.: The Census in England and Wales: what are they?
.: The 1841 Census
.: The 1851 Census and Index
.: The 1861 Census
.: The 1871 Census
.: The 1881 Census and Index
.: The 1891 Census and Index
.: The 1901 Census and Index
.: Details you will need to provide for searching the census
.: How long does research take?
.: Prices for Research

What are they?

The Population Census of England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands was first taken in 1801. Initially the census was devised to provide population statistics and was therefore mainly a numbers count up until 1841.
   Using the census, up until recently that is, was only deemed profitable if the family historian had an address for their ancestors in the the year or near it when the census had taken place; now of course, the vast range of name indexes has made using the census more rewarding. However, it is still true that there are some areas of England and Wales that have not even been Street indexed and therefore long searches are still the norm in certain places.
   The census itself was taken every ten years - except 1941 - and there is an almost complete set (some areas have been lost or destroyed e.g. Paddington in 1841) from 1841 - 1901; all can be consulted where they still exist. The current 100 year closure rule excludes from consultation any census after 1901.

The 1841 Census
Date taken: Sunday 6th/7th June 1841
Inclusions: First name, Last name, Age (rounded up to the nearest 5 for all those over the age of 15), Occupation (abbreviated: F.S. would mean Female Servant etc.), Individual was asked if 'Born in Same County' to which they had to reply 'Yes' or 'No', Individual was asked if 'Born in Same Country' to which they would be noted as 'F' for Foreign 'S' for Scotland and 'I' for Ireland etc.
Notable exclusions: Relationship to other member's of the household, exact place of birth.

The 1851 Census
Date taken: 31st March 1851 for the previous night
Inclusions: First name, Last name (sometimes middle names or initials are supplied), Relationship to the Head of the household (i.e. wife, daughter, son, step -, nephew, niece, lodger, servant, visitor etc.), Marital status, Age (should be exact but often wrong), Occupations (fuller details supplied), Where born? Parish and County supplied and N. K. if not known, Country if abroad or Scotland and Ireland, Whether blind, imbecile, lunatic or deaf and dumb.
Index: One of the few Census Returns to have an almost comprehensive Surname Index coverage. Unfortunately these indexes are not unified into one national index, so family historians still need to know exactly where their ancestor's were living at the time of the census.

The 1861 Census
Date taken: 8th April 1861 for the previous night
Inclusions: As for 1851.
Index: Only a handful of Surname Indexes exist.

The 1871 Census
Date taken: 2nd - 3rd April 1871
Inclusions: As for 1851.
Index: More and more Surname indexes are appearing for this census, but still no comprehensive range exists.

The 1881 Census
Date taken: 3rd - 4th April 1881
Inclusions: As for 1851.
Index: A cemprehensive, unified Surname index exists for this covering England, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands; it was compiled under the auspices of the LDS Church and is available for consultation on CD-ROM at some County Archives, at Family History Centres, the Family Records Centre and online at the LDS web site at www.familysearch.org.

The 1891 Census
Date taken: 5th - 6th April 1891
Inclusions: As for 1851.
Index: A digitalised index of this now exists and has almost complete coverage. For a consultation check the prices link below.

The 1901 Census
Date taken: 31st March 1901
Inclusions: First name, Last name (sometimes middle names or initials are supplied), Relationship to the Head of the household (i.e. wife, daughter, son, step -, nephew, niece, lodger, servant, visitor etc.), Marital status, Age (should be exact but often wrong), Occupations (fuller details supplied), Where born? Parish and County supplied and N. K. if not known, Country if abroad or Scotland and Ireland, Whether blind, imbecile, lunatic or deaf and dumb. Two columns were added to this census regarding employment.
Index: The Public Record Office (as they were then known) was responsible for producing the digitalised Surname Index for this census; it is for the most part complete, but is plagued by transcription errors and shows inexperience on the part of some of the transcriber's when dealing with orthography. It should be treated with caution, but is for the most part very useful. It can be consulted at www.census.pro.gov.uk.

Details you will need to provide for searching the Census
The more information you provide the more successful your search is likely to be and also the more cost effective. Try and provide as much detail as possible, chief amongst the following are: address or parish where individual was living at the time of the census, full and correct name, age, profession and marital status, where individual was born.
E = Address at the time of the census. (Please do not put 'England')
E = Full name of Individual.
E = Age at the time of the Census.
D = Where born.
D = Spouses full name, marriage place and date if known.
D = Childrens names if known.
D = Siblings names if known.
D = Parents names if known.

E = Essential     D = Desirable

How long will my research take?
This will vary depending on length and difficulty of project and size of investment, standard services range from seven - twenty-one Working days for standard research to as much as six months for longer projects. A faster service can be negotiated, but you will need to take into consideration that large projects which require immediate attention and completion may need full time study and you will therefore be expected to pay the going rate.

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