The 1861 England and Wales census was taken on 7th April 1861[1] and recorded over 20 million people. In order to maintain consistency regarding statistical analysis, the questions on the 1861 census remained almost the same as the 1851 census. The main change regarded the need for employers to record how many people they employed, such as 'Farmer, employing 3 men and 2 boys'. Due to previous confusion over who to include in a households census return, for the first time in 1861 households were asked to give details of those who were absent on the night of 7th April but who were due to return home the following morning. As you may expect, this still lead to some confusion with some people appearing twice in the census for this reason and others not appearing at all. There was discussion about whether to include a question about religious affiliation but this was ultimately rejected.
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Information found on the 1861 CensusInformation found on the 1861 Census
The below is a list of the details you may discover about an ancestor in the 1861 census:
- City and/or parish
- Address- This is more likely to be a numbered street address than previous census returns
- Names of all people in a household
- Each person's relationship to the head of the household, including 'lodger', 'visitor' or 'boarder' if unrelated
- Marital status- Divorced was still not an option to include
- Age in years- More specific ages were provided for children under one year
- Sex
- Rank, Profession or Occupation
- Place of birth- Usually a parish and county. If born abroad only the name of the country may be given
- Whether a person is ‘blind’ or ‘deaf-and-dumb’
As well as the above, each page kept a tally of the number of inhabited and uninhabited houses, as well as a tally of males and females.
Where to find the 1861 Census of England and WalesWhere to find the 1861 Census of England and Wales
The original paper returns are held at The National Archives in Kew in Series RG 9, however these are not available for public viewing. Digitised images and transcriptions have been created for the entire 1861 England and Wales census records and can be viewed online, such as the 1861 England & Wales Census collection at MyHeritage.
Issues to be aware of with the 1861 CensusIssues to be aware of with the 1861 Census
Most genealogical records have their own issues to be aware of when using them to research our ancestors. The below are some that are relevant to the 1861 England and Wales Census:
- The 1861 census is very useful at telling us how many people our ancestors employed. It should be remember however that this is a snapshot in time. If it shows that they employ five men, we are not to know if he was previously employing ten and his business is struggling, or if he previously employed two and his business is growing. Use the census alongside other records to see what you can discover about the growth or decline of their business
- Previous censuses had the same questions in Scotland. However, in 1855 a separate General Register Office (GRO) for Scotland was established. From the 1861 census onwards, the London GRO conducted the census for England and Wales with Scotland conducted separately, albeit with similar questioning
- In Wales, census schedules were produced in Welsh but the enumeration books were kept in English
- The 1861 census is officially the first to have surviving records of vessels in English and Welsh ports and inland waterways
- Transcription errors and spelling variations can make it hard to find an ancestor in the census
- The 1861 census has more returns that have been lost than any other year, in both England and Wales. In many cases entire parishes are missing
- To place this census in context, the information was gathered exactly one week after Easter Sunday. It was also just five days before the American Civil War started with the bombardment of Fort Sumter, with Queen Victoria shortly issuing a Proclamation of Neutrality
See alsoSee also
Explore more about the 1861 England and Wales CensusExplore more about the 1861 England and Wales Census
- 1861 England & Wales Census collection at MyHeritage
- Census Data – Discover census collections webinar on the MyHeritage Knowledge Base
- How to look for records of Census records at The National Archives
- Census of 1861: England and Wales at University of Cambridge
References
- ↑ 1861 Census. 1901Census.com