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Census Returns + Dates 1801-1901
1801 Tuesday 10th March (approx population
= 45,755)
1811 Monday 27th May (approx population = 53,231)
1821 Monday 28th May (approx population = 65,375)
1831 Monday 30th May (approx population = 91,692)
Ever since 10th March 1801 a census (or statistical analysis) has been taken
every 10 years except for 1941 (during WW2) when no census was carried out (I
beleive a statistical analysis of some sort was taken some time previous to
1941) . In these first four censuses for England & Wales the person designated
to take the census was the "overseer" of the poor (in Scotland it
was usually the schoolmaster). The idea of obtaining the information was to
assess the population of particular areas and how many male & females there
were in any particular district and also to obtain information about classes
of occupations.
In 1801, church ministers were required to report the numbers of marriages since 1754 and also baptisms and burials recorded in their particular parish registers since 1700. The collection of such information remained more or less the same for the censuses of 1801 through to 1831. None of the censuses were lists of all inhabitants at all addresses although some of the more enthusiastic enumerators listed more than just the heads of every household. Unfortunately, once the "statistical analysis" was complete and the reports had been delivered to Parliament, the reported returns were usually destroyed (although a few fragments for various areas survive today).
There were no names recorded (except in some cases where "Heads" of households were recorded but these are very few and far between). Because the records were used soley for statistical reasons, these censuses are of very little use to family historians.
There is an 1831 index transcription of the "Account of the Resident Population of the Township Of Hallam Nether in the Parish of Sheffield" avaiable on floppy disk from SDFHS
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1841 Sun/Mon. 6/7th June - (approx population
= 110,891) Name & Street indexed
Census returns for Sheffield and parts of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire
are held at Sheffield Archives & Local Studies Library and are name indexed
and searchable on microfilm.
In 1841 the responsibility for the census was handed over to the General Register Office which had been set up four years earlier in 1837 to collect all Birth, Marriage and Death details which took place in England and Wales.
The 1841 census was the first census where
a householder supplied names. Other information included:
Address or location
Name of every person in the household
Their age and sex (Age was rounded down to the nearest five years for adults
over 15 yrs of age.
Exact age for children under 15
Occupation
Born in the County (in England this meant noting Y (yes), N (no), S (Scotland),
I (Ireland), Pts (foreign parts)
Having names listed makes the census of some
use to family historians although its use is at a minimum due to the fact that:
Relationship to the "Head" of household was omitted. Adults ages over
15 yrs old were "rounded down" to the nearest 5yrs.
(eg. a person aged 29 yrs old would be shown as being 25 yrs old and so on).
This makes it more difficult for family historians to determine if a person
found in the 1841 census or later censuses is in fact the same person on a birth
or marriage certificate who is noted as being aged a few years older than in
the 1841 census or subsequent censuses. The place of birth isnt given. Only
a "Yes" or "No" is given in answer to the question whether
or not the person was "born in the county" of that particular census
area
So, all in all, the 1841 census although is of some use to family historians its not that usefull due to the lack of information given.
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1851 Sun/Mon. 30/31st Mar - (approx population
= 135,310) Name & Street indexed
Census returns for Sheffield and parts of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire
are held at Sheffield Archives & Local Studies Library and are name indexed
and searchable on microfilm.
The householder in the 1851 and subsequent censuses had
to supply more information, which is of much more benefit to the family historian.
The information in these censuses include:
The number in the schedule
The name of the street, place or road name
The name or number of the house
The name or surname of person resident in the house on midnight of that date
The relationship to head of family
Sservants, lodgers, visitors
Marital condition
Exact age
Sex
Rank, profession or occupation
Where born with exact place of birth
Whether blind, deaf or dumb, and later if an idiot or lunatic.
However, as always, no information on any census can be taken as being the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. For many various reasons people lied about or guessed their ages and places of birth etc simply because they didnt always know. In many cases the enumerator was also guilty of adding details to the wrong family.
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1861 Sun/Mon. 7/8th April - (approx population =
185,172) Name & Street indexed
1871 Sun/Mon. 2/3rd April - (approx population = 239,946) Name & Street
indexed
1881 Sun/Mon. 3/4th April - (approx population = 284,408) Name & Street
indexed
Census returns for Sheffield and parts of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire
are held at Sheffield Archives & Local Studies Library and are name indexed
and searchable on microfilm.
The 1861 Sheffield & Rotherham area census index
is available on floppy disk & fiche from SDFHS.
The 1871 census is available to buy on CD-ROM. (Sheffield is included in the
Yorkshire set) Note: This CD set is only Street
and District area indexed. There is no name index.
The 1881 British census is available to buy on CD-ROM,
and also accessable online via the FamilyHistory
website.
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1891 Sun/Mon. 5/6th April - (approx population
= 324,291) Street indexed & a partial name index
Sheffield area census returns are on microfiche at Sheffield Archives.
The 1891 Sheffield area census returns are currently being transcribed to floppy
disk by the SDFHS
Completed areas become available as and when the area being transcribed is finished.
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1901 Sun/Mon. 31/1st Mar/April - (approx
population = 409,071) (Name index only available on the online PRO website)
Sheffield area census returns are on microfiche at Sheffield Archives
The 1901 census for England & Wales is accessable online at: the 1901
Census for Enlgand & Wales website
The index is free to use for lookups but a payment is required to access and
obtain copies of census page scans.
1881
and 1901
These censuses are the only ones
which have been nationally indexed by "surname". Other censuses have
been regionlly surname indexed by various Family History Society's and other simular
groups.
