1911Census.org.uk

The 1901 Census

The 1901 Census was taken on the night of Sunday 31st March 1901.

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, a worker or "own account"
• whether working at home
• 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" or "imbecile, feeble minded"
• in Wales and the Isle of Man, the language spoken

The information collected was the same as in 1891 apart from one extra detail, whether someone was working at home. Also the language spoken question was extended to include the Isle of Man as well as Wales.

The 1901 census was the first to be completely transcribed as it became available to the public (well that was the plan but the public demand overwhelmed the Qinetiq developed web site so it was about six months before it became generally available). The site has since been sold to Genes Reunited.

You can download a form produced by Ancestry showing the headings for the 1901 census by clicking here.

Accessing the 1901 Census

The full 1901 census for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man can be viewed on microfiche at the Family Records Centre in Islington and many local record offices have fiches for their areas.

The original transcription of the 1901 index, now run by Genes Reunited, can be accessed here. Use of the index is free and you get useful information back about the person but you have to pay to see the full transcription or the images. By clever use of the advanced options in the search facility, you can determine someone's relationship to head of household and marital status even though that information is not shown in the free search results. You can also access the 1901 census records for free on site at The National Archives in Kew and the Family Records Centre in Islington

Ancestry have a complete index of the 1901 Census.
Normally to access the Ancestry records you need to take out a subscription but a 14 day free trial is usually available.

We always welcome any comments, suggestions or corrections - you can contact us at the feedback email address on the left or (publicly) using the message board