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Census Returns
U.K. & Ireland Collection
Expand your family tree into Europe. Search more than 85 million names from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The U.K. and Ireland Collection also includes the 1891 London Census along with civil, ecclesiastical and immigration records.
What's New? The 1891 London Census
The 1891 London Census has recently joined the U.K. and Ireland Collection. Consisting of 3.5 million names, the London Census adds significantly to the assortment of data available for England. And because London once accounted for a fourth of England's population, this exclusive new database can aid dramatically in the search for your European roots.
Additional Information
United Kingdom Census Returns
by Phil Westwood
National census has taken place here every 10 years from 1801. The first four 1801,1811,1821,1831 were completed, examined by Government and then destroyed. From 1841 onwards the returns were kept. They are of immense use to genealogists as they provide a "snapshot" of a household every 10 years.
1901 Census Online
The entries for households on the census returns for 1901 fall under the following headings and are generally the same for 1851 to 1891: Road, street, town or village number or name of house Whether the house is inhabited or not Name and surname of each person Relation to Head of Family Condition as to marriage Age last birthday Profession or occupation Whether employed or not Where born Whether deaf and dumb, blind, lunatic, imbecile or feeble-minded. Also crews of Vessels and residents of Institutions.
The 1901 Census was taken separately in Scotland and Ireland. The PRO is the custodian of the census returns for England and Wales (which include the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man). This service contains returns for England and Wales.
The Census in Great Britain, Part 1: How It Began
by Sherry Irvine, CGRS, FSA
Census returns are one of the most useful and informative of genealogical record sources. For each person in a household, they can contain details of name, age, occupation, and birthplace, and in all but the earliest censuses, relationship to the head of the household is also included. Census information can lead to earlier generations, solve particularly thorny problems, and paint a vivid picture of a community.
The Census of Great Britain, Part 2: Working with Census Returns
by Sherry Irvine, CGRS, FSA
To make the most of the census of Great Britain, you need to know what information it contains, how to apply this information, and facts about access. What follows is a concise guide to essential information (but the best teacher is practical experience).
Searching the British Census
by David H. Pratt, AG, Ph.D.
Researchers of English and Welsh ancestry in the nineteenth and even the late-eighteenth centuries have benefited greatly from the birth of the dynamic duo: civil registration and census enumeration. Civil registration, or the national recording of births, marriages, and deaths began in 1837. The first nationwide census of genealogical value commenced four years later in 1841. Ideally, the two should be worked in cycles, with one providing clues of where to go next in the other.
Clues in the 1881 British Census Index
by Robin Chalmers
"One good thing about the war," my grandfather used to say, "was that the destruction caused by the bombing forced people to rebuild." He recalled the drafty walls and the privy behind the three hundred-year-old stone house where he grew up. Sometimes these everyday details escape us, but with the help of censuses and other genealogical materials we're able to paint a more accurate picture of our ancestors' lives and surroundings.
See also: GenDirectory: Census