UK Census Dates and Other Information

Here are the census dates Midnight on Dates concerned
Sun/Mon. 6 June 1841 In the 1841 Census, after the age of 15 years, all ages were rounded down to the nearest five years. - see below

Census return dates - Population

Sun/Mon. night
1841 June 6th .................... 15,914,000 - note: over15 age is rounded and no name of place born
1851 March 30th ............... 17,928,000
1861 April 7th.................... 20,066,000
1871 April 2nd ................ . 22,723,000
1881 April 3rd.................... 25,974,000
1891 April 5th..................... 28,999,725
1901 31 March
1911 2 April

All above census now available on internet

19 April 1921 the census act 1920 may stop 1921 being made public
26 April 1931 Destroyed in WW2
1941 Note: No Census due to War

1939 National Registration would be good if this could be released

London - from http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~city19c/viccity/pop.html
1831 1,654,994 -
1841 1,948,417
1851 2,362,236
1861 2,803,989
1871 3,254,266

more info at

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mcneillyandco/censusdates.htm

Census returns for a small number of areas in the pre-1841 years did
record some names, usually the head of household only; these include :
Hendon - 1801, 1811, 1821
Marylebone - 1821 and 1831
Hackney - 1811, 1821 and 1831
Poplar - 1821 and 1831

Age Rounding in 1841 The actual instructions to the enumerators of the 1841 census were as follows:-

"...Name and Surname, Sex and Age, of each Person who abode in each House ."

"Insert the name of every Person who slept in each House. [on the Night of 6th of June] Leave no blank spaces between the names. Always set down the names of the whole family ... one Christian name to each person. Infants having no Christian name may be entered "n.k." for "not known." Write the age of each person opposite to the name in one of the two columns headed "Males" and "Females," according to the sex. For infants under one year of age state the number of months. From one year to 15 state the age at the last birthday. For persons of 15 years of age and upwards, write as follows, instead of the exact age. For persons between the ages of -- 15 and 20 write 15; 20 and 25 write 20; 25 and 30 write 25; 30 and 35 write 30; 35 and 40 write 35; 40 and 45 write 40; 45 and 50 write 45; 50 and 55 write 50; 55 and 60 write 55; 60 and 65 write 60; 65 and 70 write 65; 70 and 75 write 70.

However in A Clearer Sense of the Census, Edward Higgs quotes the instructions to the householder but it also contains the confusing statement ' but the EXACT AGE may be stated if the person prefers it'

When the person is a Peer or Peeress, the title may be written instead of the name. The words "Lord," "Lady," "Sir," "Rt Hon." "Hon." may be put before the names of those to whom they belong. If as may happen in a lodging-house or inn, a person who slept there the night before, has gone away early, and the name is not known, write "n.k." where the name should have been.