Special Census Returns: Institutions, the British Army, Royal Navy and Merchant Marine Vessels

1. Institutions

Amongst the numerous institutions were: 

• Gaols, Prisons, Penitentiaries and Houses of Correction
• Certified Reformatories and Industrial Schools
• Hulks or Prison Ships
• Workhouses, including Pauper Schools
• Almshouses
• Hospitals and Infirmaries 
• Lunatic Asylums and Madhouses 
• Public Schools, Endowed Schools and Colleges
• Barracks and Military Quarters
• Plus other public or charitable institutions

Superintendent registrars were required to send a list of such institutions to the General Register Office for England and Wales (GRO). Commissioners then decided which would be enumerated.

Special institutional enumerators' books were then forwarded to the heads of each, who became the designated enumerator. These numbered the 'master or keeper of every Gaol, Prison, or House of Correction, Workhouse, Hospital, or Lunatic Asylum, and of every public or charitable institution.' 

Their books closely resembled the enumerators' summary books (ESBs). Entries were made directly and unlike household schedules there was no address column to each page. Upon completion they were returned to the Superintendent Registrar. Once checked they were forwarded to the Census Office in London.

In the 1841 census the number of 'inmates' of each was not specified, but come 1851 those that had more than 200 automatically qualified. This remained the target figure for 1861-1881; in 1891 it was lowered to 100.

Those for 1841 are often found at the end of household returns or at the end of the returns for the hundred (the administrative division) in which they lay. In future censuses they can be located at the end of returns for place or registration district. 

Institution Census Headings (Source: 1901 Census)

  
[Column 1]

NAME and SURNAME.
This Schedule must include any person dwelling in this Institution on the Night of March 31st, and alive at Midnight; and also any person who, although not in the Institution during the Census Night, arrived on the morning of Monday, April 1st, and had not been enumerated elsewhere. No one else must be included. 

Write first the Name of the Chief Resident Officer, followed by the Names of his Wife, Children and other Relatives, the names of any Visitors, Boarders, and Servants; then the names of other Officers of the Institution, followed by the names of the Special Inmates - such as Guests, Paupers, Patients, &c.

[Column 2]
RELATION to Head of Family, or Position in the Institution.
State whether Head or Wife, Son, Daughter, or other Relative, Visitor, Guest, Boarder, Officer, Servant &c. and give the designation of Inmates.

[Column 3] 
CONDITION as to Marriage.
Write either "Married," "Widower," "Widow," or "Single." opposite the Names of all Persons, except; Young Children.

[Columns 4-5]
AGE Last Birthday.
In the case of an Infant under One Year, state the age in Months, writing "Under 1 Month," " 1 Month," "2 Months," &c. 
[With two columns below, the first headed 'Males.' and the second 'Females.']

[Columns 6-8]
PROFESSION OR OCCUPATION.
[With three columns below]
[1] State the Occupation, if any, of each person (whether man, woman, or child). For those engaged in any trade or industry, state the particular branch, and also the material worked or dealt in. The instructions on Page ii. must be carefully read before this column is filled up.
[2] Write opposite the name of each person engaged in any trade or industry, either (1) "Employer" (that is employing persons other than domestic servants). (2) "Worker" (that is a worker for an employer); or (3) "Own Account", that is, neither Employer nor working for Employer, but working on own account.
[3] Write opposite the name of each person carrying on trade or industry at home, the words "At Home."

[Column 9]
WHERE BORN.
State the Birthplace of each person
(1) If in England or Wales, the County and Town, or Parish.
(2) If in Scotland or Ireland, the name of the Country.
(3) If in a British Colony or Dependency, the name of the Colony or Dependency. 
(4) If in a Foreign Country the name of the Country and whether the person be a "British Subject," or "Naturalised British Subject," or a "Foreign Subject," specifying nationality, such as "French, German, &c."

[Column 10]
If (1) Deaf and Dumb
    (2) Blind
    (3) Lunatic 
    (4) Imbecile feeble-minded.
Write the precise Infirmity, if any, opposite the name of the Person; and if the Infirmity dates from childhood, add "from childhood." Do not use such a general term as "Afflicted" or "Infirm."

The quality of institutional returns was very much dependent on the thoroughness as exercised by the institutional officer. Often they would just enter the first letter of a forename and in 1861 only initials needed to be returned e.g. 'J.S. for John Smith.

The types of 'inmates' also impacted the information providable. Young school boarders might not know their place of birth, whilst workhouse elders might not be deemed as having occupations. As the only relationship given is that relating to the institution (e.g. inmate), any familial relationships can be difficult to determine from the return alone. 

