Census help

[JenB]

I thought it was only 1911 where the householder completed the form

The householder completed the form in every census. The 1911 was the only one where the forms were retained which is why we are able to see them. In all the other censuses the forms were destroyed after they were copied up into the enumerators books.

[Milliepede]

Can't believe I didn't realise that 

I thought the enumerator went round knocking on doors and gathered the info then and there not collected householders forms to collate.  What a revelation!

So if the ages are wildly out the householders are to blame.  That figures. 

[Jebber]

If he wasn't physically there why was he put down at all 

I thought it was only 1911 where the householder completed the form and all census encompassed who was actually sleeping at the property on census night.

The extract is from the 1891 census. He was not put down, that is the whole point of the questionable  comment in the woman's  marital status column.

The couple were together in 1871 and 1881, then the husband seems to vanish.

[Milliepede]

Sorry my mistake, trying to do too many things at once.  Will retire gracefully and stop messing this one up!

[Jebber]

Can't believe I didn't realise that 

I thought the enumerator went round knocking on doors and gathered the info then and there not collected householders forms to collate.  What a revelation!

So if the ages are wildly out the householders are to blame.  That figures.

The enumerators must have had as much difficulty in reading some of the householders handwriting as we do some of theirs, that is why there are so many strange entries in the pre 1911 census. Add this to the fact that enumerators also made mistakes, it is no wonder we sometimes have difficulty in locating people.

[stanmapstone]

I thought it was only 1911 where the householder completed the form

The householder completed the form in every census. The 1911 was the only one where the forms were retained which is why we are able to see them. In all the other censuses the forms were destroyed after they were copied up into the enumerators books.

For  the 1841 census it was initially envisaged by Thomas Henry Lister, the first registrar-general, that the enumerators would gather the information themselves by house-to-house enquiries. He did not like household schedules because he believed that most householders were too illiterate to fill them in properly. He only appears to have countenanced their introduction after a pilot enumeration in London had shown how many enumerators would have to be employed to gather the data by door-to-door enquiries. "Making Sense of the Census" by Edward Higgs

The enumerator was supposed to check that the schedule had been properly filled in, and clarify any doubtful entries.

Stan