was taken in 1821, and a more extensive investigation into occupations in 1831.
The names of individuals were not recorded in the official returns. However, in the course of carrying out the censuses, some local enumerators did compile unofficial listings of named individuals.
The census enumerator's books for the 1821 and 1831 censuses were destroyed so only summary information is available.
Those which survive in local record offices are referred to by C R Chapman in Pre-1841 Censuses and Population Listings" (Dursley, 1990).
The 1841 census only indicates whether or not the individuals were born in the same county and ages were rounded off to the nearest ten years. The 1851 and following census records indicate the exact birth place of each individual listed. The relationship of each individual to the head of the house is indicated as is each person's age and occupation.
Census records for England are available after the lapse of 100 years.