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Census
Records
Although
the first government-organised census in Ireland was
carried out in 1821 and a census was taken every ten
years until 1911, the Enumerators’ Returns which contain
details of the members of each family for all places
in Ireland, only survive for the years 1901 and 1911.
| 1901/1911
Census |
I
would normally use the"free" online
1901/1911 Census [National Archives, Ireland]
as my starting point for moving back into the
nineteenth century or forward to the present day.
These two censuses provide details on the members
of each household in a townland or street at that
time as well as details of the houses in which
they lived. Even more importantly, they provide
a window into the nature of the society and economy
within a locality in the early decades of the
twentieth century. The census records, when used
in conjunction with valuation records, allow us
to see exactly where people lived in the early
years of the twentieth century. This is demonstrated
in the case study Town of Portstewart [1901 to
1911] and, indeed, in most of the case studies
of localities and families. Click on the Case
Studies link in the top menu to access the
Portstewart and other examples. See also, this
example of an Excel
file of Heads of Families in Draperstown
District 1901 & 1911 - read more. |
Recently
some of the fragments of earlier censuses 1821, 1831,
1841 and 1851 have been added to the 1901/1911 site.
Because of its piecemeal nature, it is probably best
to "browse" this new data rather than, initially,
do a search for a name. The
best of these fragments are those of the 1851 Census
for Co. Antrim. These are available [free] online
at searchforancestors.com
- read
more. I have also created separate Excel &
PDF databases of the 1851 Census for the Parishes
and Townlands extant in the Barony of Kilconway -
Excel
- PDF
and the Barony of Glenarm - Excel
- PDF.
There are earlier sources that bear the name census
but none of these is a proper census. They are
normally referred to as census substitutes.
The
following are also useful - the 1803
Agricultural " Census" for parts of North
Antrim - the Church
Census material extant for Co. Londonderry and North
& Mid Antrim and the Tithe
Records [1820s/30s Tithe Applotment Books].
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