Researching Ancestors in the British Census

Searching the Census of England and Wales

A census of the population of England and Wales has been taken every ten years since 1801, with the exception of 1941 (when no census was taken due to World War II). The censuses conducted prior to 1841 were basically statistical in nature, not even preserving the name of the head of household. Therefore, the first of these census enumerations of much use for tracing your ancestors is the British census of 1841. To protect the privacy of living individuals, the most recent census to be released to the public for England, Scotland and Wales is the 1911 census.

What You Can Learn From British Census Records

• 1841
  The first British census to ask detailed questions about individuals, the 1841 census contains a bit less information than subsequent censuses. For each individual enumerated in 1841, you can find the full name, age (rounded down to the nearest 5 for everyone 15 or older), sex, occupation, and whether they were born in the same county in which they were enumerated.

• 1851-1901
  The questions asked in the 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 census enumerations are generally the same and include the first, middle (usually just the initial), and last name of each individual; their relationship to the head of household; marital status; age at last birthday; sex; occupation; the county and parish of birth (if born in England or Wales), or the country if born elsewhere; and the full street address for each household. The birth information makes these censuses especially helpful for tracing ancestors born prior to the onset of civil registration in 1837.

Census Dates

The actual census date varied from census to census, but is important in helping to determine an individual's probably age. The dates of the censuses are as follows:

1841 - 6 June; 1851 - 30 March; 1861 - 7 April; 1871 - 2 April; 1881 - 3 April; 1891 - 5 April; 1901 - 31 March 1911 - 2 April

Where to Find the Census for England & Wales

Microfilm copies of the 1841-1891 British censuses are available at the Family History Library (FHL) and through its numerous branch Family History Centers (FHCs). Surname indexes are available for much of the 1851 census, and the entire 1881 census.

Online access to digitized images of all census returns from 1841 to 1911 (including indexes) for England and Wales is available from multiple companies. Most of the records require some type of payment for access, under either a subscription or pay-per-view system. For those looking for free online access to British census records, don't miss the complete transcriptions of the 1881 census available online at no charge at FamilySearch.org. These records are linked to digitized copies of the actual census pages at Ancestry.com, but access to those images does require a subscription to Ancestry.co.uk. The FamilySearch Record Search site also offers free access to indexes and images for the 1841 and 1861 census of England & Wales.

The National Archives offers subscription access to the complete 1901 census for England and Wales, while a subscription to British Origins includes access to the 1841, 1861 and 1871 census for England and Wales. The UK Census subscription at Ancestry.co.uk is the most comprehensive online British census offering, with complete indexes and images for every national census in England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands from 1841-1901. FindMyPast also offers access to available British national census records from 1841-1901 (not all counties are currently complete), with access to the 1911 British Census to be added as an offering for subscribers in October 2009. The 1911 British Census is also available as a standalone PayAsYouGo site at 1911census.co.uk.
Online Sources for the Census of England & Wales