Introduction and Learning Aids

If you are new to this hobby and haven't used census records before, you might start by taking lesson #9 on Using Census Records at Rootsweb. This will give you an appreciation for the values and problems of using census returns, indexes and such. And you will learn the difference between a soundex and surname index.

There is also a good overview of the British Census and why it is valuable at British Genealogy.

For England, the census started in 1801 and was conducted every ten years except during World War II in 1941. Until 1841, they typically record a surname and a count of males and females in certain age brackets. These early census records are of limited value to family historians. For Lincolnshire, there are very few pre-1841 census records available at the Salt Lake FHL or through the Family History Centres. In some cases, a "special" census was taken during non-census years. Some are available at the Lincolnshire Archives. To find out more about pre-1841 census and special census returns, see:

1. "Pre-1841 censuses & population listings in the British Isles," by Colin R. Chapman, Lochin Publishing, c1994. A copy is available in the Salt Lake City Family History Library, call no. 942 X27cc 1994.
2. "Local Census Listings 1522-1930 Holdings in the British Isles," by Jeremy Gibson and Mervyn Medlycott, Federation of Family History Societies, c1997.

How was the Census Conducted?

Here's how the census worked in England: Each Registration District is sub-divided into Sub-Districts and the latter into Enumeration Districts containing perhaps 25 to 200 houses. An "Enumerator" was assigned to one or more Enumeration Districts. In the week preceding census night, the appointed enumerator delivered schedules to all households in the area assigned. The instructions were that no person present that night was to be omitted and no person absent were to be included. If individuals were working that night or were traveling, they would be enumerated in the house to which they would normally return after finishing their shift, or where they were to stay at the next stop on their journey.

How were the enumerators selected? In 1841 they were chosen from the "Constabulary and certain assistants" approved by the Constabulary Authorities. Thereafter "none but those who were under the immediate control of the State were employed". This is from the Times 1863 so applies to the 1851/1861 census. Thank you, [Nivard Ovington, 2006]

The census schedule (or enumerator) asked the age of each person on their last birthday. The 1841 census was rounded down to the nearest 5 years for everyone 15 and over, although this instruction was not always followed. A person of 34 was listed as 30, someone 36 was listed as 35. From 1851 on, the age is as reported on the schedule or to the enumerator.

On the Monday after the census night the enumerator returned to collect the completed schedules. If any had not been filled in, the enumerator had to do so by asking the householder for the information. These returns were then copied into printed books of blank forms.

People who were normally away from their places of residences, like fishermen, shift workers etc. were catered for at their place of work. If fishermen were on a boat owned by a company, the company filled in the details of their employees and the boats they were on. The same happened with shift workers. Members of say, the Navy were treated in a similar way and the census was completed for the ship they were on. Also inmates of hospitals, workhouses, asylums etc. were all listed where they happened to spend the night of the census and enumerators had these places included in their areas and were generally listed on separate census sheets. [John Bartlett]

What is a Piece Number?

Every piece of paper for the census has a Piece Number, although the term is usually applied to mean "what is the reference number I need to find village X in year Y?" Thus, if you are looking for the parish of Crowland, there should be a piece number for each census year that will take you right to the returns for Crowland.

The Piece Number for each annual census starts with an "agency" reference, like H.O. for Home Office, for the agency that stored the documents. For 1861, the Piece Number starts with RG9, meaning Registrar General item #9. The census enumeration pages were preprinted with page numbers, but as there was a need for more than one book to make up each civil parish/sub-district, page numbers are in fact duplicated (same page numbers in one or more books). To get around this problem, 'folio' numbers are stamped on each 'sheet' of paper in the groups of books collected together (in bundles or piece numbers) in the enumeration district. Thus each page can be identified by a code like: RG9/968/16 where RG9 = 1861 year, 968 identifies the Peterborough Registration District and 16 is the folio (two pages) for Crowland parish entries.

The 1841 census is different. As well as a piece number and a folio number, there is a book number. The system works as follows: Given a reference of HO 107/637/9/5, HO 107/637 is the piece number, 9 is the book number for Horkstow and 5 is the folio number.

