Focus On 1851-1901 Census

Paul Blake shares his expert advice for getting more from the 1851-1901 census records.

Following the first detailed national census of the population in 1841, the information gathered was extended substantially and the 1851 census set the style for those taken over the next five decades.

Several months before a census was due to be taken, an act was passed by Parliament authorising the Registrar General to organise the census and set the questions. Census dates were fixed for early spring, when it was expected that most people would be at home – after April it was anticipated that men and their families might be away looking for agricultural work. Then as now, every household and institution was required to declare who was resident on a Sunday night: in 1851 it was 30 March followed by 7 April 1861, 2 April 1871, 3 April 1881, 5 April 1891 and 31 March 1901. In those 50 years, the population of the UK grew by nearly 52 percent, from 27,368,800 to 41,538,200.