1911Census.org.uk

The 1891 Census

The 1891 Census was taken on the night of Sunday 5th April 1891.

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

• the address
• whether the dwelling was "inhabited" or "uninhabited or building"
• the number of rooms occupied, if less than five
• name and surname of each person residing at the dwelling on the night of the census
• relationship of each person to the head of the family
• each person's marital status ("condition as to marriage")
• age at last birthday and sex
• profession, or occupation
• whether someone was an employer, employed or neither
• where born, parish and county (or if born outside of England or Wales, just the country)
• whether they were "blind", or "deaf and dumb" or "lunatic, imbecile or idiot"
• in Wales, the language spoken

The information collected was the same as in 1881 with the addition of questions about the number of rooms occupied, whether someone was an employer, employed or neither, and in Wales the language spoken.

You can download a form produced by Ancestry showing the headings for the 1891 census by clicking here.

Accessing the 1891 Census

The full 1891 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 for their areas.

FreeCEN have good coverage for some English and Welsh counties, notably 100% coverage for Bedfordshire, Cornwall, Devon and Warwickshire plus very good coverage for Denbighshire, Flintshire, Hampshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Nottinghamshire and Sussex.

Ancestry have a complete index of the 1891 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 1891 census records for free on site at The National Archives in Kew and the Family Records Centre in Islington.

Findmypast, formerly 1837 online, also has a transcription of the 1891 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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