This whole system was designed so that the reference number could take you directly to a sheet of paper with the information you seek, although it doesn't tell you which side it is on.

If you buy a census index from the LFHS, then this note applies: Each 1841 census index sold on fiche by the LFHS should be accompanied by a sheet of paper listing the codes for the relevant books for each place. This sheet is a copy of frame three of the microfiche. The index gives the reference 37/5. The accompanying sheet shows that "37" refers to Horkstow, piece number 637 and book number 9.

Always note the piece number and folio number of any census returns that you note down so that you can easily find it again if necessary.

In Which Years was it Conducted?

Censuses of the poor: In the latter part of the 16th century and the opening decades of the 17th, special censuses of the poor were taken. These determined the numbers and conditions of the poor in particular towns, and often included finding out where individuals had come from, reflecting the close link between migration and poverty, as well as who should pay for the poor. To the author's knowledge, none have survived.

The Lincolnshire Archives holds the following "special" or pre-1841 census returns:

In 1915, the Alien Act mandated a Parochial Census, but I have no information on the contents or sources.

The census of 1931 was destroyed by fire, cause unknown. No census was taken in 1941. However, a special census was conducted in 1939.

Surname Indexes

There was no national surname index or soundex created for any census. In Lincolnshire, we are fortunate that the Lincolnshire FHS made a commitment to create county surname indexes for most years. There are surname indexes for most of the county for 1841 through and including 1891. To find a surname index, go to the Lincolnshire Family History Society page, click on their link and at their site, look under "Publications". It may be easier to buy these via the Federation of Family History Societies Bookstore, which allows purchase by Credit Card.

Note: Each of the surname indexes are now available on CD-ROM, That is, one CD for each year (covers ALL the Lincs. Registration Districts).

1841: The Lincolnshire Family History Society has created Surname indexes by Registration District, which show on which pages each surname appears. There are no first names or ages in these indexes. Cost is approx. £20.

1851: The Lincolnshire Family History Society has created Surname indexes by Registration District, which show on which pages each surname appears. Cost is approx. £20.

1861: The Lincolnshire Family History Society has created Surname indexes by Registration District, which show on which pages each surname appears.

A country-wide Surname Index to the 1861 Census Returns for Ships has been compiled by the LDS on microfiche, No. 6025598, and can be ordered in at the local Family History Center. The census returns for 1861 are particularly useful as additional maritime information was requested of the masters of the vessels moored at recognised ports on census nights. The procedure was not used in subsequent censuses. [Margaret Taylor]

1871: The Lincolnshire Family History Society has created Surname indexes by Registration District, which show on which pages each surname appears.

1881: Only the 1881 census has been indexed for all of the UK by surname. Many Family History Centres have this surname index on microfiche, some on CD. When using the search capabilities of the 1881 census, don't forget to review the "Advanced Query" options (from the toolbar) if you don't find what you are looking for right away.

1891: The Lincolnshire Family History Society has created Surname indexes by Registration District, which show on which pages each surname appears. Cost is approx. £20.

You must know which Registration District your relatives were in, as there is a separate index for each district. Surname Indexes will allow you to search a given Registration District for each occurrence of a specific surname. Each entry will give you the necessary reference information to either 'look up' the household via fiche/film or 'order a photocopy' from Lincolnshire. The indexes do not include first names, ages or relationships.

Some of the surname indexes produced by the Lincolnshire FHS are now available on diskette. That makes it possible to import them into a database program and combine several Registration Districts into one search tool. The cost is about £2.50 or £3.00 per district.

Please note: Any surname indexes which you purchase are probably protected by copyright and cannot be republished by you to a website or shared database.

1901: The 1901 census can be searched, online, for a name at no charge. However, to see the full page or full entry requires purchasing a "voucher". This service is provided by the Public Record Office.

