1911Census.org.uk

The 1841 Census

The 1841 census was taken on the night of Sunday 6th June 1841 and is the first census that is of real value to all family historians as it was the first to ask detailed questions about individuals.

The following information was recorded in the schedules about each dwelling and person residing there on the night of the census:

• the address - house numbers were rarely given, and in rural areas often only the name of the village or hamlet
• whether the dwelling was "uninhabited or building" or "inhabited"
• name of each person residing at the dwelling on the night of the census
• age and sex - the age should have been rounded down to the nearest five years for those aged 15 or over but in some cases the actual age was recorded. The sex was indicated by the column that the age was recorded in
• profession, trade, employment or of independent means
• if they were born in the county in which they were enumerated (Y or N)
• if they were born in Scotland (S), Ireland (I) or Foreign Parts (F)

You can download a form produced by Ancestry showing the headings for the 1841 census by clicking here.

Accessing the 1841 Census

As with all the censuses from 1841 to 1901, the full 1841 census for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man can be viewed on microfilm at the Family Records Centre in Islington and many local record offices have reels or fiches for their areas.

Ancestry have a complete index of the 1841 Census. To access the Ancestry records you need to take out a subscription but a 14 day free trial is usually available. You can also access the Ancestry 1841 census records for free on site at The National Archives in Kew and the Family Records Centre in Islington.

FreeCEN have good coverage for some counties, particularly in Scotland and they also have 100% coverage for Cornwall and Warwickshire.

The Channel Islands 1841 Census has been fully transcribed by Lorna Pratt.

The Genealogist site has transcripts for some English counties covering around 70% of the population (including Hampshire, London, Lancashire and Yorkshire). They can either be viewed by taking out a subscription or as pay-per-view.

Findmypast, formerly 1837 online, also has a transcription of the 1841 census for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, accessed either via an annual subscription or on a pay-per-view basis.

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