The first name-based census had taken place in 1841, just four years into Queen Victoria's long reign. With her death on 22 January 1901, the 1891 account proved to be the last of the transformative Victorian era (Incidentally, the monarch missed being enumerated as she was on the French Riviera).
It was taken on the night of Sunday 5 April 1891, with enumerators collecting returns over the following day.
On 7 April The Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser reported:
'Yesterday the enumerators found their heaviest duties. They had not merely to collect the papers, but in many instances had to fill them up. It is remarkable how difficult many people
found it to be to correctly fill up the forms, plain and unmistakable as they were, and more overfurnished with examples. Early yesterday morning, even in the pouring rain, collectors were seen filling up papers in doorways, the tenants dictating the entries.'
The article ended with a choice snippet from the capital: 'At Camberwell Workhouse, London, yesterday Polly Thompson was returned at 104 years of age. In the same institution several of the inmates were stated to be 99, 98, 97, and 95 years of age.' (Polly, or more formally Mary, appears to have been telling the truth, as her death was recorded in 1893, aged 107.)
"What's this?"
Taking the Census: Experiences of an Enumerator,
The Illustrated London News, 11 April 1891.
For 1891 the census headings were as follows:
No. of Schedule
ROAD, STREET, and No. or NAME OF HOUSE
HOUSES [with Inhabited and Uninhabited (U.) or Building (B.) in columns below]
Number of rooms occupied if less than five
NAME and Surname of each Person
RELATION to Head of Family
CONDITION as to Marriage
AGE last Birthday of [with Males and Females in columns below]
PROFESSION or OCCUPATION
Employer
Employed
Neither employer nor employed, but working on own account
WHERE BORN
If
(1) Deaf-and-Dumb
(2) Blind
(3) Lunatic, Imbecile or Idiot
Note: A couple of variations found in the Scotland and Wales & Monmouthshire schedules are noted later in this article.
In England and Wales, census enumerators' books CEBs) were now organized by administrative county, civil parish, municipal borough, municipal ward, urban sanitary district (USD), town or village or hamlet, rural sanitary district (RSD), parliamentary borough or division, and ecclesiastical parish or district.
Since the last census a series of Acts (the Divided Parishes and Poor Law Amendment Act of 1882 and Local Government Act of 1888) had altered local boundaries and created new administrative counties. Consequently a further addition was made to the CEBs of England and Wales; a box entitled 'Administrative County of...' in the top-left hand corner.
New Questions
Newly introduced questions were those related to employment status and occupied rooms (if under five). 'Rank', a feature of the occupation column since 1851, was dropped; over time it had become increasingly redundant.
Charles Booth (1840-1916), a social statistician, had led the call for a clear delineation as whether an individual was an employer, employed or working on their own account. The Registrar General, Sir Brydges Powell Henniker, had challenged its necessity, but he was overruled by the Local Government Board (LGB). In the end it was found that many of these columns were completed incorrectly or left blank - so treat any answers with a degree of caution.
As to 'rooms occupied', no definition was provided to either householders or enumerators as to what counted as a room. This was commented upon by The Yorkshire Post (4 April 1891): 'But what is a room? - that is, what is the householder's definition of a room? It may answer his purpose to include the larder and the coal cellar.'
Consequently, answers would have also included the scullery, shop room, closets etc. Come 1901 this enquiry was qualified. The intent of this question was linked to ongoing concerns regarding overcrowding and sanitation and the need for improvements in housing.
'Rooms occupied' was not a feature of the 1891 Scotland schedule, but a final column did ask for the number of 'Rooms with One of More Windows.'
Female Enumerators
1891 marked the first time female census-takers were recruited, though on forms a sole printed 'Mr' still appeared after the 'Name of the Enumerator'. A study in 1894 identified at least 34 women amongst the initial cohort.
The Globe and Traveller (2 April 1891) commented on the important development thus:
'It is noted, in connection with next Sunday's labours, that female enumerators are being employed in the distribution of the papers. The gentler sex has been largely utilised in this way across the Atlantic, and with the best results, the ladies being found to be singularly careful and accurate in their computations. It is only in the matter of her age and her personal expenditure that a woman is inaccurate.'
Amongst their number was a 27-year-old Miss Bessie Cripps, who enumerated district 21, St Giles, Oxfordshire. Her posting though may have been helped by the fact that her father, Francis Cripps, was Superintendent Registrar in nearby Headington.
Accounting for Languages
In 1891 (and 1901) enumerators in the East End of London - an area with a high Jewish population - gave out specially translated schedules in Yiddish and German. These aided speakers in the correct completion of the English version. Their influx from Eastern Europe had been triggered by anti-Jewish pogroms following the assassination of Tsar Alexander II.
Separate schedules were issued In Wales and Monmouthshire. These included a final column, entitled 'Language Spoken'; enquiring as whether individuals spoke English, Welsh or both. Some Welsh parishes though - administered under English Registration Districts - did not receive the appropriate schedule. The Census Report revealed that 759,416 spoke only English, 508,036 only Welsh, and 402,252 both.
Schedules in Scotland questioned whether individuals spoke 'Gaelic or G. & E.', namely Gaelic and English.
Census day, 5 April, coincided with the Easter holiday for many schools and universities. As a result, some pupils and students may appear in unanticipated locations.
All vessels in port (arriving since 30 March) were now enumerated as were those engaged in the UK coasting trade who berthed up to the end of June. Shipping schedules are usually at the end of the household returns for the nearest census night port/place or schedule delivery point.
In 1891, England Wales were shown to have a combined population of 29,002,525. Scotland recorded a population of 4,025,647.
The only known missing pieces from 1891 are the returns for Great White Lion Street in Holborn, London.
How to Access the 1891 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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