Street Indexes

The Street Indexes tell you on which folio numbers each street appears. These are useful if you are searching in a large town. Here is a list of the Street Indexes which you can consult at the Lincolnshire Archives, and copies may be available in other large libraries like the Family History Library in Salt Lake City:

Street Numbers

Street Numbers (or, more properly, House Numbers) and even Street Names were changed from time to time. Stamford renamed many of its streets, retiring some names, changing others. Local councils were required to provide logical street numbering under the Town Improvement Clauses Act 1847 and the Public Health Act 1875. This enabled premises to be quickly and easily identified by the Post Office, tradesmen, emergency and other services. [John Rouse]

Added to which, towns have often re-numbered the same street, after new buildings have made the old numbering confusing. So when your relative suddenly moves from 10 Aswell Street to 14 Aswell Street, they didn't necessarily have to pack up and go! Which also means, when you in all good faith go and photograph today's number 10 as your ancestral home, they may actually have lived in 14. [Liz Davies]

So, the house you find as #5 Wellington Crescent in one census, could be #9 Waterloo Way in the next. Same building, different address.

Strays

A census "Stray", in genealogical circles, is someone who was found, let us say, in Grimsby during the census, but who was born somewhere else. Normally, we would use it to define Lincolnshire-born individuals who are recorded out-of-county, but it may also include those enumerated on ships or overseas. For example:

• For a list of Lincolnshire strays, see Sheila Richards' Strays.
• The Lincolnshire FHS keeps track of census strays. You can query the current Strays Co-ordinator via e-mail by contacting LFHS Local Queries - Strays.
• And the Doug Gostelow 1851 Stray List.
• There are some Lincolnshire strays on the Bottesford census from 1851, 1891 and a quarter of the 1871 census on Guy Etchell's pages.
• A number of lads were in the military, some stationed at Woolwich in 1861.
• Here's a text file of the Lincolnshire-born residents of the Hull Mariner's Hospital in 1861.

Census Copies

There is an ambitious project underway to put each 19th century UK census online with free access. Although not very far into the project, keep an eye on FreeCen, hosted at Rootsweb. They have started with the 1891 census and are looking for volunteer help.

The Mormon Family History Library in Salt Lake City can provide microfilm copies of all these census returns from 1841 through 1891. You can also order portions of the 1891 census on fiche from the LDS. You do this through a Family History Centre associated with the Mormon church. You should also check the Lincolnshire Family History Society as it has some census materials available to members and non-members. You can order microfiche copies of the 1891 census from the Public Record Office, but the approximate cost for all of Lincolnshire would be over 2,000 Pounds Sterling!

The Lincolnshire Archives have some census holdings, but the spread is incomplete (at last check, they did not have 1861). The 1841 census for Lincoln City and the "county of the city" is at Lincolnshire Archives in paper format.

You can order census printouts from the North Lincolnshire Libraries site, or E-Mail: LINCLIB. Their web site has a list of all the census records they hold and the services they provide. They accept payment by credit card. Costs are about 60p per page. Within the UK, responses are often received within 4 days.

You can also order census printouts from the Lincoln Central Library, Free School Lane, Lincoln LN2 1EZ Tel 01522 510800, Fax 01522 535882, E-Mail: Lincoln Central Library. Contact them first to see if they have the census portion your want. Costs are about 50p per page plus postage. They accept payment by credit card. For locals, the 1841 census is available here on microfiche (very readable).

You can get the 1861 census (copies of the actual pages) on CD from Archive CD Books. Be careful: The Lincolnshire CD contains only Registration Districts listed as being in Lincolnshire, so some Lincolnshire parishes may be in other districts.

For the 1881 census you can explore the Ships in Port, Kingston on Hull, Yorkshire site looking for your Lincolnshire mariners and fishermen.

You can enter a place name for the 1891 census and the Census Place site names the Registration District.

The 1901 Census for England and Wales was taken on 31 March 1901. The population at the time was over 32 million. The Public Record Office (PRO) has awarded a contract to the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) to digitise the returns and make them available electronically via the Internet from that date.

The Mormon Family History Library in Salt Lake City currently has the 1881 UK census available for online lookup at no charge.

Commercial Sources

Note: The listing of a resource in this commercial section is not an endorsement of the product.

