It’s finally here!
Findmypast and The National Archives have now published the highly anticipated 1921 Census of England and Wales online, as the 100-year rule, which ensures records are closed to the public for 100 years, has ended.
After three years of intensive conservation and digitisation and with the help and support of the Office for National Statistics, the census is now available to search and explore online, only at Findmypast.
Taken on June 19, 1921 after being delayed by two months due to industrial unrest, the 1921 Census saw more than 38,000 enumerators dispatched to every corner of England and Wales to capture the details of more than 38 million people. This included over 8.5 million households as well as all manner of public and private institutions ranging from prisons and military bases to public schools and workhouses.
Offering more detail than any previous census ever taken, the 1921 Census not only asked individuals about their age, birth place, occupation and residence (including the names of other household members and the number of rooms), but also their place of work, employer details, and gave “divorced” as an option for marital status.
The publication of these documents will mark the last significant census release for England and Wales in many people’s lifetime.
Jeff James, chief executive and keeper at The National Archives, said what makes the 1921 even more important is that “it will be the last census release for England and Wales for 30 years, with the 1931 Census lost in a fire during the Second World War and the 1941 Census never taken.” This means the next census will not be available until 2052.
Falling between the two world wars, the record paints a disparate picture of England and Wales, from the Royal household to the average working-class citizen, still reeling from the impact of WW1 a major housing crisis, the Spanish flu pandemic, ravaged economy and industrial turmoil.
The 1921 Census demonstrates the rapid social and cultural change the country was undergoing, with the changing role of women and the impact of the First World War proving particularly apparent.
Owing to the vast number of men who fell in the war, the census reveals there were 1,096 women for every 1,000 men recorded, with this discrepancy being the biggest for those aged between 20 and 45. This means there were over 1.7 million more women than men in England and Wales, the largest difference ever seen in a census.
There was also a dramatic increase in the number of people recorded in hospitals with a 35 percent increase from 1911, three quarters of whom were men presumably suffering from wounds received in the war.
Thanks to the additional information recorded on the status of parents and children, the census also reveals the devastating impact the war had on families with over 730,000 fatherless children being recorded versus 261,000 without a mother.
Canadians and others in the census
Not everyone in the 1921 Census, however, was English or Welsh. In fact, about 26 percent — 1,275,884 people — were born elsewhere. Many of these were Irish and Scottish natives, but there were sizeable numbers for several other countries.
Outside of the British Isles, Russia, Canada, and Poland form the top three countries in the census. Both Russia and Poland were in the midst of rebellion and war, and England had large populations of refugees.
The Indian Empire also had a large percentage due to the British influence in the area.
Here’s the breakdown:
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- 74,219 people born in the Indian Empire
- 39,1956 people born in Russia
- 30,620 people born in Canada and Newfoundland (two separate entities in 1921)
- 27,656 people born in Poland
- 26,348 people born in Australia
- 22,990 people born in South Africa
- 7,257 people born in New Zealand
- 15,056 people born in the United States
Fees
For a period of time, there will be a charge on Findmypast to access individual entries, at £2.50 (about CDN$4.25) for every record transcript, and £3.50 (about CDN$6.00) for an original image of a record. Right now, Findmypast is offering a bit of a discount on these charges.
The fees cover the cost of digitising and transcribing the 18,235,242 images created from the records supplied to Findmypast by The National Archives.
Not a Findmypast subscriber? They offer a 14-day trial. This will give you an opportunity to look at who may be listed in the census. Of course, to look at the transcript or image of the return, you’ll need to pay.
