The 1841 census is the earliest one available to us that gives people's names. This census, and that of 1851, are particularly vital in that they name many people who did not survive until civil registration of Deaths began in 1855. Obviously there are more such people in 1841 than in 1851. However, the information from the 1841 census is not as detailed or as useful as given in subsequent decades.
Let's suppose that we want to check on the Othername family we have come across already in birth and marriage records. From Ivan Othername's 1829 birth record (see the Old Parish Registers of Births page), we know that Noah was a farmer in Smallholding, Othertown Parish, in that year. Will he be there in 1841? Here is the result of our search:
Some important points to note about the 1841 census:
- We did not find Noah Othername at Smallholding, but undeterred, we looked around and discovered that he resided at Old Farm which, attentive readers will have noticed, is where Ann Strangename's father resided according to the marriage record of 1816.
- Furthermore, there is a Colin Strangename, aged 75, still resident there, so he is probably Ann's father, though his son-in-law appears to have taken over the farm.
- Notice in general, however, that unlike in the case of subsequent decennial census returns, no relationships are given between the people in each household. Strictly speaking, although we know from other records that Ann Othername, aged 45, is Ann Strangename by her maiden name, and that she is Noah's wife, this relationship cannot be deduced from the 1841 census alone. She could have been Noah's sister or even sister-in-law.
- Similarly, although it seems likely that Helen McKellar is a married daughter of Noah and Ann Othername, and that Annie McKellar is their grand-daughter, these relationships would need to be demonstrated from other sources.
- Another vital fact to note about the 1841 census alone is that for people older than 15 years, the enumerator was supposed to round down their ages to the nearest multiple of 5. Therefore, "15" on the 1841 census is supposed to mean "between 15 and 19"; "20" means "between 20 and 24", "45" means "between 45 and 49", "75" means "between 75 and 79", and so on.
- Ages given for children under 15 years old were supposed to be accurate.
- As always with the census, treat the ages given with caution, particularly for older people.
- Addresses on the 1841 census can often be vague.
- A system of abbreviations for the most frequently encountered occupations was in use. "Ag Lab", for example, is short for "agricultural labourer". This could mean just that, though it was also often used for farmers' sons who were working on the farm, for farm servants and for ploughmen.
- Precise places of birth are not given on the 1841 census. "Y" = "Yes, I was born in this County" (so you have to know in this case what County Othertown is in!). "N" means "I was born in Scotland, but not in this County" - which is not really very helpful. "I" would be given for "born in Ireland", "E" for born in England".
We saw from the Othertown Parish Register marriage entry that Noah Othername was from the parish of Unexpected when he married Ann Strangename. Further research would be likely to reveal that Unexpected Parish was in a different County from Othertown, and that Noah and Ann's older children were born in Unexpected. The 1851 census could provide the answer, leading to details in the Unexpected Parish Register.