In the UK:

There is an "all-UK" surname index to the 1881 census. It may be at your local FHS, FHC or public library. It can be ordered on CD. In 1999 it cost £29 54p for the 25 CD set, which includes a national index, and a complete transcription area by area. Lincolnshire is in East Anglia and is unique as it is on one CD. In the UK, telephone 0121 785 2200 to order. Or send snail mail to: LDS Church Distribution Centre, 399, Garretts Green Lane, Birmingham, B33 0U14.

In the US and Canada, go to the FamilySearch web site and follow the links: > Order Family History Resources > Software Products > Census and Vital Records. The price is $33 (U.S.) for the complete set or you may order individual CDs by region (e.g. East Anglia) ranging from in price from US$4.25 to US$8.00. They will be shipped by post.

This comment from John Emerson on the 1881 Census CDs: One of the drawbacks of the 1881 census discs, marvelous a tool as they are, is that there are a great many errors of transcription on them. Do bear in mind that the information you have on the discs is actually FOURTH hand! There is a good argument, in fact, for taking the view that even the discs with the actual census data on them - not just the National Index - should be regarded as an index in themselves and the information you find on them still checked against that on the census films. These were the stages of the whole process in producing the discs.....

1. The people concerned in 1881 filled in the original forms, or if they were illiterate the enumerator did it for them.
2. The enumerator then re-recorded the information into his book.
3. The LDS created photocopies of the enumerators' books and these were transcribed during the 1980s and 90s by hundreds of volunteers from British family history societies all over the country. The census was issued first in microfilm version before the CDs.
4. The final inputting for the CDs was done by teams of LDS volunteers in Salt Lake City who apparently worked very long hours on shifts and, even though there was a double entry keying program, inevitably errors crept in.

For those who want to know more about the census and other records, get a copy of "Marriage and Census Indexes for Family Historians," by Jeremy Gibson and Elizabeth Hampson, ISBN 1-86006-067-6, from the Society of Genealogists Bookshop for £3.50.

Archive CD Books has the 1861 census for Lincolnshire on CD and has just completed the 1841. These will be the actual census pages, not indexes.

Genealogy Supplies has several census supplies and material.

Stepping Stones in the UK has census materials as well.

T W R Computing, also in the UK, is another supplier you can use.

[From Public Record Office document RG13/4825, Folio 42 Page ii]

The examples page referred to in the following directions is also available here, but please note that the image file is of 217 Kb and may take a while to download.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS TO THE ENUMERATOR AS TO THE USE OF THIS BOOK.

Immediately after the completion of the Enumeration-

(l.) Arrange and number the Occupiers' Schedules, Shipping, Insitution and other Scedules in such Order that all those relating to One Civil Parish, one Ecclesiastical Parish, one Municipal Borough, or other local subdivision, follow each other.

(2.) COPY THE SCHEDULES VERY LEGIBLY IN INK into this Enumeration Book, in accordance with the following directions:-
 

1. Insert first, in the spaces at the top of the page, the name of the Civil Parish; Ecclesiastical Parish; County Borough, Municipal Borough or Urban District; Ward of Municipal Borough or of Urban District; Rural District; Parliamentary Borough or Division; and Town, Village or Hamlet, in which the houses referred to on that page are situated, drawing' your pen through such of the headings as are inapplicable; see Example. No Schedule is to be entered on a page unless it belong to each of the local sub-divisions named in the Heading. See also Instruction No. 6.
    
2. In the first column, write the No. of the Schedule you are about to copy, commencing with No. 1; in the second column the name of the Road, Street; Square, &c., in which the. house is situated, and the No. of the house, .or any distinctive name by which it is known; then insert in the third column the figure 1 for an Inhabited House. As regards an Uninhabited House, i.e., a House in which no person abode on the Census night, its number or name should be entered in column 2, and a figure 1 inserted opposite in column 4 if the house be in occupation for business or other purpose, but in column 5 if not in occupation for any purpose. For a house in course of building a figure 1 should be inserted in column 6.
    
3. Under the last entry for each house draw a strong DOUBLE line, as in the example on the opposite page, to separate such entries from those for the house next following; and where there are two or more occupiers in the same house, draw a single line to distinguish the separate families, as in the example, [NOTE-- The occupier of a separate tenement, even if living alone without wife or family, must be treated as a separate family.]
   
