1881 Census

[markw78]

Caltha
If you would like to learn...
https://learngaelic.scot/sol/index.jsp
ciamar a tha sibh?  how are you?
Its also on BBC Alba... at 7.30pm...
Regards
Mark w

[Forfarian]

Forfarian - Ive looked at the written census form downloaded from Scotland People.

Well, if you have the handwritten original and it doesn't include the G, there are two possible explanations.

One is that the person in question didn't speak Gaelic.

The other is that the enumerator either failed to ask the right question, or failed to write down the answer.

Where was this census? Are there others on the same page with a G against them?

[Caltha]

Forfarian - the 1891 Census provides a column where the details can be entered as G or E or both.  This column doesn't appear in the 1881 version (at least the one I have), but the NRS have indicated that it was part of the census that year.  The family are in Glasgow which by then had almost 200,000 people from 'Highland' stock.  I cant inagine that they issued a different form for the Highlands and Isles, but I'll get to the bottom of it and pass any info i get through this chat string.

Thanks again for your help and advice.

[Forfarian]

Forfarian - the 1891 Census provides a column where the details can be entered as G or E or both.

Yes, I know, I referred to that in Reply #11 above.

This column doesn't appear in the 1881 version (at least the one I have)

No. See the census extract I posted in Reply #11 above.

but the NRS have indicated that it was part of the census that year.

Indeed they have. It says so in the link posted by ev in Reply #9 above.

The family are in Glasgow which by then had almost 200,000 people from 'Highland' stock.  I cant inagine that they issued a different form for the Highlands and Isles, but I'll get to the bottom of it and pass any info i get through this chat string.

They obviously didn't issue a different questionnaire or enumeration book for the Highlands, because as you can see from the page I posted from the Western Isles in Reply#11 above, there is no separate column.

If there is no G against your relative's name, it means either that your relative did not speak Gaelic, or that if they did the enumerator omitted to include the G for whatever reason.

So you will probably find that the NRS has no additional information about your relative in particular, and you will have to take an educated guess based on where your relative was born and what the prevalence of Gaelic in that parish was in the earliest year for which that information is available, i.e. 1881 if the enumerator was being diligent and 1891 if he was not.

Why not post the extract from the 1881 census with your relative in it and see if someone can come up with a reasonable answer?

[Caltha]

Thanks everyone - i managed to get the info on other family members in the 1891 Census that confirms they were Gaelic speaking. Apprciate everyone's advice.