England and Wales Census, 1851 - FamilySearch Historical Records

England

Wales

What is in This Collection?
This collection will include records for 1851.

The schedules are arranged by county and then divided by civil parish, each district being an area that could be enumerated in a day. For reference purposes, the National Archives assigned a piece number to each enumeration district and stamped a folio number in the upper right corner of each right-side page. The number refers to entries on both sides of the page.

The original schedules are well preserved and housed at the Public Records Office in Kew.

The Registrar General created censuses for various reasons, including population studies, accessing military readiness, compiling lists of eligible voters, and tracking relief to the poor.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians.

These images can be viewed online by members of the supporting organization(s), at a Family History Center near you, or the Family History Library. They are also viewable to users who are part of FindMyPast, or who have contributed to the FamilySearch Indexing effort. Learn how to be a part of FamilySearch Indexing here.

For additional information about image restrictions, please see the Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections page.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Census records usually contain the following information:


 * Date, place, district, parish and county where census was taken
 * Given names and surnames for members in each household
 * Age, gender and birthplace for each household member
 * Marital status and occupation for each household member
 * Occupation
 * Relationship to the head of the household

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person you are looking for
 * Approximate place of residence

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Look at an image of the original record. The original may contain information that was not recorded in the index
 * Use the information to find additional family members in other censuses
 * Use the ages listed to determine an approximate birth date and to find other records such as birth, marriage, christening, and death records
 * Birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search
 * Check for other names. They might have been listed under a middle name, a nickname, or an abbreviation of their given name.
 * A woman may have returned to her maiden name after the death of her husband
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used. "England and Wales Census, 1851." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing The National Archives, Surrey, England.
 * Collection Citation:

Top of Page

How Can I Contribute to the FamilySearch Wiki?
Return to England Census Page