   Enter in the same manner the contents of all the other Schedules, in strict numerical order.
    
4. Insert in- col.7 against the name of each occupier the number of rooms occupied if less than five.
    
5. Copy from the Schedule into the other columns. all the particulars concerning the persons returned therein, without any omission, or any abbreviation except those authorised in the Instruction at the foot of this page, taking especial care to enter the ages of MALES and of FEMALES in their PROPER COLUMNS, and to copy front columns 6, 7 and 8 of the Schedules without any omission, alteration or abbreviation, into Columns 13, 14 and 15.
    
6. When the particulars of all the Schedules belonging to the Civil Parish; Ecclesiastical Parish; County Borough, Municipal Borough or Urban District; Ward of Municipal Borough or of Urban District; Rural District; Parliamentary Borough or Division; and Town, Village or Hamlet named in the Heading have been entered, write across the page, "End of the Civil Parish of ----," End of the Municipal Borough of ----," or end of any other local sub-division which happens to he included on that page. See the printed Example. on page iii. The rest of the page must then be left blank, and the following Schedule must be entered on the first line of the next page.
    
7. At the foot of each page, on the line for the purpose, enter (a) the total number of Schedules; (b) of Houses in the respective columns 3, 4, 5 and 6; (c) of Tenements of less than 5 rooms; (d) of Males in column 11; and (e) of Females in column 12, as in the example.
    
8. If you have enumerated any persons in Canal Boats or Barges; enter the particulars from the Schedules for Vessels in the same manner as from the Occupiers' Schedules, stating in col.2 the locality in which the boats, &c., were enumerated.
    
9. If you have obtained information and noted it in your Memorandum Book, respecting persons not dwelling in houses but in Barns; Sheds, Caravans, &c., the particulars, whether complete or not, should be entered under the proper Road, Lane, or other locality; in making up the totals at the foot of that page, however, the Barns, Sheds &c., must not be counted as Houses.
    
10. Before proceeding to make up the Abstract on page v., satisfy yourself (1) that all your Schedules have been correctly copied into this Book, (2) that the ages have been correctly entered in columns 11 and 12 for Males and Females respectively, and (3) that the additions at the foot of each page are accurate; then enter the totals in the Abstract and cast such figures to an aggregate for the whole Enumeration District. Finally, fill up Summary Table 1 on page iv and sign the first Declaration on page vi.
     

ABBREVIATIONS TO BE USED BY THE ENUMERATOR.

ROAD, STREET, &c. - Write "Rd." for Road; "St." for Street; "Pl." for Place; "Sq." for Square; "Ter." for Terrace.

NAMES - Write the First Christian Name in full; adding the initials, or the first letters of the other Christian Names of a person who has more than one.

When the same surname occurs several times in succession, write "Do" for all such surnames except the first; which must be written in full.

Where the name or any other particular, is not known and cannot be ascertained, "n.k." should be entered in its place.

In the column "RELATION TO HEAD OF FAMILY" write "Head" for Head of family; "Daur." for Daughter; "F.-in-law" and "M.-in-law" for Father-in-law and Mother-in-law respectively; "Serv." for Servant.

In the column "CONDITION AS TO MARRIAGE" write "M." for married; "S." for unmarried; "Wid." for widow; or "Widr." for widower.

In the columns for "age" write the number of years in figures very distinctly in the proper column for "Males" or "Females" as the case may be; in the case of children under One Year of age, as the age must be expressed in months, write "Mo." distinctly after the figures.

In the lists below PTV (Pay To View) is used generally to indicate sites that charge (either per view or by subscription) for images of the original documents or for full transcripts. These sites may provide basic details via free indexes.

There has been a census every ten years since 1801, excluding 1941. However, only those that date from 1841 are of real value to the family historian. The administration of the early census returns 1801-1831 was the responsibility of the Overseers of the Poor and the clergy.

Most of these early returns were unfortunately destroyed, although in some isolated instances they have been preserved. Note though that the surviving (pre-1841) lists are often little more than head counts. The census returns for 1841 were the first to be gathered under the aupices of the newly formed General Register Office and the first to be kept for posterity. In general, the information is released to the public after a hundred years. For example, the public will get access to the 1921 census returns in January 2022.

