1841 Census Records of England and Wales  

Often called the "first modern census", it was taken on the night of Sunday 6 June 1841. Sunday nights were chosen as residents were more likely to be at their usual residence. Gathering information on a single night was the best way to avoid counting anyone twice.

Forms (known as schedules), with accompanying instructions, were delivered to every household or institution in the week leading up to the date. Enumerators (approximately 35,000 in 1841) collected the returns the following morning. They would assist in the completion of the schedule if, for example, the householder was illiterate. 

The results were then transcribed into a pre-printed census enumerators' book (CEB). Once complete, the books and schedules were dispatched - via the District Registrar and Superintendent Registrar for checking - to the Census Office in London. Having used them as reference, the original forms were destroyed. This system ran from 1841 to 1901.       

In 1841, England and Wales were shown to have a combined population of 15,914,148.

How to Access

You can search and view digitised images of the 1841-1921 censuses (plus the 1939 Register) of England and Wales by subscribing to Findmypast, 'The home of British and Irish family history'. Until at least 2025, it will remain the only site where you can access and search the 1921 census online - available through their 'Premium' package (3 or 12 months) or via micropayments on other packages.

An address search option is available on Findmypast. You can search by street name and town. There is a spelling variant option available for street names. 

If you don't specifically need to access the 1921 census of England and Wales, you could join Ancestry - they hold the 1841-1911 censuses and the 1939 Register.

For more information read our blog article 1841: The 'First Modern Census' of the United Kingdom.

1841 Census Headings (in bold)

PLACE
Precise addresses are not common. In built-up areas street numbers are rarely given. In rural areas often the just the village or hamlet name is provided.

HOUSES [with Uninhabited or Building and Inhabited columns below]

NAMES of each person who abode therein the preceding Night
Enumerators were asked to just enter just the person's first name and surname, but middle names sometimes appear. If people in the household shared the same surname 'do' (ditto) may appear beneath the first instance. Common name abbreviations include: Jno. (John), Jas. (James), Wm. (William), Thos. (Thomas), Rbt. or Robt. (Robert), Chas. (Charles) Geo. (George) and Eliz. or Elizth. (Elizabeth). If a child had not yet been given a Christian name, n.k. (not known) was recorded.

AGE and SEX [with Male and Female columns below]
Children under 15 were to have their age recorded accurately. If under 1, the number of months were noted. Anyone over 15 were to be rounded down to the nearest 5 years. As an example, anyone aged 31-34 would be recorded as 30 - exact ages can still be found though.

PROFESSION, TRADE, EMPLOYMENT, or of INDEPENDANT MEANS
See table below for abbreviations. 

Where born [with Whether Born in same County and Whether Born in Scotland, Ireland or Foreign Parts columns below]
'Y' or 'N' (Yes or No) for whether born in the census county, 'S' for Scotland, 'I' for Ireland, 'F' for Foreign Parts and 'NK' if not known. Not until the following census, that of 1851, is place of birth more explanatory.

Abbreviations to describe Occupations:

Abbreviations were most commonly used in 1841; by 1881 the only one mentioned was Ag. Lab. (agricultural labourer).

Notes on the 1841 Census of England and Wales