How much to census returns really tell you?

[coombs]

In the 2011 census form, I omitted my middle name from the forms.

[Sloe Gin]

We can also wonder about the level of education some enumerators had especially those employed in urban places in 1861 because that is the year that I find with more erroneous entries

They could only copy down what the householders (or whoever assisted them) had written on the forms.  There would have been lots of poor handwriting that was difficult to read.

In 1861 many of the householders would not have been able to write adequately, so the enumerators would have to interpret their dictation.

I don't think this happened quite as much as people think it did.

Forms were left at the houses and collected a few days later.  The householders were expected to have them already filled in for the enumerator.  In the meantime help was often forthcoming from local clergy or more literate neighbours.  This would still lead to misspellings, mishearings, misunderstandings and plain old guessing of course.

'Making Sense of the Census' gives more information on this.  In 1871 the enumerators were asked to show how many forms they had to complete themselves, and the figures varied widely.

[Andrew Tarr]

Forms were left at the houses and collected a few days later.  The householders were expected to have them already filled in for the enumerator.  In the meantime help was often forthcoming from local clergy or more literate neighbours.  This would still lead to misspellings, mishearings, misunderstandings and plain old guessing of course.

...  or even the odd little white lie thrown in?

A gt-uncle of mine was lodging in Bolton in 1901, recorded clearly as born in Jamaica.  It is established fact that he was born in Anglesey, and I can't see any likely mutation there.  I blame his landlord, who may have made something up.

[youngtug]

There is a place called Anglesea in Jamaica,

[Sloe Gin]

It's a shame that we have no way of knowing who actually did fill in those forms.  And a shame of course that the forms weren't kept, like the 1911 ones! 

There are so many ways in which the wrong information could have gone down - and that's before the enumerator started to transcribe it all, possibly by candlelight! 

[Andrew Tarr]

There is a place called Anglesea in Jamaica,

No doubt.  But in every other census his birthplace is correct, as recorded on his 1876 Welsh birth certificate.

[Geoff-E]

I was looking for an Arthur BRABBS the other day.

The enumerator's transcription in 1871 was Luther DRABS. 

[JanPennington]

At the beginning of this thread, greensleeves queried how useful census returns are when today we move around so much.  I don't think I have been in the same place for two consecutive censuses and sometimes I have moved 2 or 3 times between censuses and getting married in one country and divorced in another could present problems to future historians

But I found a census return that shows how much the family have moved. - not a relative of mine but a relative of my step-grandmother, if there is such a term. 
Her first husband died at Flanders in 1916 and I wanted to find out a bit more about his family and found the 1891 census for them.

From the details for the different family members it is evident that their father William was born in Alresford Hampshire and married a girl from Plymouth in Devon.
The first child on the census was born in Denbighshire, North Wales and then there were 2 born in Cork, Ireland.
Then 3 were born in Overton and then 3 more in Meon Stoke in Hampshire.

I have yet to find why they moved around to all these places but that is for the future as I get back to my relatives.

Jan

[Skoosh]

Jan, folk moved for the bucks & the train meant that they could! 

Skoosh.