The 1841 census was different from the previous censuses in two important respects. Firstly, the administration passed into the hands of the Registrar General and the Superintendant Registrars, who were responsible for the registration of births, marriages and deaths. Many recent reforms, including the 1836 General Registration Act, which had culminated in the introduction of civil registration had resulted in a new layer of central and local government.

When the 1841 census was being prepared, it was seen as a logical step that it should also supervise the census. Consequently, civil registration and census taking became inter-related; any change in local boundaries or districts affected them both.

Secondly, the emphasis changed from questions concerned with population size, and the numbers engaged in certain occupations and the condition of the housing stock, to a much more detailed analysis of individuals and families, and the communities in which they lived.

The information recorded on individuals has tended to increase with each census. The information collected in each census is detailed on (internet archive copy) this GenDocs page.

Guy Etchells has assembled a collection of the official instructions given to enumerators for each census.

In 1851, in addition to the census of population a census was taken of places of worship. Although this was purely voluntary, most places of Worship made returns. This Ecclesiastical Census of 1851 is described by The National Archives in Discovery and the returns have been made available (free online) as part of the Digital Microfilm Project.

The census was taken on the following dates:

10 Mar		1801		No longer exists, with a few exceptions
27 May		1811		No longer exists, with a few exceptions
28 May		1821		No longer exists, with a few exceptions
30 May		1831		No longer exists, with a few exceptions
6 June		1841		Now available to the public, details below
30 March		1851		Now available to the public, details below
7 April		1861		Now available to the public, details below
2 April		1871		Now available to the public, details below
3 April		1881		Now available to the public, details below
5 April		1891		Now available to the public, details below
31 March		1901		Now available to the public, details below
2 April		1911		Now available to the public, details below
19 June		1921		Expected to be released by TNA in January 2022, see link below
26 April		1931		Destroyed during WW2
29 September		1939		(WW2 National Registration) Now available to the public, details below
8 April		1951
23 April		1961
25 April		1971
5 April		1981
21 April		1991
29 April		2001

Census returns are held at:

• The National Archives
  • For England and Wales only
• District Libraries, County Record Offices and FHS research rooms
  • normally have copies of the returns for their own area
• LDS
  • have copies of the census microfilms. These usually need to be ordered unless you are visiting a branch of the LDS in the same area as the returns in which you are interested.

It is advisable before making a trip to a library or record office, to check the exact whereabouts of specific census returns in order to avoid a wasted visit. Also some libraries may have a limited number of viewers and a booking may be necessary.

1801-1831

A few of these returns, in various level of detail, still exist.

• Do look at this Family Search page.
• And the "Other Censuses for England and Wales" tab on the 1911 census site.
• To see a detailed list what exists, look at this PDF on the University of Essex's server.
• There is a (work in progress) database of names in these returns online under the title Early British Census.
• See the GENUKI page for Devon for transcripts of surviving Devon returns

1841 (6 June)

• Some local indexes exist - see GENUKI county pages or those of the appropriate FHS
• Note that a number of pieces of the 1841 census have been lost.
  The missing pieces and their coverage are detailed on this FindMyPast page.
• PTV: national index & page images are available via this page from The National Archives (links to Ancestry)
• PTV: national index & page images are available from findmypast.co.uk
• PTV: indexes, transcripts, images for some counties are available from TheGenealogist
• PTV: indexes & images for some counties are available from BritishOrigins

1851 (30 March)

