Using Census Records

What is a census?
A census is an official enumeration of the population in a particular area. In addition to counting the inhabitants of an area, the census generally collects other vital information, such as names:
- ages
- citizenship status
- and ethnic background.
The best website for searching census collections in the UK is without doubt Ancestry.co.uk. They have the full census collections for England, Wales, Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands running from the start of the modern census back in 1841 through to 1901. You won't be able to access any later censuses for at least another 5-6 years due to the imposition of the 100 year rule.

History of the Census
The first Census Act was passed in 1800 at a time of war with revolutionary France, bad harvests, and a shortage of people working the land because of conscription to the war. One of the reasons that the first census was taken, on 10th March 1801, was to find out how many people needed feeding, and how many people were working to produce food.

The first four censuses were carried out by central government and reflected the interest of the aristocracy in the lives of the working class. By 1821 men and women were required to give their age, rounded down to the nearest five years, to improve the life-tables upon which life-insurance schemes were based and to establish the number of men who were fit to fight.

Enumerators had to answer a set of questions on the records of baptisms, marriages, deaths and population figures in different parishes. With each passing decade the information required became more detailed.

The 1836 Acts of Parliament that established the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths also led to new administrative methods in census-taking. Thomas Henry Lister became the first registrar-general, and changed the style of census-taking so that all censuses were completed on one night. This was designed to avoid double-counting people as they moved around.

The General Register Office took over the administration of the census in 1840, after which census-taking was modernised. The 1841 census was taken during a transitional stage, however, and so it was not until 1851 that the censuses matured to give real biographical information, showing individuals grouped into households and the relationships between people. For the first time in 1851, census questions asked for the full age of individuals rather than their age rounded down to the nearest five years. Place of birth, marital status and details of medical disabilities were also required. These extra details are vital to people who want to find out more about their ancestors today.