The 1921 England and Walescensus was taken on 19th June 1921.[1] This had originally been scheduled for April but was postponed due to occupational unrest in the country, including disputes over coal and strikes linked to the transport industry. The census recorded over 37 million people in more detail than in any previous census. This includes information with regards to a person's occupation including their job title, the name of their employer, their employer's address and the details of a person's last place of work if they were unemployed at the time of the census.
The 1921 census is particularly significant as it is the last surviving census until the 1951 England and Wales census will be released, which is normally 100 years after the event. The 1931 census was lost in a fire and no census was taken in 1941 due to World War II. The 1939 Register can help to fill in some of these gaps.
Information found on a 1921 CensusInformation found on a 1921 Census
The 1921 census gives us more information than any previous census return. The below is a list of the details you may discover about an ancestor in the 1921 census:
Address
Names of people in the household
Their relationship to the head of the household
Each person's age in years and months
Sex
Marital status (including 'divorced' being an option for the first time)
For children under 15- whether one or both of their parents are deceased (seen as important knowledge due to the loss of many fathers in World War I)
Place of birth
Their nationality if born abroad
Whether a child attends school full time or part time
Occupation
For those who were unemployed details of their last employer were given
Where to find the 1921 Census of England and WalesWhere to find the 1921 Census of England and Wales
The National Archives, Kew
The original paper returns are held at The National Archives in Kew however these are not available for public viewing. Digitised images and transcriptions have been created for the entire 1921 England and Wales census records and can be viewed online, such as 1921 England & Wales Census collection at MyHeritage.
Issues to be aware of with the 1921 CensusIssues to be aware of with the 1921 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 1921 England and Wales Census:
As every 1921 census return was filled out by a member of the household (usually the head), the handwriting is different on each page. This is the same as with the 1911 census. Previous census returns were compiled by enumerators who took on whole parishes, or sections of a parish. The differences in handwriting leads to a greater chance of transcription errors as the unpredictability of the writing means it is harder for both humans and computers to read and transcribe accurately.
The address of the household is found on the back of the census return, meaning you have to scroll forwards or backwards to find the relevant address. Previously this was on the same page.
The 1939 England and Wales Register can be used to fill in the gap between the 1921 and 1951 censusThere is a 30 year gap between the census returns of 1921 and 1951 for England and Wales. The 1939 Register can help fill in some gaps however this does not provide the same level of detail as a census return.
The 1921 census was originally due to take place on 24th April 1921 but was postponed until 19th June. The census returns had already been printed so they clearly state that 'every person who is alive at midnight on the night of Sunday 24th April 1921' should be recorded. In actual fact people were required to give the information as it stood on the 19th June but there was much confusion. This means you may find multiple misleading errors, such as people enumerated twice and somebody who died in May being listed incorrectly.
As with all census returns, information is not entirely reliable. People may lie about any detail, including their name, age and birth place making it hard to find them in the census or trace them further back. Not all people are found in a census, with some choosing not to take part and others being missed by accident, especially those travelling overnight or who happened to be abroad at the time.
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