The 1911 census

At the moment, the 1911 census is the only one of England not available through Ancestry. You can search and view the 1911 census at Genes Reunited, findmypast, or the official 1911 census site. No matter which method you choose, you will have to pay to see details and the original images. You can get subscriptions or buy credits to any of these sites.

The 1911 census is the most recent that we have access to. The 1921 census will not be available for another 10 years. One of the nice things about the 1911 census images is that you can see your ancestor's handwriting - on the previous censuses we see only the enumerator's handwriting. Unlike previous censuses, the 1911 asked women to report on the number of children born to them, and the number of living children. Additionally, married couples were asked how long they had been married, making it easier to track the appropriate marriage registration using FreeBMD. Middle names are also more commonly reported on the 1911.

Rumour has it that Ancestry is going to include the 1911 census in their offerings later this year. That will be nice, as the search engine for the 1911 is not as nice to use as Ancestry's. Let us know how you get on with the 1911 census.


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