TRACK DOWN EARLY CENSUS RECORDS
Gill Blanchard reveals how to track down and use local census records, which predate the first full surviving UK-wide census of 1841
National census returns from 1841 onwards are immensely useful, because they provide places of birth and help establish relationships, but those that were taken between 1801 and 1831 only have statistical information. However, many parish officials and incumbents were inspired to make copies of the national returns, or compile their own versions, and there are other earlier local incarnations. These census records can be found with other parish records, most of which have been deposited in county record offices. Those from before 1841 are particularly worth looking out for, because they frequently contain information that was omitted when the enumerators collated the household forms.
First published in 1990, Colin Chapman’s book Pre-1841 Censuses and Population Listings documents what exists for this period – you can view a limited preview of the fifth edition at bit. ly/pre-1841. Alternatively The National Archives’ Discovery catalogue at discovery. national
archives.gov.uk includes many references from regional record office catalogues, and you can search for individual offices’ contact information too.
Some transcripts to local censuses have been produced by family history societies. Contact details can be found via the Federation of Family History Societies ffhs.org.uk, and the Society of Genealogists ( SoG) may also have copies ( sog.org. uk/search- records).
Some, such as the ones for Norfolk, are listed on the county pages of GENUKI at genuki. org.uk. The Norfolk list features a breakdown of data included in those held at the record office. Out of more than 100 parishes with census records, about 50 have at least one from before 1841 with names. The earliest is North Walsham’s 1704 census, while Baconsthorpe has the most with four between 1768 and 1821: bit.ly/genuki-norfolk.
The GENUKI page is run by Mike Bristow, who has transcribed most of these Norfolk censuses. With them are links to complementary resources
such as poll books and trade directories. One fascinating example is the transcript of the Sedgeford 1829 census of the poor, which contains personal comments such as who had illegitimate children, other parishes people had married in and which children attended an evening school (Norfolk Record Office MC 741). The entry for William Crisp is typical. He is noted as an innkeeper and parish constable, living at Corner Stone Yard with a housekeeper and his two children, Stephen and Mary Ann. Several residents were listed as working for someone called Barker and renting from a Kirby of Gaywood. In addition 58-yearold Betty Bullock was very deaf, James and Mary Marshall were “reformed”, Rowland and Celia Whitby were uncouth, and John Skerry was a smuggler.
Suffolk resources
Many parish censuses such as those for Suffolk can only be seen in the local record office, because they are not yet online. One for Clare held at Bury St Edmunds gives population figures for 1794 and 1800, and the number of people employed in different trades, but no names (FL 501/1/50). In April 1801 there were 244 inhabited houses, 9 uninhabited, 532 males and 604 females.
In contrast the 1836 parish census for Hadleigh in Suffolk includes the names of householders arranged alphabetically in a book, with columns for marital status, occupations, place of worship, number of children, year of birth, residence, district and notes (FB A1/1/9). Only the women’s marital status is given, but the listing of farmers, journeymen, servants, salesmen and fishermen provides a glimpse into the types of people living here. The additional notes can help to track what happened to them and lead to other records. For instance the entry for Henry Alexander of High Street South, whose place of worship was given as “Friend”, was crossed out and the word “dead” written in the margin. The widow Mary Armes was also crossed out with a margin note saying “married”, while Robert Ayton had “Layham” written next to his name, presumably where he moved to.
Those that exist locally after 1841 are most often replicas of the enumerators’ copies, or statistical data only. However, sometimes they were produced for another purpose. Again in Suffolk, there is an interesting example of a census of children aged up to 13 years taken in Lakenheath parish in January 1876 held at Bury St Edmunds Record Office (FL 517/12/5). This was to ascertain what school accommodation was required, and contains names of parents and children, addresses and ages. Most of the entries just give a father’s name, and some of the women’s state they were widows.
The site censusfinder.com includes some transcripts of pre1841 census returns. Many parish records, including censuses, have been filmed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Although not yet online you can search familysearch. org/catalog/search to see what has been filmed for your parish. If you’re lucky, a local LDS library may have a copy. Also, the SoG houses the nationwide collection of films that was previously held at the LDS London centre.