Using the 1891 UK Census

If you have already used either the 1911 or 1901 census records to find out more about your relatives then you may start to see a patten arising in your research. Namely that you initially went looking for a specific member of your family and all of a sudden if your lucky you have relatives too, Uncles and Aunts, Grandparents etc.

This is were the next census back comes in useful, say for example you have found your Grandparent in the 1901 census, it makes sense he would probably be a child and therefore living with his parents (although not always, remember the census shows where that person was on the night in question). In my research I have found children who were staying with grandparents but then thats a bonus you've just discovered another generation.

But back to our example and for the sake of argument he is with his parents, lets know go into the 1891 census and searchon the parents name, and if you find them imagine what else you may discover. You may find older siblings that have moved on and married before the 1901 census (if you do don't forget to go back to the 1901 and try and find them, this is how your tree grows). You may also find parents of the parents who as they became older often moved in with the son or daughter. Always have a good look at the complete census document as invariably in these times families that were related lived in close proximity, I have often found families of the same name that later in my research turned out to be related.

A good pointer for all the cenus returns with the exception of 1841 is to have a look at the relationship to the head of household you may find that there are sister or brother in laws staying ( remember the census will list the wife with her married name not her maiden name) so other relatives can give clues to the maternal ancestry as well as the paternal. On the 1891 census this is shown in column 6 "Relationship to Head of House".

The 1891 UK Census took place on the evening of Sunday 5th April 1891 and its PRO Class Reference is RG12

You can download a blank copy of an 1891 Census return from Ancestry and you can do a search for free using FreeCen. Although by no means complete FreeCen is a good way to start doing some census research, and although you can't see actual copies of the enumerators books it does give you all the vital information. To use Freecen click on the link.

Information available from the 1891 Census is as follows:-

column 1 No. of schedule, numbered from 1 consecutively per book

column 2 ROAD, STREET, &c., and No. or NAME of HOUSE Name of street, place or road, and name or number of house

column 3 an 4 Houses sub divided into Inhabited and Uninhabited or Building separate columns for inhabited and uninhabited or being built (entered as 'U' or 'B')

column 5 Number of rooms occupied if less than five

column 6 NAME and Surname of each Person

column 7 RELATION to Head of Family

column 8 CONDITION as to Marriage

column 9 and 10 Age last birthday; separate columns for males and females

column 11 PROFESSION or OCCUPATION

column 12 Employer; 'X' inserted

column 13 Employed; 'X' inserted

column 14 Neither employer nor employed; 'X' inserted

column 15 WHERE BORN

and column 16 If 1 - Deaf & dumb, 2 - Blind, 3 - Lunatic, Imbecile or Idiot

An interesting fact from the 1891 census is that in Monmouthshire and Wales the enumerators books and household schedules had an extra column for Language Spoken the repsonse to be English, Welsh or Both.

1891 saw the UK entering the 54th year of the reign of Queen Victoria Britains longest reigning monarch ever, and a mere 6 years before the celebration of her Diamond Jubilee. The Prime Minister of the time Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, a Conservative and was the 28th, 30th and 33rd Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, first coming into power in July of 1885. (see picture)

1891 also saw the first ever publication Arthur Conan Doyles most famous detective Sherlock Holmes when the celebrated Sleuth appeared in Strand Magazine.

Elsewhere in the world saw the founding of the company Wrigley's, originally selling Baking Soda and soap the company started giving away chewing gum free with its products, of course the gum became more popular than the product it was given away with so Wrigley's became what we know them as today.

Finally, September of this year saw the first penalty kick awarded in a football (soccer) match; John Heath scores it for the Wolverhampton Wanderers.