How Were Censuses Taken In The 19th Century?

The censuses in the 19th century in England and Wales were taken on one night of the years 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, and 1891. This was in June in 1841 but at the end of March or in early April in the other years. Before census night, people appointed to the official task of recording the details of everyone living in each household of a small district went round and gave out forms to the head of each household. It was the head of the household who then completed many of the forms that contained the details of him, his family and anyone else living there such as servants or apprentices, or anyone staying overnight, such as a niece or a nephew.

A common problem, however, was that many people were illiterate and could not fill in their own forms. This was particularly true of the earlier censuses. In this case, the enumerator would fill in the form for the householder, using information provided by him. The enumerator would not necessarily check that the information was right.