The Census Return Layout

The first column lists the place where a person lived. This can range from the name of a house, an area, the name of a street or a road.

The second column is divided into two sections. The left-hand section lists houses or buildings that are uninhabited or in the process of being built. The right-hand section lists inhabited houses.

The third column is a list of people who did not live there permanently, but were in the house on the preceding night.

The fourth column is divided into two sections. The first section lists the age of males, and the second section lists the age of females.

The fifth column lists a person’s trade, profession, or if they are of independent means. It does not record if a person is unemployed.

The sixth column is divided into two sections. The left-hand section lists whether or not a person was born in the county where they now live. The right-hand section lists whether a person was born in Scotland, Ireland or Foreign Parts. It must be assumed. that Wales was included within the first section.

The page number is placed in the bottom left-hand corner, and the total number of houses is listed, as is the total number of males and females.

The size of the area covered by each district varies. At the end of each district a full page of data can be found. On this page, all of the totals, from the individual pages in the area, are added-up. Some census pages are easier to read than others, due to the different writing styles of the enumerators. Abbreviations and spelling errors can also cause problems.