The 1841 census of England, Wales and Scotland marked a complete overhaul of census-taking in the United Kingdom. The first four censuses (1801-1831) had essentially been statistical headcounts. 1841 was nominal (name-based), rather than numeric, and consequently is the first genuinely useful UK census for family historians.
Since the 1820s there had been increasing calls for a more ambitious, efficient and investigative census. Many suggestions propounded by the The London Statistical Society (LSS) were incorporated into the Population Act of 1840, which was based on a bill drafted by Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842). Lister was the first Registrar General of the General Register Office for England and Wales (GRO), recently founded in 1836. As head, he was in charge of the census process and one of three commissioners responsible for organizing the count (the initiator and overseer of the four pre-Victorian censuses, John Rickman, had died in August 1840).
The registration districts were based on those used for civil registration, which had been based on Poor Law Unions. These do not exactly match parish boundaries and as a result some cross county boundaries. For census purposes the 619 civil registration districts were divided into a total of 35,000 enumeration districts.
A pilot enumeration in London had convinced the Registrar General of the unfeasibility of having enumerators gathering data door-to-door. As a result the use of household schedules (forms) was only authorised two months prior to the census. Whilst keen to be progressive, Lister wanted to produce as simple a schedule as possible; he believed most of the populace were too illiterate
Each local enumerator was issued with the required number of household schedules, a census enumerator's book and memorandum book. A schedule and accompanying instructions were handed to the householder in the week leading up to the census.
The household schedule headings were as follows:
PLACE
HOUSES [with Uninhabited or Building and Inhabited columns below]
NAMES of each person who abode therein the preceding Night
AGE and SEX [with Male and Female columns below]
PROFESSION, TRADE, EMPLOYMENT, or of INDEPENDANT MEANS
Where born [with Whether Born in same County and Whether Born in Scotland, Ireland or Foreign Parts columns below]
The duty lay with the head of the household when it came to their completion, unless they were illiterate in which case the enumerator assisted upon collection. Thus it was the first occasion that primary responsibility for form-filling lay with the head; the numeric censuses of 1801-1831 having been completed by the overseers of the poor or 'other substantial householders'.
The census took place on the night of Sunday 6 June 1841. The timing, just prior to the working week, made it more likely that individuals would be at their usual residence. Whilst enumeration on a single night was the best way to avoid counting anyone twice. An army of 35,000 enumerators collected the completed schedules the following morning. They then faced the not inconsiderable task of transcribing the details into their pre-printed census enumerator book. Inevitably some names were badly transcribed and researchers can also fall victim to atrocious handwriting.
They were instructed to enter an individuals first name and surname, so it is uncommon to encounter middle names. If a child had not yet been given a Christian name, n.k. (not known) was recorded. Forenames were often abbreviated as there wasn't much space; amongst the most common are:
Chas. - Charles
Eliz. or Elizth. - Elizabeth
Geo. - George
Jno. - John
Jas. - James
Rbt. or Robt. - Robert
Thos. - Thomas
Wm. - William
For occupations, enumerators were permitted to use abbreviations. These were commonly employed in 1841; 'Ag. Lab.' (Agricultural Labourer) being amongst the most frequent. For a list, see Abbreviations to describe Occupations.
A single diagonal penstroke '/' marked the end of a household, whereas a double penstroke '//' marked the end of a building.
Particular to 1841, is that entries were made in pencil. Unfortunately, some pages have faded over time making interpretation difficult; pen and ink were utilized from 1851.
Enumerators were also expected to record individuals in their district who slept 'in barges, boats, or other small vessels, remaining stationary on canals or other inland navigable waters; in mines or pits, barns, sheds, or the like, in tents or in the open air; and all not enumerated (although abiding within the district) as inmates of any dwelling-house from other causes'.
Once complete, the books and schedules were dispatched - via the local Registrar and Superintendent Registrar for checking - to the Census Office in London. Having used them as reference, the forms were destroyed. This system ran from 1841 to 1901.
Special schedules were devised for institutions. These were issued to the 'Master or keeper of every Gaol, Prison, or House of Correction, Workhouse, Hospital, or Lunatic Asylum, and of every public or charitable Institution.' In these cases the master of keeper was designated as enumerator and was charged with sending them to the Superintendent Registrar.
Also for the first time, military personnel in the country aboard their ships or in barracks were included.
Sadly, Thomas Lister did not live to sign off his first Census Report, dying on 5 June 1842.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the 1841 census.
Buckingham Palace was enumerated as an institution.
For all the innovations of the 1841 census, there are a four notable failings:
- Firstly, precise addresses are not commonly found in the 'PLACE' column. Where a street name does appear house numbers are rarely noted and in rural areas only the village or hamlet name is provided.
- The second failing is the total absence of a 'Relation to Head of Family' column. To work out inter-relationships one has to play this information off against future censuses and civil registration records.
- Thirdly, there is the manner in which ages were recorded. Children under 15 were to have their age recorded accurately; if under 1, the number of months were noted. But 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. In some cases enumerators even rounded up rather than down. This bizarre method of recording ages can prove particularly frustrating (and confusing) for modern-day researchers.
- The fourth and final failing is the 'Where born' column. The options in 1841 were '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.
The first Victorian census was undeniably a major step forward on those before, but it was transitional - a work in progress. Come 1851 the above mentioned failings had been addressed. The template was then set and the subsequent five censuses saw very little change. Not until 1911, just prior to the Great War, did the census undergo more revolutionary changes. For more information read our blog article The 1911 Census in England and Wales: Time for Change.
How to Access the 1841 Census
England and Wales
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.
Scotland
Digitised images from the Scotland Census (1841-1921) are only publicly available through ScotlandsPeople. Each record is free to search, but currently costs £1.50 (six credits) to view.
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