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​The Census

The CENSUS is taken every ten years since 1841 and is a key resource for any house historian.Generally they are only available to view after 100 years. So from 1841-1921 they are available. 
For house historians, the census data is an extremely valuable resource that provides a wealth of information about the history of a particular property. The census records can help house historians to trace the ownership and occupancy history of a house over time, as well as provide insights into the social and economic context of the people who lived there.
To access the census data for house historians, you can start by searching online archives such as Ancestry, FindmyPast or FamilySearch. Some of them allow you to search census records by address.
These websites have digitized versions of census records from various years and countries, which can be searched by location and other parameters.
You can also visit local archives, libraries, and historical societies in your area to access physical copies of census records. Some records may be available on microfilm or in book form, while others may require special permission to access.
​An example of a census enumerators page for the famous author Charles Dickens in 1861 is shown below
Picture

​Where to find the Census

FreeCen - Some transcripts of census records covering England, Wales and Scotland are available  on  FreeCen If you want to find out which areas are covered or how much information has been transcribed there is a list by county  
​

Subscription sites


Census for England & Wales (1841-1921)
Census records for England and Wales from 1841 to 1921 are available online at subscription sites.
​
It is free to search these sites but if you want to explore or download the full transcriptions or original documents then you will be required to pay. You can view these free of charge onsite at The National Archives office in Kew and many libraries and record offices have subscriptions to some of these websites  which means you may be able to search for free.

 Find My Past Census 1841-1921

 Ancestry Census 1841-1911
​ 

Find an address in the census

​ Find My Past now has a button on all their census pages which allows you to search for an address direct. No more searching for someone by name you can go straight to an address if it existed in that census year. For more about how to use the census go to our census page on this site Click on the link to go to the Find My Past  or Ancestry Census Pages

A word of warning about census transcriptions

 A lot of the census has been transcribed and indexed on line which is good news, otherwise you would be looking through reams of  paper to find your occupier. In a town that would  be next to impossible. 

But the bad news is that sometimes the transcriber has had a guess at the name of a place and there are some really bizarre examples which if somebody took half a minute to think about it could have been corrected.

The best place to view the census is online. Most sites are subscription only or pay as you go, although thanks to the Church of the Latter Day Saints (who have done so much to help family historians) the 1851 census is free
Ancestry UK

Census for Ireland (1901 and 1911 only) 
View digitised and indexed images of the 1901 and 1911 census records for Ireland (including Northern Ireland) on the National Archives of Ireland website.

Find My Past has links to some census material 

Note: The majority of the Ireland census was destroyed in a fire only a small amount of information relating to certain counties remains.
Census for Scotland (1841-1921)
​Search and view the census returns for Scotland from 1841 to 1911 at Scotlandspeople but it will require a subscription 
​
Indexes to the Scottish censuses 1841-1901 are also available on Findmypast.co.uk and Ancestry  and but they do not have any links to digitised images.

The format of the Census returns for Scotland are on the whole identical to those for England and Wales, except for 1911, when similarly detailed information was gathered, but was then copied into enumeration books.
1921 census is expected to be released late 2020


​1921 CENSUS - IS NOW AVAILABLE 

Taken on 19 June 1921, The 1921 Census of England and Wales has been locked away for over a century. Until now and it is  now available online exclusively at Findmypast. We provide some quick links to the most important pages below

Main 1921 Census Landing page

1921 Address search

1921 Employer search


The Genealogist - UK census, BMDs and more online

FREE DOWNLOADS - Census Forms

Download blank UK census forms for 1841-1911 and a quick reference census fact sheet
BLANK US CENSUS FORMS
We do not supply blank U.S census forms but they can be obtained at the Ancestry  site

Where Can I Find Out More?

Census – The Family Historian’s Guide by Peter Christian & David Annal

A great book covering the UK censuses in some depth.  
​
Tracing Your Ancestors Using The Census by Emma Jolly
A very useful detailed guide to the British census records examining each census and putting it in context with  the  information that  can be found,
Making Use of the Census  
The Public Record Office
​Users Guide

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​
Census records which can help you are available from 1841 to 1911.

​Your local library or record office should have copies and possibly  have indexes of streets and districts.
Several on-line paid sites have access to the census.
​
Find My Past and Ancestry have many records that are free to view

​Using the Census A guide from the National Archives 

​How to use the census records for Family Tree Research by Family Tree 


The National Archives is in the process of converting about 300 binders of street indexes to the censuses of England and Wales for 1841-1891 to create an online finding aid and local history resource.
Currently the street indexes to the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1891 censuses are uploaded onto Your Archives. 

​Demo of the census street search at TheGenealogist. youtube.com/watch?v=DyrtCN…

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  • Welcome
  • The House
    • Land Registry and Title deeds
    • Maps
    • Tax
    • Manorial Records
    • Other Records
    • Postcards & Photos
    • Enclosures
    • Books & House Histories
    • Church & Parish Records
  • The People
    • Census
    • 1939 Register
    • Directories
    • Valuation Survey
    • Probate & Wills
    • Land Tax
    • Rate Books
    • Newspapers
    • Electoral Rolls and Poll Books
    • Civil Registration
    • Fire Insurance Records
    • Inquisitions PM
    • Private Estate Records
    • National Farm Survey
    • Court Records
    • Telephone Books
  • The Stories
    • House Stories
    • House Museums
    • Homes of Famous People
    • UK House History Guides
    • Virtual house tours
  • Blog
  • Trace my American Home
    • Trace my American House more help
    • How Old is my American House
    • Visit American Homes
    • American House History Guides