Census Dates

[denben]

I would like to know the actual date that each census was recorded.

Is this info available?

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi den ben

1801 - ?
1811 - ?
1821 - the night of 28th/29th May
1831 - the night of 30th/31st May
1841 - the night of 6th/7th June
1851 - the night of 30/31st March
1861 - the night of 7th/8th April
1871 - the night of 2nd/3rd April
1881 - the night of 3rd/4th April
1891 - the night of 5th/6th April
1901 - the night of 31st March.

Chris in 1066Land

[denben]

Thanks, Chris.  That's just what I wanted.

[D ap D]

1821 - the night of 28th/29th May
1831 - the night of 30th/31st May
1841 - the night of 6th/7th June
1851 - the night of 30/31st March
1861 - the night of 7th/8th April
1871 - the night of 2nd/3rd April
1881 - the night of 3rd/4th April
1891 - the night of 5th/6th April
1901 - the night of 31st March.

How reliable are these dates? The 1881 census has the elder brother of my gggm, born in 1875, once in Aberystwyth with his mother and in Ysbyty Ystwyth with his grandparents. Not bad for a 6 year old to make his way on his own 20 miles in one night.

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi D ap D

In reply to your question - the dates are very very reliable.

Did you mean how reliable is the information?

The returns were delivered to the doors and then picked up a few days later - if they had not been filled in because possibly they were Illiterate, then the enumerator filled them in for them. He wrote down what he was told.
On return to base, the completed returns were then copied in to the enumerators books, checked and then destroyed; in other words we are looking at a copy of the information; therefore the index's we look at online are a transcription of that copy - so you can see how mistakes can occur.
Looking at what you have written, it looks as though the child was actually staying with grandma on the night of the census - but mum also included her in her schedule as well.

Chris in 1066Land

[Welsh Jen]

Thought I would add
1911 was taken 3rd April

Regards Jen

[paulmh]

Could someone be able to provide the exact dates in which each census were taken in England and Wales since the first one (1831?).

[Boongie Pam]

Hi Paulmh,

Here you go.  They moved the date back for 1851 as many seasonal workers move for the summer months in 1841.

1801 - 10 March Tuesday
1811 - 27 May Monday
1821 - 28 May Monday
1831 - 30 May Monday
1841 - 6 June Sunday
1851 - 30 March Sunday
1861 - 7 April Sunday
1871 - 2 April Sunday
1881 - 3 April Sunday
1891 - 5 April Sunday
1901 - 31 March Sunday
1911 - 2 April Sunday (publication date 1 January 2012)
1921 - 19 June Sunday (publication date 1 January 2022)
1931 - 26 April Sunday (publication date 1 January 2032)
1939 - 29 September World War II National Registration (publication date 1 January 2040)
1941 - no census taken due to World War II.
1951 - 8 April (publication date 1 January 2052)
1961 - 23 April (publication date 1 January 2062)
1971 - 25 April (publication date 1 January 2072)
1981 - 5 April (publication date 1 January 2082)
1991 - 21 April (publication date 1 January 2092)
2001 - 29 April (publication date 1 January 2102)

For more on the early census see this thread...
http://www.rootschat.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=7417.msg22720#msg22720 (merged)

Whoops - that was your thread! didn't notice...

Pam
 

[paulmh]

thank you, there was a good reason for this. i found on a 1881 census a member of my family was listed as 4 days old, an exact date of census would give me proper dob.