Nature of Source
Introduction
Census records are one of the most valuable resources for genealogists and family historians. Taken every ten years, the records provide a detailed count and comprehensive snapshot of the population and offer a wealth of demographic, social, and economic information about our ancestors. The census essentially captures a record of all individuals residing in a particular location on a particular day be it a residential dwelling or an institution. The 1801-1831 census were headcounts only and were mostly destroyed. A few returns with personal data survive and are located in local archives. However, they can provide statistical summaries. Some transcription work has been carried out by enthusiasts such as Lisa Conrad published images and transcriptions of the 1821 census for the Orkney Islands.
The Census Taking Process
The procedure for taking Scottish censuses and the format of the returns is very nearly identical to that of the English and Welsh versions.
Enumerators distributed forms or schedules to each household in designated enumeration districts. Unlike England, the Scottish authorities destroyed the original schedules which means the handwriting of the head of household is lost.
Heads of households completed these forms and returned them to the enumerators the day after the night of the census. In the event of illiteracy, the enumerator copied down answers orally from the head of household.
Enumerators transcribed the information into census books and submitted them to the registrar. By 1911, machines were first used to tabulate results directly from household schedules.
Registrars sent these books to the central office in London.
Established under the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act of 1854, the General Register Office for Scotland took over census responsibilities, beginning with the 1861 census
Public access to census returns is closed for a hundred years and none was taken in 1941. Census records are publicly accessible 100 years after they are taken. No census was taken in 1941 due to World War II.
Issues and Tips
In some cases whole pieces of the census are missing or severely damaged. For example a number of returns for the 1841 census covering Fife parishes were lost at sea. A list of missing census data can be found at the ScotlandsPeople web site. Check with local societies if damaged pieces have been transcribed.
Also look for one-off local census and population lists as well as local censuses and population lists taken for tax, charity or religious purposes. Consult two books, one by Gibson & Medlycott and the other by Chapman (see below) for more details of locating these sources.
Reference might be made to a Quoad Sacra parish or a Quoad Omnia parish. The former was a religious entity created to address the needs of religious worship and administration and an outpost of an existing parish. The latter dealt with both civil and ecclesiastical matters, meaning it dealt with all aspects of parish life, both the spiritual and civil.
A General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) census reference adheres to the following pattern: Parish Number, Enumeration District Number, Entry Page Number, Parish Name, County Name, Census Year.
Be aware that the census returns are littered with mistakes, some intentional and some accidental. Some were made by the enumerator and some by the subject.
Mistakes also arose due to widespread illiteracy, mishearing by the enumerator, illegible handwriting or the failing memory of those enumerated.
‘Dressmaker’ and ‘Of independent means’ were common euphemisms for women working as prostitutes.
A single forward slash in the books indicates the end of a household whilst a double forward slash indicates the end of a building. Census forms often have a line drawn under the end of one household and another under the following head
When looking at a census form remember that the year is rarely shown on the page and the schedule number is not the house number.
Ages were often struck through by the census collector checking off entries.
Always search surrounding streets for other family members. If a child’s birthplace (especially the eldest) is shown different from that of the parents or of the census place, it could indicate that the mother had returned to her family’s home for the first birth. This could be a vital clue showing her childhood address.
Online Searching Tips and Missing people.
First names may have been recorded in their diminutive form and some enumerators themselves abbreviated names such as Jas for James. Also be aware that transcriptions and indexes can have numerous errors so try a variety of search strategies and try different providers.
When searching online census transcriptions, remember that the vast majority of the population were recorded in the censuses. Use a variety of search strategies and providers if an individual is proving difficult to track down. Some people were away from home on census night working away from home, visiting friends or staying at a hotel and are collectively known as ‘Census Strays’. Others may have been a patient in a hospital or an asylum or other institutions such as workhouses or prisons. All these institutions were enumerated but unfortunately it was common practice to enumerate an inmate only by their initial plus surname.
Locating a prison inmate on the census is even more challenging as the authorities only recorded the person’s initials between 1841 and 1861. However, the returns do state the prisoner’s condition, age, occupation and where born. A child missing from a census could have been be staying with relatives on census night or possibly living on a permanent basis with them.
