Pre-1841 Census Information

Pre-1841 Census information – censuses of 1801 – 1831

Although the 1841 Census is considered to be the first ‘modern’ census, there were earlier decennial censuses in 1801, 1811, 1821 and 1831. The objective of these ‘Pre-1841’ censuses was to determine population numbers and trends.

Personal details were not officially recorded until the census of 1841. Occasionally, the ‘enumerators’ (those tasked with collecting the census information) did voluntarily record the personal details of individuals. Where such records survived, they are of immense value to historians. Our sister site, FamilyHistory.co.uk, has produced an informative section on their website entitled Pre-1841 Census Records where you will be able to find information on the approximate number of surviving pre-1841 censuses.

Ad-hoc local censuses

In addition to national census records, there are a great number of surviving local ‘ad-hoc’ censuses. One of the most interesting is that undertaken by William Morton Pitt (cousin of the Prime Minister William Pitt) in 1790 which provided a wealth of information about the residents of Corfe Castle in Dorset. If you are fortunate enough to have ancestors who came from this historic area, then this census will make fascinating reading.

Background to the 1801 census

1753 – Parliamentary Bill proposing a UK Census fails

As early as 1753, a Parliamentary Bill proposed a census that would register the “total number of marriages, births, and deaths, and also of the total number of the poor receiving alms from every Parish and Extra-parochial Place in Great Britain”. It was introduced by Thomas Potter, the MP for St Germans in Cornwall.

There was considerable opposition to this Bill on various grounds; the cost, feasibility and the possibility that a census could be used to introduce conscription and new forms of taxation. Nevertheless, it only lapsed because the Parliamentary Session expired.

1753 – Marriage Act

Also in 1753, the Marriage Act was passed “for the Better Preventing of Clandestine Marriage”. Its purpose was to formalise the marriage ceremony and, although only Church of England, Quaker and Jewish marriages were legally recognised, it was another sign of the growing desire of Government to standardise the keeping of records.

Rickman & Malthus

For the remainder of the 18th Century, fresh arguments against a nationwide census sprang up; it was felt that a UK census could expose military shortcomings; later, it was felt that a national census would expose the country’s inability to feed a growing population.

Then, in 1796, the statistician, John Rickman, wrote ‘thoughts on the utility and facility of a general enumeration of the people of the British Empire ascertaining the population’ and proposed a UK census. Two years’ later, Thomas Malthus wrote his seminal ‘Essay on the Principle of Population’, developing what became known as the Malthusian Theory i.e. that population will increase faster than the means to sustain it and, as a result, the birth rate would need to be controlled in order to prevent poverty and starvation. The theory was well timed; there were bad harvests in 1800. The idea of measuring population (and its growth) was back on the agenda.

The Population Act 1800

Charles Abbot (later Lord Colchester), MP for Helston, Cornwall, read John Rickman’s 1796 paper and employed him as his Private Secretary in 1800. In the same year, Abbot introduced a Population Bill ‘for taking an Account of the Population of Great Britain, and of the Increase or Diminution thereof’ – a bill largely attributed to Rickman.

The Population Act set out the main objectives for the first nationwide census which, broadly speaking, were to determine population numbers and use those figures to measure whether the population was growing (or, indeed, decreasing).

This time, the Bill received Royal Assent and the 1800 Population Act became law on 31 December 1800.

1801 Census – 10 March

Rickman was engaged to supervise the first 1801 Census and continued to supervise all the pre-1841 censuses, up to his death in 1840.

The responsibility for gathering census information varied accordingly to area:

In England and Wales

The responsibility for collecting census information was split as follows:

Overseers of the Poor (a position created by the Poor Relief Act of 1601) or ‘other Substantial Householders’ were responsible for recording the numbers of:

• occupied and unoccupied houses – if occupied, how many families live in them;
• males and females – excluding males serving in the army, seamen (either in the navy or on registered ships) and convicts on prison ships;
• people employed in certain categories of occupation e.g. agriculture

The Clergy were responsible for recording the numbers of:

• baptisms and burials from 1700 onwards;
• marriages from 1754 onwards.

The Church of England had been required to maintain parish registers since 1538 but, as mentioned above, it was not until the Marriage Act 1753 that every marriage had to be registered to prevent ‘clandestine [irregular] marriages’. This explained the later date for the recording of marriages.

