When Were The Censuses Taken In England In Victorian England?

The first census was taken in 1811 and then a similar one was taken in 1821 and 1831. These were only really headcounts of the population in towns and villages and the notes taken from them rarely survive. From a family history point of view they are unlikely to mention people by name, so are not much use.

In 1841 a much more detailed census was taken that recorded names, occupations and grouped people into households. It also gave their ages and whether or not they were born in the county in which the census was taken.

Following this census, one was done every 10 years to the present day, apart from 1941, when England was engaged in World War II. The data from the censuses has a 100 year privacy rule and people are only allowed to access it after a century has passed. So, the most recent census from which family historians can get information is the 1901 census. This has been fully transcribed and is available on the internet.