The date of the 1841 Census was 7th June 1841, recording the names of those in the household who had been present on the previous night.
It was the fourth decennial (ten-yearly) census of the population, but was the first census useful to historians and genealogists. Each household was required to complete a form known as a census schedule, giving:
- address of the household: street name, house number or house name
- the name of each household member
- the age of each person in that household (see below)
- the sex of each person
- the occupation of each person
- an indication of whether or not that person had been born in that county (Y/Yes or N/No)
The instruction was to record the exact age of those who were 15 or under, and for everyone else to round up or down to the nearest 5 years - for example, a man aged 27 would have his age rounded down to 25. However many census enumerators did not adhere to this instruction.
It's vital to remember that there are two columns on each page in the 1841 census.
Instructions to Census Enumerators for the 1841 Census (this is a link to another site and will open in a new window)
The 1840 Census Act (this is a link to another site and will open in a new window)
As well as dwelling places, the census also listed buildings which were non-dwellings and unhinhabited. The actual address of each house is not given; just the street, except for major properties such as farm houses, and public houses.