In Scotland

Neither the requirement to maintain parish registers nor the Marriage Act of 1753 had been extended to Scotland. As a result, all the census information was to be gathered by the Schoolmaster ‘or other fit person or persons’ appointed by the Sheriff Deputes or Stewart Deputes in each parish.

The procedure for the 1801 census

The procedure stipulated for the first national census was broadly followed for the 1811, 1821 and 1831 censuses.

• Clerks of the Peace and Town Clerks were sent copies of the Act and Schedule by the King’s Printer.
• These Clerks would then send them to Justices of the Peace.
• In England & Wales, the clerks also sent copies of the Schedule to the High Constables or ‘other proper Officers’ who would, in turn, ensure that a copy were sent to the Overseer of the Poor (or other Substantial Householder) and by the officiating Minister in each parish.
• In Scotland, Schedules were sent to the Schoolmaster or other fit person appointed in each parish.

The 1811 census – 27 May

The questions asked were largely the same as for the 1801 census, apart from two important changes. To better measure the prosperity of an area, uninhabited houses were split between newly built houses (which implied prosperity) and other uninhabited houses (which, if derelict, implied poverty). Also, the question relating to employment was changed from ‘number of persons’ engaged in in agriculture etc. to ‘number of families’. This was introduced to iron out inconsistencies.

The Parish Register Act, 1812

‘For the better regulating and preserving Parish and other Registers of Births, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials in England’.

The intention of this Act was to standardise the recording keeping of births, marriages and deaths. All officiating Church of England Ministers were required to keep a separate Register Book of baptisms (whether public or private), marriages and burials. To ensure standardisation, special books were provided by the King’s Printer. The Ministers were to send register lists to the Registrar of their Diocese. These lists were to show start and end dates, detail any gaps, and specify where they were being stored. The Act applied to all Christian places of worship, increasing the number of returns. Any minister performing a marriage ceremony outside the parish church was to send the marriage certificate to the nearest officiating Minister who would record it in his Register Book.

Despite the best intentions of this Act, many births, marriages and deaths continued to go unrecorded, largely due to a growth in non-conformism and tolerance to Catholism.

1821 Census – 28 May

This census introduced an age related question for the first time, provided it was ‘not too inconvenient’. The age bands were 5 years, increasing to 10 years for people over 20 years of age and showed that almost half the population was aged under 20 years of age. This new question meant that mortality rates could be calculated for the first time, giving nascent friendly societies the data they needed.

1831 Census – 30 May

The question relating to people’s ages, which had been introduced (albeit voluntarily) in the 1821 census was removed for this census. However, the 1831 census introduced much more detailed questions relating to occupation, using a pre-determined list.[*]

The Act for Marriages in England 1836 – w.e.f. 1837

This legalised civil marriage in England and Wales. As mentioned above, marriages had already been formalised by the Marriage Act (1753), but only Church of England, Quaker or Jewish marriages were legally registered, and this led to many marriages going unrecorded. Now, other religions could apply to the Registrar General for their buildings to be registered to conduct weddings (providing there was a Registrar and two witnesses).

The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836 – effective from 1837

‘For the better regulating Parish and other Registers of Births, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials in England’

This Act provided for the civil registration of births, deaths and marriages which would now be undertaken by a newly formed “General Register Office”. The new post of Registrar General was created and the romantic novelist Thomas Henry Lister, became the first Registar General. From 1st July 1837 onwards, all copies of birth, deaths and marriage certificates were lodged at the General Register Office. This Act was hugely important because, from 1st July 1837 onwards, all copies of birth, death and marriages certificates have been lodged at the General Register Office, making it ‘relatively’ easy for family trees to be traced back to this date.

Initially, Poor Law Commissioners for England & Wales were asigned responsibility for keeping the register. However, where there were no Commissioners, the register was to be kept by the Registrar General under the direction of a Secretary of State.

The Population Act 1840

This provided the legal basis for the 1841 census. The newly appointed Registrar General of Births, Marriages & Deaths in England and Wales was now responsible for conducting the census, replacing the Overseers of the Poor and the Clergy who between them had gathered the information for earlier censuses in England and Wales.

Population Comparisons

Population of Great Britain | 1801 - 1831

Census	Population*	Approx. percentage increase since last census
*including Army and Navy. From 1821, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man ('British Islands').
1801	10,942,646	-
1811	12,596,803	15%
1821	14,481,139	14.5%
1831	16,643,028	15%