The United Kingdom Census of 1841 recorded the occupants of every United Kingdom household on the night of Sunday 6 June 1841. The enactment of the Population Act 1840 meant a new procedure was adopted for taking the 1841 census. It was described as the "first modern census" as it was the first to record information about every member of the household, and administered as a single event, under central control, rather than being devolved to a local level. It formed the model for all subsequent UK censuses, although each went on to refine and expand the questions asked of householders. It was important for early demographic analysis of the United Kingdom population and remains of interest to historians, demographers and

genealogists Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

, although the information about each person is quite limited compared with that available from later censuses. The total population of England, Wales and Scotland was recorded as 18,553,124.

Background

Due to the Population Act 1840, the United Kingdom

Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 1841 was conducted using a different framework from that of earlier United Kingdom censuses. The origins of the Population Act 1840 was the report of the 1830 Select Committee on the Population Bill, reprinted in 1840. The subject of much speculation during the select committee hearings and report was the accuracy of previous census returns, the first national census being held in 1801. During 1840, a Bill titled, 'Population. A bill s amended by the committeefor taking an account of the population of Great Britain; and of the parish-registers, and annual value of assessable property in England' progressed through

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

. The Bill received

Royal Assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...

as 'An Act for taking an Account of the Population of Great Britain 1840', with the

short title In certain jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and other Westminster-influenced jurisdictions (such as Canada or Australia), as well as the United States and the Philippines, primary legislation has both a short title and a long title. T ...

, Population Act 1840.

Administration of the census

The Population Act 1840 created the position, 'Commissioners for taking account of the population'. It also gave the

Registrar General General Register Office or General Registry Office (GRO) is the name given to the civil registry in the United Kingdom, many other Commonwealth nations and Ireland. The GRO is the government agency responsible for the recording of vital recor ...

the responsibility for the census for England and Wales in addition to their responsibility for

Civil Registration Civil registration is the system by which a government records the vital events ( births, marriages, and deaths) of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database has different names in different countries and even in differ ...

. The earliest censuses had been administered by the Overseers of the Poor but the Civil Registration system provided the local administration which could also take on the job of the census. The involvement of the Registrar is cited as being important to reorganising the taking of the census. One of the intentions was to avoid omissions and double counting by taking the census at the same time across the whole country and collecting the data as quickly as possible. The Civil Registration Districts were subdivided into enumeration districts intended to be of a size where one person could collect the data from all households in a single day. For the first time, military personnel in the country aboard their ships or in barracks were included in the census return. Some 35,000 census enumerators were appointed to undertake the data collection, one enumerator per district, covering a population of about 16 million people. Census forms were delivered to every household a few days before the day of the census. These were to be completed by the householder and collected by the enumerator on 7 June, the day after the census. The Population Act 1840 created an offence of refusing to answer a census question, or providing false information. Failure to comply with the demand to complete a census form was an offence and penalised by a fine. The enumerator would help in the completion of the form if, for example, the householder was illiterate. The 1841 census recorded people's names, age, sex, occupation, and if they were born in the county of their residence, and if they were born anywhere other than in England and Wales. Children under 15 were to have their age recorded accurately, while those over 15 were to be rounded down to the nearest 5 years so, for example, someone aged 63 should be recorded as aged 60. However, not all enumerators followed this instruction and exact ages may have been recorded. The completed census forms were transcribed into the local enumerators' schedule. In England, the schedule was countersigned by a Superintendent Registrar. In Scotland, the

civil registration Civil registration is the system by which a government records the vital events ( births, marriages, and deaths) of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database has different names in different countries and even in differ ...

of birth marriages, and death had not started, so the schedules were countersigned by a schoolmaster, or somebody with a similar status. The payment of the expenses for completing the census was delegated, in England, to the

Justices of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, who were to finance it through the

poor rate In England and Wales the poor rate was a tax on property levied in each parish, which was used to provide poor relief. It was collected under both the Old Poor Law and the New Poor Law. It was absorbed into 'general rate' local taxation in the ...

s, and in Scotland, to the Sheriff Deputies, or in Edinburgh or Glasgow, the Provost of the Royal Burghs.

Abbreviations of Occupation

The census included the use of abbreviations to describe professions. These included: * Ag. Lab - Agricultural labourer * Ap. - Apprentice * Army - Member of HM land forces of whatever rank * Cl. - Clerk * FS. - Female servant * H.P. - Members of HM armed forces on half-pay * Ind. - Independent - people living on their own means * J. - Journeyman * M. - Manufacturer * m. - Maker e.g. Boot m. * MS. - Male servant * Navy - Member of HM naval forces of whatever rank including marines * N.S. - Not Stated * P. - Pensioners of HM armed forces * Sh. - Shopman

Genealogy

As the first British census which aimed to record details about every citizen, the 1841 census is an important genealogical source. However, it has some limitations when compared to later censuses: exact ages are not usually given; relationships between members of the same household are not stated; and people's places of birth are simply noted as within the census county or not (or are quite frequently given as "N.K.", meaning "Not Known"). Very few census records for Ireland prior to 1901 survive due to the Irish Public Office being bombed on 30 June 1922. Some of the 1841 Census returns for Killeshandra of Cavan county, Kilcrohane of Cork county, Thurles of Tipperary county and Aghalurcher of Fermanagh county survived.

Background

Administration of the census

Abbreviations of Occupation

Genealogy

References

Further reading

See also