THE CENSUS

In any genealogy and family history project, the Census is an invaluable tool.

A Census of the population has been taken every 10 years, apart from the war year of 1941, since 1801.  Collection of the census before 1841 was the responsibility of the Overseers of the Poor and the clergy, and apart from isolated instances, most of these have been destroyed.  These early census were more concerned with population size, occupation numbers and housing stock, not with individuals.

In 1832 a government Select Committee proposed that the registration of births, deaths and marriages be undertaken by a central civil organisation, The General Register Office.  These proposals subsequently became the Registration Act 1836 and the Marriage Act 1836.

On 1 July 1837, the two Acts came into force and the General Register Office was established to oversee the new service.  When the 1841 census was being prepared, it was seen as a logical step that it should also supervise the census. Also the emphasis of the census changed, to a much more detailed analysis of individuals and families, and the communities in which they lived.  This arrangement continues to this day.

To protect peoples' privacy, law prevents access to the Census for 100 years,  so, currently, the latest census we are able to view is the 1901.