1911
CENSUS GOES ONLINE
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36 million people
were recorded in the census taken
on the night of Sunday, 2 April, 1911. Today, after nearly 100 years, these
census records are available to the public at www.1911census.co.uk.
The
census covered England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands,
as well as recording those aboard Royal Naval and Merchant vessels at sea
and in foreign ports and, for the first time in a British census, full details
of British Army personnel and their families in military establishments
overseas. It is the most detailed census since
From
today over 27 million people�s census entries � 80 per cent of the English
records � will be available. A further nine million records of people from
the remaining counties of
www.1911census.co.uk is easy to access
and enables the public to view high quality colour images of their ancestors�
original handwritten census returns. Transcribed text versions of the records
ensure they are fully searchable by name or address.
Public
demand for the 1911 census, which will be a key resource for family historians,
has resulted in the records being released earlier than the scheduled 2012
date. To make this early online release to the public possible, the 1911
census team worked around the clock for two years � scanning on average
one census page per second. In line with data protection legislation, certain
sensitive information relating to infirmity and to children of women prisoners
will be held back until 2012.
Comprehensive and
rigorously tested, www.1911census.co.uk has been developed
by UK-based family history website findmypast.com, owned by brightsolid, in association with The National
Archives.
Elaine Collins,
Commercial Director at findmypast.com, said: �The 1911 census offers a crucial new entry
point to family history research for a wide range of people, from novice
family historians to seasoned genealogists who have hit a �wall� in their
family tree research. As well as helping people trace their ancestors, these
records shed more light on our ancestors� day-to-day lifestyles, providing a snapshot of a day in their
lives, with details of their occupations, housing arrangements and social
status.�
The
1911 census is huge � occupying over two kilometres of shelving � an incredible
eight million paper census returns have been transcribed to create over
16 million digital images. This makes the 1911 census one of the biggest
digitisation projects ever undertaken by The National Archives in association
with a commercial partner.
Oliver
Morley, Director of Customer and Business Development at The National Archives,
commented: �This
is a major achievement. By teaming up with findmypast.com, we are bringing
history to life for millions. This remarkable record is available online
to researchers and family historians all over the world for future generations. The 1911 census
is a poignant reflection of how different life was in early 20 century
Due
to the widespread popularity of family history, it is anticipated that www.1911census.co.uk will
experience a high level of visitors logging on to search the records, especially
in the first weeks of launch.
Elaine Collins,
Commercial Director at findmypast.com, advises: ��We aim to deliver
a quality service that has high but not infinite capacity. If visitors do
experience a short delay in accessing the records via www.1911census.co.uk soon after launch,
we would advise them to try again later when the website becomes less busy. www.1911census.co.uk is here to stay and
access to the online census records will be unlimited permanently from today."
Handwritten records
Completed by all
householders in
People
will also have unique access to their ancestors� handwriting as the original
householders� schedules were preserved and used as working documents rather
than copying the details in to summary books as was the case in previous
census years.
The
records contain details about the lives of many important British historical
figures, such as David Lloyd George, the contemporary Prime Minister H.H.
Asquith and �Bloomsbury Set� author Virginia Woolf. The launch of the records
also creates a starting point for people to trace their own family tree
by looking up their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents who were
alive in the year 1911.
�Fertility Census�
The
1911 census was the first to ask questions relating to fertility in marriage. Married women were asked to state how long they had been married
and how many children had been born from that marriage. The census also provides a fascinating snapshot of the population
of the country just a few years before a whole generation of young men perished
in the Great War of 1914-1918.
How to use the
1911 Census records
Log on to www.1911census.co.uk and register for
free
Search for an ancestor
in 1911 by entering their name
If the name is
common you can enter their approximate year of birth, which will help to
narrow down the results
Search for an address
to look up the history of your house or an ancestor�s address in 1911 (this
function will be available in summer 2009)
Pay as you go to
view each record. You will be charged 10 credits per transcript and 30 credits
for each original household page. Visitors to the website can buy 60 credits
for �6.95.
Findmypast.com
vouchers will also be valid on 1911census.co.uk. Vouchers can be purchased
from The National Archives bookshop and redeemed on findmypast.com. Credits
can then be spent on both findmypast.com and 1911census.co.uk.
For more information
about using the 1911 census for family history research, �Census: The Expert
Guide� by Peter Christian and David Annal is available from The National
Archives online bookshop at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
About findmypast.com
Leading
Following
the transcription, scanning and indexing of over two million images, the
company launched the first website to allow the public easy and fast access
to the complete indexes, which until then had only been available on microfiche
film in specialist archives and libraries. The launch was instrumental in
creating the widespread and growing interest in genealogy seen in the
Findmypast.com has subsequently
digitised many more family history records and now offers access to over
650 million records dating as far back as 1538. This allows family historians
and novice genealogists to search for their ancestors among comprehensive
collections of military records, census, migration, occupation directories,
and current electoral roll data, as well as the original comprehensive birth,
marriage and death records.
In November
2006 findmypast.com launched the ancestorsonboard.com microsite in association
with The National Archives to publish outbound passenger lists for long-distance
voyages departing all British ports between 1890 and 1960.
As well as
providing access to historical records, findmypast.com is also developing
a range of online tools to help people discover and share their family history
more easily, beginning with the launch of Family Tree Explorer in July 2007.
Over 1.7
million people in the
In April
2007 findmypast.com�s then parent company Title Research Group received
the prestigious Queen�s Award for
Findmypast.com was acquired
in December 2007 by brightsolid, the company who were awarded The
National Archives� contract to publish online the 1911 census.
About The National Archives:
The National
Archives, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk, is
a government department and an executive
agency of the Ministry
of Justice (MoJ). As the official archives
of the UK government, it cares for, makes available and �brings alive� a
vast collection of over 1000 years of historical records, including the
treasured Domesday Book.
Not only
safeguarding historical information, The National Archives also manages
current digital information and devises new technological solutions for
keeping government records readable now and in the future. It provides world
class research facilities and expert advice, publishes all
At the heart
of information policy, The National Archives sets standards of best practice
that actively promotes and encourages public access to, and the re-use of
information, both online or onsite at
The National Archives brings together the Public Record Office, Historical Manuscripts Commission, the Office of Public Sector Information and Her Majesty�s Stationery Office. See also www.opsi.gov.uk
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