General Chat

This is extracted from a book ...... and helps to explain some of the problems we have in finding our rellies. Hope others find it of interest too. Maz. XX

"The enumerator provided each householder with a form, or 'schedule' to be completed for census night (which from 1841 to 1901 was always a Sunday). The form was collected the next day and help in filling it in was provided where necessary. The information was then transferred to the census enumerator' books (CEBS)..... Each enumerator was given a week to finish this task, then the completed books were supposedly checked against the schedules by the registrar, then by the superintendent registrar, before they were sent to the census office in London. With few exceptions, the schedules were then destroyed." "Family historians need to remember that the aim of the census authorities was not to produce CEBS for future genealogical research but to compile reports about the demographic, occupational and social condition of the whole of England and Wales." "The Enumerators were dependent upon the accuracy of the information that was provided by householders. Notoriously, this sometimes varies from census to census. Some people apparently did not age 10 years each decade, some had different names and some had changed their minds about where they were born. Some individuals were excluded from the lists of residents because they happened to be away from home on census night. Children who had been both born and buried since the last census were obviously not recorded. Movements to and from places might be missed. Slips of the pen as information was transferred from the schedules to the CEBS explain other discrepancies. The information must therefore be treated as cautiously as that from other historical sources."

Thanks Maz for that information, very useful. Ann Glos

my family lived in manchester and I know the names are correct but I still have had no luck finding any of them. KELLY and ALSOP.

Theres a good little book which I picked up in the library called Making Use of the Census by Susan Lumas it's a PRO Readers Guide. Full of useful info Sue.

Thanks Maz this info will maybe help with my problems...always problems if only the deceased had visions of hind-sight it would have made our hobbies much much easier Lynn

Thanks for the info Maz, I wondered how they did it. Was it the same for the 1871 Census - I have a girl of 14 who is listed at two different addresses 16 miles apart, one as a daughter (hawker) and one as a visitor (scholar) which seems a bit odd! Di

In London (and I dare say other large cities) you have the enumerator muttering bitterly that the lodger has walked off with the householder's schedule!