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Census Fact Sheet

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General information about the Census

Largely abstracted from Making Use of the Census by Susan Lumas. A PRO (now TNA) publication.

The returns for England and Wales include the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands (referred to as Islands in the British Seas), the Isle of Wight (returned with Hampshire), and the Scilly Isles (returned with Cornwall).   Owing to the personal information contained in the census returns, all census returns are subject to a 100-year closure period.  The 1911 census was the most recent to be opened to the public.

The census districts were largely conterminate with those of the registration districts.  So, you may find it useful to review the map for the registration district for the census area you are researching.

Dates and Population

Year	Actual Date of Census (compiled night previous)	Population of Kent	Population - of England & Wales
1801	March 10th	308,667	8,889,674 - Statistics only required to be reported
1811	May 27th	368,350	10,087,768 - Statistics only required to be reported
1821	May 28th	426,016	11,988,254 - Statistics only required to be reported
1831	May 30th	478,028	13,891,604 - Statistics only required to be reported
1841	June 7th	548,177	15,905,995
1851	March 31st	615,766	17,927,385
1861	April 8th	733,887	20,065,811
1871	April 3rd	848,294	22,712,266
1881	April 4th	977,706	25,974,439
1891	April 6th	1,142,324	29,002,525
1901	April 1st	1,348,841	32,527,843
1911	April 3rd	1,511,806	36,003,276
1921	June 20th	1,645,589	37,886,699
1931	April 26th		39,831,663 - destroyed by fire WWII
1939	Sept 29th		40,651,706 - For issue of ID cards - except service personnel
1941			41,261,192 - No census due to WWII - This figure is an estimate computed by the GB Historical GIS project.
1951	April 8th		43,763,031
1961	April 23rd		46,104,548
1971	April 25th		48,707,471
1981	April 5th		48,517,707
1991	April 21st		51,088,277
2001	April 29th		52,041,916

Document References

The three components of the Census reference numbers are:  The first part relates to the government department which transferred the document, for the Census it is HO 107 (Home Office) for 1841 and 1851 and RG (Registrar General) for all other years.  The second part is a class number, since each group of documents is subdivided into classes relating to different types of documents all being transferred from the same source.

• RG 1-3 are the indexes of the Birth, Marriage and Death registers still held by the Office of National Statistics;
• RG 4 - nonconformist registers (gathered in 1837);
• RG 5 - certificates of Dr. Williams' library;
• RG 6 - Quaker registers;
• RG 7 - Fleet marriage registers;
• RG 8 - unauthenticated nonconformist registers (gathered in 1857);
• RG 9 - 1861 census returns;
• RG 10 - 1871 census returns;
• RG 11 - 1881 census returns;
• RG 12 - 1891 census returns;
• RG 13 - 1901 census returns;
• RG 18 reference maps of registrar's districts;
• RG 19 correspondence and papers;
• RG 27 specimens of forms and documents; and,
• RG 30 reports and population abstracts.

The third part of the reference is what is known as a piece number.  This is simply an archival term for an individual item which may take many shapes and forms, but which when relating to the census means an enumerator's folder or in 1841 and 1851 a box of these folders.

To complete a reference you need to add the particular folio number and the page number.  Before the original returns were microfilmed folio numbers were stamped on the top right-hand corner of every other page.  The rule is that a page without a folio number is a continuation of the folio from the preceding page.  Therefore, that page bears the same folio number when quoted for reference.  Terms used are recto (first side or right side) and verso (reverse side).  In some census indices the folios recto and verso leaves have been designated as:  A to signify the recto of the folio leaf;   and, B to signify the verso of the folio leaf.  The page number is printed on the top of each page and is preceded with the word page, except in 1841 and 1851 when only the number was shown.

Also on the 1841 census there is a book number which is shown after the piece number.

Example of 1841 census reference number:  HO 107/490/1 = Maidstone book 1

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