Appleby History > Records > Censuses 1841-1911
New for June 2011: the 1911 census
The UK National Censuses 1841-1911
The Appleby Collection
With the exception of 1941, a national census (in the more or less current form) has been conducted in the UK every ten years, starting in 1841. Censuses before 1841 were little more than population headcounts.
The 1841 census has been analysed by Richard Dunmore and his finding presented in the “In Focus” series on the Appleby History web site, articles 19 to 22. They can be accessed by selecting this link.
This Appleby Collection is a line by line transcription of the census returns for the period 1841 to 1911 inclusive.
Before 1911 the census forms were completed by appointed enumerators. What the enumerators wrote was their interpretation of what was said to them. The transcripts are my interpretation of what the enumerators wrote. The enumerators were more concerned with an accurate count than with accurate spelling.
The 1911 census was the first to be completed by the householders themselves, with all the implications of varying literacy levels. The census returns were then checked (and amended as necessary) by the enumerators. Where practical this 1911 transcription has tried to preserve both the original householder’s entries and how the enumerators amended the returns. Please review page 1 of the 1911 transcription for more information, including how householders were instructed to count the rooms in their homes.
Historically Appleby has been near the borders of Derbyshire and Leicestershire, and this is reflected in the census returns. Before 1901 there were always two Enumeration Districts, one for Derbyshire and one for Leicestershire. The 1901 census was the first to consolidate Appleby to a single Enumeration District, although the Derbyshire and Leicestershire portions are still listed separately. The 1911 census does appear to be more genuinely consolidated.
In this collection all of the returns for a single census are presented as one fully searchable pdf file.
To view a census just click on the year (Adobe pdf reader is required):-
Chris Bee
Issue 3 - June 2011
See also:
- In Focus 19: The 1841 Census (part 1), Richard Dunmore's analysis of the 1841 census in four parts
- Parish Records, the transcripted records of St Michael's Church
- A Son of the Rectory, Aubrey Moore's autobiography of village life pre First World War
- Village Families 1560-1700, a list of surnames compiled by Alan Roberts