Commonly the place of birth entry is very broad. Rather than a parish, entries such as London or a county are provided. 

Further details on persons in institutions may be found through admission and discharge registers, creed (religious affiliation) books, and collections of case notes or medical data.
These are usually accessible through local record offices. Ancestry also hold a range of registers for asylums, colleges, prisons, schools and workhouses.

Amongst the non-traditional British households was Buckingham Palace, the monarch's London residence. In 1841 is was first enumerated on an Institutional schedule. The principal residents were recorded as 'The Queen' and 'H.R.H. [His Royal Highness] Prince Albert; the column for occupation was left blank.

The Census Report for 1861 was published in 1863 and duly scrutinized by The Times for interesting morsels. In reference to solicitors in institutions, they noted that ten were in workhouses, 32 were in prison for debt and 60 were in lunatic asylums.   

2. The British Army

Soldiers in military quarters and large barracks were enumerated like other institutions. The special enumerator was either the resident quarter or barrack master. For those stationed overseas the military authorities provided the Census Office with the numbers of officers, other ranks, wives and children, either by place and regiment.

Only come the 1911 census was nominal (name-based) information on those stationed abroad collated, which included accompanying wives and children.

'The Census of the Guards' (1861).

3. The Royal Navy (RN)

There is a lack of detailed instructions or surviving ships' schedules for the Royal Navy.  In 1841 only a headcount of Royal Navy officers and crew was probably attempted. In 1851 special schedules appear to have been issued for vessels in British ports. 

From 1861, commanding officers of Royal Navy (RN) vessels, both in home and foreign waters, were provided with special naval schedules. 

The schedules for 1861-81 had columns for name and surname, rank or rating (defined as 'quality' in 1861), condition, age and birthplace. Passengers were included in these returns.

The schedules of 1891 and 1901 had columns for name and surname, relation to vessel, condition, age last birthday, profession or occupation, whether employer, employee or self-employed (passengers only), birthplace and medical disabilities. The returns for 1891 and some of those for 1901 are missing.

Responsibility for co-ordinating naval census returns lay with the Admiralty.

'On Board the Fleet, Spithead' (1861).

4. The Merchant Marine

Unlike the rest of the nineteenth-century censuses, the enumeration of the merchant marine
was performed over a period of time rather then a day; and this itself varied between each. 

• In 1841 the GRO simply asked the General Register and Record Office of Seaman to provide the number of serving men on its register. 
• In 1851 an attempt was made to enumerate those on vessels in harbour and in specific categories persons at sea within a certain time frame. These were comprised of:
  1. Those in harbour on census night (30 March), including foreign ships from which British subjects were identified. On 15 March the customs officers gave a ship's schedule to the master of British ships in port and to those arriving up until 30 March. These were collected on 31 March.
  2. Those at sea on census night engaged in the home trade. Masters were supplied with a schedule prior to departure or on return. These were collected from 31 March to 30 April.
  3. Those sailing to and from overseas; a headcount for which came via the General Register of Seamen. 
  The majority of ships' schedules for 1851 have been destroyed. The 1851 ships' schedule served as the template for those used until 1901, with any major changes reflecting those made to the household schedule. 
• In 1861 customs officers issued schedules ('Form A') to the master of each British foreign-bound, home-trade and coasting vessel in harbour on 25 March, or which arrived up until census day, 7 April. These were collected on 8 April. Additional forms were handed to home-trade and coasting British vessels from 8 April to 7 May.
• In 1871 'Form A' was utilized again. They were issued to all British (and now foreign) vessels in harbour on 25 March, or which arrived up until 2 April, census day. These were collected on 3 April. Additional forms were handed to home-trade and coasting British vessels from 3 April to 2 May.
• In 1881 schedules were issued to all British and foreign vessels in harbour on 26 March, or which arrived up until 3 April, census day. These were collected on 4 April. Additional forms were handed to home-trade and coasting British vessels arriving from 4 April to 3 May.
• In 1891 schedules were issued to British, foreign or colonial vessels in harbour on 30 March, or which arrived up until census day, 5 April. Additional forms were handed to British and foreign vessels in the UK coasting trade arriving from 6 April to 30 June.
• In 1901 schedules were issued to British, foreign or colonial vessels in harbour on 23 March, or which arrived up until census day, 31 March. Additional forms were handed to British and foreign vessels in the UK coasting trade arriving from 1 April to 30 June.
• Come 1911 responsibility for collecting and collating schedules for merchant vessels lay with the Customs Office.