Others might have been residing in a workhouse or orphanage. However it is possible that the person being searched was not at any dwelling on census night or was simply not enumerated or even changed their name. Some people may not be where expected as they were visiting another area. It is also possible that the person was away from the country especially as overseas travel became increasingly affordable in the 19th century.
A person missing from the census might have been serving abroad in the armed services. No returns were made for the armed forces in the 1841 and 1851 censuses. From 1861 the census recorded Royal Navy officer and crew at sea on special forms, although returns were made for 1841 and 1851 but have been lost. Merchant Navy only appear on census returns if in port.
Addresses
In towns few houses were numbered until the end of the 19th century and many streets were renumbered or renamed. Only the online 1881, 1901, 1911 and 1921 censuses can be searched by address.
ScotlandsPeople has made available the Census Street Index Books for the main towns and cities in Scotland. These books can make it easier to find the registration district and enumeration book details for an address. It is a useful tool for seeing which streets existed during those census years and which enumeration book contains their entry.
1939 Register
A form of census substitute known as the 1939 Register is available to the general public. The information was gathered at the beginning of WWII by an Act of Parliament known as the National Registration Act 1939. The Act required the registration of each member of every household in England and Wales as of the night of Friday 29th September 1939, known as National Registration Day. Each household member then received a National Registration Number, and an identity card which was used for obtaining a ration book later. Information gathered for each person was their full name, sex, address, date of birth, marital status, occupation and whether a member of the armed forces or reserves. Records of people younger than 100 and still alive, or who died after 1991 are officially closed. For details of applying in Scotland see the guide from the National Records of Scotland.
Other Scotland Resources
Census Returns
Clan & Tartan Records
County & Local Histories
Court Records
Directories, Trade, Professional, Telephone & Street
Electoral Registers or Burgess Rolls
Emigration Records
Hearth Tax
Heraldic Coats of Arms & Seals
Kirk/Church Sessions
Land Tax Assessments & Returns
Maps & Gazetteers
Militia Lists
Monumental/Memorial Inscriptions
Newspapers, magazines & journals
Old Parish Registers-Baptisms (OPRs)
Old Parish Registers-Burials (OPRs)
Old Parish Registers-Marriages & Proclamations (OPRs)
Passenger Lists
Pedigrees and Family Histories
Poor Law Records
Registers of Deeds (Books of Council and Session)
Retours of Services of Heirs
Sasines, Registers of
Statistical Accounts of Scotland
Statutory Registration-Birth
Statutory Registration-Death
Statutory Registration-Marriage
Surname Origins and Distribution
Valuation Rolls & Stent Rolls
Wills/Testaments and Inheritance
Where Found
ScotlandsPeople Centre (The ScotlandsPeople Centre is the official government resource for family history research. Holdings include Scottish census enumeration books with indexes and images of census records from 1841 to 1921. ScotlandsPeople Centre is a partnership between the National Records of Scotland and the Court of the Lord Lyon. The National Records of Scotland was created on 1 April 2011 by the amalgamation of the National Archives of Scotland and General Register Office for Scotland)
Scottish Genealogy Society (The society and library holds Monumental Inscriptions, collections of Old Parish Registers and census returns. They also hold a large collection of pedigrees and family histories which are indexed on their web site at the Family History Index. Some material is available on CD)
National Library of Scotland (Indexes to the census for 1841, 1851 and 1861 published by local family history societies and the 1881 census with name index on CD-ROM)
Period Covered
1841 – 1921
Genealogical Value
- Place of residence including parish and village. From 1851, name of street, road, house number or name. From 1891, number of rooms occupied if less than five.
- First name, middle name (often only initials) and surname.
- Relationship to the head of household, usually the oldest male (not available in the 1841 census).
- Marital status/Condition, showing whether married, single, widowed or widower. From 1891 the letter ‘S’ replaced the abbreviation ‘Unm’, ‘Un’ or ‘U’ for unmarried. (no marital status shown for the 1841 census).
- Age, at last birthday. For the 1841 census, ages over 15 were rounded down to the nearest 5 years with the actual age given for those under fifteen).
- Gender, male or female
- Occupation, profession or trade for all census years. For 1841, the option of ‘of independent means’ included. ‘Rank’ included for 1841 to 1881 returns. For 1891, ‘Employer, employed or neither’ included. For 1901, ‘Employer, worker or own account or if working from home’ included. Please note the Genealogist has indexed occupations across all available census returns.
