General information about the Census

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 1901 census was the most recent to be opened to the public in April 2001.  The 1911 census will not be opened to the public until the end of 2011.

 

Dates and Population

 

Year Date of Census Population - of England & Wales
1841 June 6th 15,914,000
1851 March 30th 17,928,000
1861 April 7th 20,066,000
1871 April 2nd 22,723,000
1881 April 3rd 25,974,000
1891 April 5th 28,999,725

 

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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Date last modified:  4/24/2007 9:09:15 AM