• Many local indexes exist - see GENUKI county pages or those of the appropriate FHS
• Note that a number of parishes are misssing from the 1851 census - see this FindMyPast page.
• There is a web site dedicated to theunfilmed Manchester census - http://www.1851-unfilmed.org.uk
• A case study on (internet archive copy) The Incompleteness of the 1851 Census Returns is available from GenDocs.
• PTV: national index & page images are available via this page from The National Archives (links to Ancestry)
• PTV: indexes, transcripts, images for some counties are available from TheGenealogist
• 1851 Census - 2% Sample. An ESRC-sponsored research project led by Professor Michael Anderson at Edinburgh University transcribed a 2% sample of English and Welsh census records some years ago. Through a misunderstanding, they were placed on GENUKI for a short while in 1995, but immediately withdrawn when we were informed that Professor Anderson and the ESRC had not given, and would not give, permission for the results of his project to be made freely available. The fact that the original census records can now be freely copied, thanks to the changed TNA rules does not alter the fact that Professor Anderson and the ESRC have a right to refuse to allow their transcriptions to be copied. Unfortunately there are still web-site owners who disregard the owner's wishes and continue to make copies of the original 2% sample files available on-line. We strongly recommend the alternative legal copies of these files that can now be purchased on CD-ROM, for example from S&N Genealogy Supplies. These have been augmented from other sources and more fully validated, and are accompanied by some excellent search facilities.

1861 (7 April)

• Some local indexes exist - see GENUKI county pages or those of the appropriate FHS
• Note that a number of pieces of the 1861 census have been lost.
  The missing pieces and their coverage are detailed on this FindMyPast page.
• PTV: national index & page images are available via this page from The National Archives (links to Ancestry)
• PTV: national index & page images are available from findmypast.co.uk
• PTV: indexes, transcripts, images for some counties are available from TheGenealogist

1871 (2 April)

• Some local indexes exist - see GENUKI county pages or those of the appropriate FHS
• Note that there are problems with a number of parishes in the 1871 census - see this FindMyPast page.
• PTV: national index & page images are available via this page from The National Archives (links to Ancestry)
• PTV: national index & page images are available from findmypast.co.uk
• PTV: indexes, transcripts, images for some counties are available from TheGenealogist
• PTV: indexes & images for some counties are available from BritishOrigins

UK and Ireland: Census

In general information about the availability of census records is to be found in GENUKI at the level of the separate countries making up the UK and Ireland - i.e. for England and Wales, for Scotland, and for Ireland. Here we just provide more general information related to the census.

Lumas, Susan. Making Use of the Census, The National Archives (2002) 128 pp. [ISBN 190336535x]
["This is a revised edition of this bestselling guide to census records at The National Archives. Census records are some of the most valuable and frequently used by family historians and the release of a new census every ten years is an eagerly anticipated event. Published to coincide with the opening of 1901 Census in January 2002, this new edition incorporates all the essential details for researchers wishing to exploit this new and important resource. It also offers practical advice to historians to find their way into the nineteenth century returns. It provides help in tracking down individuals as part of a family tree, and is equally helpful to social or economic historians. . ."]

• A helpful tutorial on using census information, including advice regarding possible sources of errors, is provided on the British Genealogy website.
• The 1901 Census of England and Wales is available online at FindMyPast, with a free index search facility. To accompany this resource, the Public Record Office have produced a fascinating set of pages entitled 1901: Living at the Time of the Census (archived copy).
• Barry Ruck's Mini FAQ (archived copy) deals primarily with matters involving the census (last updated 2005).
• 1901 Census - Royal Navy Ships (archived copy) - Jeffery Knaggs has compiled an index to Royal Navy ships that were at sea or in ports abroad on 31st March 1901.
• 1901 Census - Institutions (archived copy) - Jeffery Knaggs is compiling an index to Institutions on the 1901 Census of England and Wales.
• British Census Indexes, Transcripts, and Images Available Online or on CD - a useful summary from Daniel Morgan.
• Statistics from the 2001 census provided by 'National Statistics' (formerly the Office of National Statistics).
• A Vision of Britain Through Time. Information from the 1801 to 2001 censuses arranged by local-authority area.
• The Online Historical Population Reports project at AHDS History have a project to provide searchable online access all the census reports for Great Britain (1801-1931) and reports of the registrars-general (1836-1920) for England, Wales and Scotland. The current version is a demo version, but release version will be launched on 9th January 2007. Note that this site contains only statistical reports, and does not include information about individuals.
• The British Surname Atlas CD allows exploration of the distribution of forenames and surnames in the 1881 census returns.
• Census substitutes: For the years for which census returns are not available, consider Voting Registers, Directories, Manorial Records.