- County and parish of birth, name of county and often the town. For the 1841 census, a simple Yes or No only is recorded if born in the same county.
- Country of birth, name of country if born outside of Scotland. For the 1841 census, only an ‘E’ for England, an ‘I’ for Ireland and an ‘F’ for foreign parts is recorded.
- Disabilities, mental or physical e.g. blind or deaf and dumb, imbecile, idiot or lunatic (not available in the 1841 census).
- Total of houses on page.
- Total of males and females on page.
1911 Census
Additional fields included in the 1911 census included:
- Number of years married.
- Total number of children born alive to the marriage.
- Number of children still living and number who have died.
- Industry employed in.
- Nationality of those born abroad.
Additional fields included in the 1921 census included:
- Orphans living in the household for those under 15.
- Name and place of the employer and a description of the business.
- Age in years and months, not just years.
- If in receipt of National Health Insurance benefit.
- If a marriage had been ‘dissolved by Divorce’.
- Whether the child had both parents alive, one parent alive or both parents dead.
Useful for house history research.
Further References
Census Specific
- Chapman, Colin. Pre-1841 Censuses & Population Listings in the British Isles: Lochin Publishing, 2002 (Preview available from Google Books)
- Gibson, Jeremy and Medlycott, Mervyn. Local Census Listings 1522-1930: Federation of Family History Societies, 2001
- Johnson, Gordon. Census Records for Scottish Families at home and abroad. 3rd edn: Aberdeen & N.E. Scotland Family History Society, 1997 (Lists census holdings in Scottish libraries)
- Jolly, Emma. Tracing Your Ancestors Using the Census: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword Books, 2013
- Ruthven-Murray, Peter. Scottish Census Indexes, 1841-1871, Scottish Association of Family History Societies (Includes lists of counties and parishes as they existed in the 19th century)
Family History Guides
- Adolph, Anthony. Tracing Your Scottish Family History: Collins, 2008
- Bigwood, Rosemary: The Scottish Family Tree Detective: Tracing Your Ancestors in Scotland: Manchester University Press, 2007
- Clarke, T. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: The Official Guide: Birlinn, 2012
- Cory, Kathleen B. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2009
- Durie, Bruce. Scottish Genealogy: The History Press, 2012
- Durie, Bruce. Documents for Genealogy & Local History: The History Press, 2013
- Hamilton-Edwards, Gerald. In Search of Scottish Ancestry: Phillimore, 1983
- Holton, Graham & Winch, Jack. Discover Your Scottish Ancestry: Internet and Traditional Resources: Edinburgh University Press, 2009 (Preview available from Google Books)
- James, Alwyn. Scottish Roots: From Gravestone to Website: The Step-By-Step Guide to Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: Luath Press, 2005
- Maxwell, Ian. Tracing your Scottish Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword, 2009
- Paton, Chris. Researching Scottish Family History: The Family History Partnership, 2010
- Paton, Chris. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry through Church and State Records: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword Family History, 2019
- Stewart, Alan. My Ancestor was Scottish: Society of Genealogists, 2012
- Tovey, Helen. My Scottish Ancestry: Lomond Books, 2011
Other
- Concise Scots Dictionary: Edinburgh University Press, 1999 (Preview available from Google Books)
- Lynch, Michael. Oxford Companion to Scottish History: OUP Oxford, 2011
- Moffat, Alistair & Wilson, James. The Scots: A Genetic Journey: Birlinn, 2011
- Richards, Eric. The Highland Clearances: Birlinn, 2013
- Scots Dictionary: Collins, 2014
- Timperley, Loretta R, (ed). A Directory of Land Ownership in Scotland c 1770: Scottish Record Society, 1976
- Torrance, Richard D. Scottish Trades, Professions, Vital Documents & Directories: Scottish Association of Family History Societies, 1998
Websites
www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/census-records (National Records of Scotland: Research Guides: Census Records)
www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/guides/census-returns (ScotlandsPeople Guide: Census Returns)
www.genealogylinks.net/uk/index.html (Links to online genealogy records and useful information)
www.historyscotland.com/history/seven-reasons-you-cant-find-your-ancestor-on-the-census (History Scotland: Seven reasons you can’t find your ancestor on the census)
www.censustools.com (CensusTools: Genealogy spreadsheets to record, preserve and archive research data. CensusTools provides quality forms to electronically record, preserve and archive family history data)
www.histpop.org (The Online Historical Population Reports Website. The collection provides online access to the complete British population reports for Britain and Ireland from 1801 to 1937 including official reports, legislation and essays on the censuses including statistical analysis. The documents on the site include indexes to parishes, townships and places used in the official reports)
