Although it was welcome news, I was puzzled to hear that the 1911 census became available online yesterday – it is supposed to remain confidential for 100 years
I could not find an explanation on the official website but The Times said that the decision for early release had been taken because the 100 year rule was not enshrined in law until the 1920 Census Act
It is I suppose a response to the immense interest in family history & commercial pressures – and every little helps to reduce the PSBR in these straitened times. I cannot help but feel a little concerned however; with the increasingly cavalier attitude of government towards personal privacy, there might be temptations to repeal the 1920 Act
When things calm down I shall take a look. My Nana should put in her first appearance. Both grandfathers already appear in 1901, though my Irish grandmother will not appear in the English census until 1921 – together with my father
The census records are not however completely accurate. My baby grandfather, weirdly, was recorded by the enumerator as a girl in 1901, albeit one with the unusual name of Thomas Augusta
The other mistake I have come across is a transcription error on the Ancestry version of the 1861 census, where Henry Palin’s place of birth is given as Banbury rather than Bombay. I know that this is a transcription error because the microfilm version is clear. It is astonishing for me now to think how, only a few short years ago I was travelling round local archives to consult microfilm versions; now all that has been transformed by the availability of vital registration data & the census on line, not to mention the Times archive. If only the same treatment could be given to the invaluable local newspapers, Victorian periodicals, directories etc
I heard somebody say that 1911 was the first time that householders, rather than enumerators, had been responsible for filling in the forms. This is simply not true, though it may be the first time that enumerators did not transcribe the information in its entirety. I cannot remember ever having seen a copy of an individual Victorian census return, only enumerators records. I wonder if all those forms are stashed away in safe storage somewhere
