Slashed out data on the Census

[tarajobrien]

hi

i was just wondering if anyone knew why in the census (i know it was done in the 1891 one) that the age of the person and the place of birth have a slash through it (often in different pen)?? It is most annoying as sometimes you cannot read the information below


thank
Tara

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi Tara

Yes, Tara, it is very annoying.

The marks were made when the returns were gone through to provide government statistics.  
You also find other things added like when someone has stated their occupation as Labourer - an addition has been made such as 'Ag' (Agricultural)

Some of the kinds of Statistics provided include things like:
1. Occupation of Males aged 20 years and upwards
2. Grouped Occupations of Children aged 10 years and under 14 years.
3. Occupations of the People
4. Birthplace of Males and Females enumerated in Counties and in each Urban Sanitary District of which the Population Exceeds 50,000 Persons
etc, etc.
5. Proportion per 1000 of the Population of each Administrative County enumerated in Urban Districts classified according to Population and in Rural Districts.

The marks were put there so they did not count them twice.

It kept thousands of people occupied to compile and publish all the above data, but ruined our hunt for ancestors.

Chris in 1066Land