www.visionofbritain.org.uk (A Vision of Britain through Time. The site brings together historical surveys of Britain to create a record of how the country and its localities have changed. The site has a listing of reports into each years census including statistical analysis of surnames and occupations as well as guides to using the census and its history)
Online Databases
www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk (The ScotlandsPeople website is the official Scottish Government site for searching government records and archives including 1841-1921 census transcriptions with original images. The 1911 and 1921 original household schedules have not survived with the records consisting only of the enumerator’s returns)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Search for your ancestors and discover a detailed snapshot of their life at the time such as their age, occupation, where they lived, who they lived with and their marital status. Findmypast offers transcriptions only covering the 1841-1901 censuses for Scotland. Original census images are not available due to the National Records of Scotland licensing regulations. No transcripts or images are available for 1911 Scotland census)
www.ancestry.co.uk (Scotland Census Collection. Search census indexes for Scotland up to 1901. Original census images are not available due to the National Records of Scotland licensing regulations. No transcripts or images are available for 1911 Scotland census)
www.thegenealogist.co.uk (Scottish Census 1841-1901. Search Scottish census transcripts using keywords such as occupation, birthplace, year of birth and more as well as forenames or search for an address)
www.myheritage.com (The Scotland Census, 1841-1901. The census returns offers details about Scottish ancestors that often cannot be found in other vital record collections such as information about occupation and residential addresses. The Scotland Census collections on MyHeritage are index-only and do not include the scanned documents)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Scotland Pre-1841 Censuses and Population Lists. The collection consists of over 3,500 early census fragments and parish lists from Jedburgh, Greenlaw, Ladykirk, Melrose, Applegarth, and Sibbaldbie. Most of the censuses and parish lists were created by parish Kirk Sessions, the lowest of the church courts in the Presbyterian Church)
http://ebc.byu.edu (BYU Center for Family History and Genealogy: Early British Census Project. The database covers British and Irish census records from 1801 to 1840. The project brings the numerous pre-1841 English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh census records into one searchable database)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Scotland, Midlothian, 1834 Dalkeith Census. Explore your Scottish ancestry with the 1834 census for Dalkeith, Midlothian showing lists of names and occupations)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Scotland, Orkney, 1821 South Ronaldsay & Burray Census. The 1821 Orkney census was taken on the night of 18 May 1821 and fortunately includes a full list of names along with ages and occupations)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Scotland, Berwickshire, Ladykirk Heads Of Household 1811. Search heads of the household in Ladykirk in 1811)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Scotland, Edinburgh St Cuthbert’s Census 1790)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Scotland, Perthshire, Inhabitants Of The Burgh Of Perth 1766)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Scotland, Shetland, Tingwall List Of Inhabitants 1785)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Scotland, Ayrshire Census & Population Lists 1801-1831. Explore the census and population lists from 1801 to 1831. Before the 1841 census, enumerators mainly provided statistical returns. Some of them, including those in Ayrshire, also kept lists of householders and their details)
www.findmypast.co.uk (Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway Census & Population Lists 1792-1821. Discover Scottish ancestors, their birth years and addresses in these early local census documents from Annan and Balmaclellan)
www.scottishindexes.com (Scottish Indexes: Record sets include transcribed 1841, 1851 and 1861 Census returns)
www.freecen.org.uk (Transcriptions, check site for census year and geographical coverage)
www.census-online.com/links/Scotland (Links to online census records)
https://info.dumgal.gov.uk/HistoricalIndexes/Home/IndexDescription/1 (Friends of the Archives of Dumfries and Galloway: Transcribed returns of the 1851 Census Returns for Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire)
www.thegenealogist.co.uk (Sample of the 1851 Scottish census containing approximately 59,000 entries)
Check with local Family History Societies for local census transcriptions.
CD Roms
Family History Societies (Local census transcriptions)
