Censuses past 1901?

[kygans]

Hi there - Why are there no Scotland censuses past 1901? Or were they folded into an overall UK census after that time? If there is a 1911 Scotland census, when would it be released?

Thanks!

Kerry

[Anne H]

Hi Kerry,

Census records are closed to the public for 100 years in Scotland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom. The next census for 1911 will be available to all of us in 2012...or I think possibly 2011 for this one. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong!

Regards,
Anne H

[marilyn morning]

Hi Kerry,

Welcome to TS!

I love your first name, its my daughter's name too.

Also see

http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11907

http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11123

Regards
Marilyn

[AndrewP]

Hi Kerry,

See http://www.talkingscot.com/censuses/census-intro.htm for more information about the censuses and their availability.

Using the Freedom of Information Act, there is a possibility of the 1911 census for England and Wales becoming available sooner. I am unsure whether it is to be the release of the whole census, or of snippets from the census upon application.

When the Freedom of Information Act was released a few years back, The Registrar General for Scotland sought exemption from the Act for the censuses, for the 100 year closure of the censuses in Scotland to remain in place. The exemption was accepted, so it will be 2011 before the release of the data from the 1911 census.

As you will see fom the information on the webpage given above, there has been a UK census every 10 years since 1801, apart from 1941 because of World War II. The pre-1841 censuses are normally considered to be of little use in genealogy, apart from the very few districts where some enumeration books still exist. So under current legislation there will be a release of new census information every 10 years, with the exception of 2041 for 1941.

All the best,

AndrewP

[Montrose Budie]

Note that there are quite separate Freedom of Information Acts applying to Scotland only, and to England & Wales, - I'm unsure about N Ireland.

The Scottish act of parliament specifically excludes censuses, but the English/Welsh act didn't; so that, after a long campaign it was accepted that the 1911 census info for England & Wales would be released early, but only on the basis of a fee of £40 (forty) for information relating to the household for a specified name and address, and with any 'sensitive' info, e.g. disability, or 'questionable' occupation, - use your imagination !! - excluded until the 100 year period is up.

There was no 'application for an exemption [from an existing Act]' in Scotland by the Registrar General; rather the Scottish Executive consultation in the run up to the Scottish Freedom of Information Act accepted the Registrar General's submission that censuses should be excluded from the provisions of the Scottish Act, so that the Act as presented to parliament, from the beginning, did not apply to Scottish censuses.

[For those not familiar with the situation, there are separate legal systems in Scotland and England & Wales. This quite often means that there is a UK parliamentary act applying to England & Wales, but a quite separate act of the same name but with ' (Scotland) ' in the title written so as to conform with the Scottish legal system. Most often the provisions of this separate Scottish act are identical, but sometimes, as here, there is a difference. (Things are even more complicated now with separate parliaments/assemblies in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, having legislative power in certain areas.)

This is exactly the reason we have a quite different situation in Scotland compared to England as regards access to the BMD records, so that we are privileged to have access in Edinburgh and elsewhere via DIGROS, as well as on-line, not only to the indexes of the Scottish statutory records, but also the digitised images; there being a quite minor, apparantly trivial, but very significant difference in the wording of the relevant Scottish legislation as regards the powers of the Registrar General for Scotland !, and thank the Guid Lord for that.

And please note that our access is indeed a privilege, which could be withdrawn tomorrow were the RG to so decide, however unlikely that scenario now is, given the now long established precedent that has been established ! ]

My take on the situation has always been that if folk were guaranteed a certain period of absolute confidentiality, on which basis they supplied their info to the enumerator, then that's how it should be ! - as it still is today !, but please, please don't regard that expression of opinion as an invitation to open up a massive, potentially acerbic debate on the subject!

Frustrating, certainly for very many Scottish researchers who would dearly love early access to the 1911 census, but that's the way it is, - the Registrar General for Scotland is on record as stating that he never intends to seek to overturn the provisions of the acts of parliament setting up the early 20th century censuses. So don't hold your breath with respect to the 1921 census !

MB

[Chris Paton]

Using the Freedom of Information Act, there is a possibility of the 1911 census for England and Wales becoming available sooner. I am unsure whether it is to be the release of the whole census, or of snippets from the census upon application.

The projected release of the 1911 English census is 2009 - there is a website at www.1911census.co.uk where you can track progress of the digitisation being done by brightsolid i.e. Scotland Online under its new numbty name! Only a minor part of the information will remain sealed until 2012, being medical info.

Re: Ireland, Antrim, Down and Kerry 1911 will be available in October, with all Ireland 1901 and 1911 available by this time next year, 1911 taking priority. 1911 Ireland (including the six counties of Northern Ireland) was released years ago in the Republic to compensate for the loss of the 1821 to 1891 censuses (from a combination of official British Government pulping, and the Four Courts fire of 1922), though it remains officially closed in the north.

Incidentally, the 1931 census for England and Wales does not exist, but does in Scotland. There is currently some agitation for the first census of the Irish Free State census from 1926 to be released early.

Personally, I'm happy to wait every ten years - something to look forward to!

Chris

[wini]

All very well for you Chris, some of us may not be here in another 10 years.

Hope I will, but you never know.

wini