UK Population and Census

Much of the following comes from A Chronology of State Medicine, Public Health, Welfare and Related Services in Britain: 1066 - 1999 (no longer available?) with a few minor corrections and additions.

1086
The Domesday Book was the first official record of the property holders living in England and the amount of land they held. The information was collected and recorded at the command of William the Conqueror in 1086, 20 years after the Normans had conquered the English at the Battle of Hastings. The properties of the great English landowners were confiscated by William and his followers.

William ordered the Domesday survey to find out how much land he owned, how the rest was divided, and how the land was populated.

The kingdom was divided into districts. Each district supplied people who knew the territory to take a census of their district. The census and the land survey covered most of the territory William controlled. There was no survey of London or Winchester or Bristol, and information about regions in north of England is incomplete (Durham and Northumberland, and few for Cumberland, Westmorland or northern Lancashire) although some parts of Wales near the English border are included. East Anglia (Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex) are not included in the 'Great Domesday', but are covered in a separate volume known as the 'Little Domesday'. Cambridgeshire (excluding the royal manors) is in Inquisitio Comitatus Cantabrigiensis. Cornwall, Somerset and most of Devon are in the 'Exeter Domesday'. Finally the Inquisitio Eliensis covered the lands of Ely Abbey in 6 counties.

Here is subscribed the inquisition of lands as the barons of the king have made inquiry into them; that is to say by the oath of the sheriff of the shire, and of all the barons and their Frenchmen, and the whole hundred, the priests, reeves, and six villains of each manor; then, what the manor is called, who held it in the time of king Edward, who holds now; how many hides, how many plows in demesne, how many belonging to the men, how many villains, how many cottars, how many serfs, how many free-men, how many socmen, how much woods, how much meadow, how many pastures, how many mills, how many fish-ponds, how much has been added or taken away, how much it was worth altogether at that time, and how much now, how much each free man or soeman had or has. All this threefold, that is to say in the time of king Edward, and when king William gave it, and as it is now; and whether more can be had than is had.

The population of England was estimated at about 2 million. 25% of the land was owned by 11 people. Information on the landowners can be found here and places here. The contents are available at Open Domesday.
1129-1832
The Pipe Rolls are ancient records of the crown revenue and expenditures of England, so called because of the pipe-like form of the rolled parchments on which these records were kept. The oldest extant pipe roll dates from the 31st year of the reign of Henry I (1130), and from 1156 they are almost completely intact. The earliest of these records have been published and are an invaluable source for social and administrative history. The pipe rolls were not completely abandoned for modern accounting methods until 1833.
1348-50
Black Death pandemic. In England it reached a peak in July 1349 and recurred in 1361 and 1368; between a third and a half of the population died, the total falling from about 4.7.
1538
Parish registers began. Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, issued his famous Injunctions of which the twelfth reads: Item, that you and every parson, vicar or curate within the Diocese, shall for every Church keep one book or register, wherein ye shall write the day and year of every wedding, christening and burying made in your parish for your time, and so every man succeeding you likewise, and also there insert every person's name that shall be so wedded, christened or buried. See 1653.
1552
Parishes were ordered to register their poor (5&6 Edw.VI, c.2); onus for the relief of the poor was placed on parish councils; and the parson was to exhort his parishioners to show charity to their neighbours. Each parish, Parliament suggested, should appoint two collectors of alms to assist the churchwardens after service on Trinity Sunday to “gently ask and demand of every man or woman what they of their charity will be contented to give weekly towards the relief of the poor”. The collectors had to receive the weekly payments and distribute the money to the registered poor of the parish.
1563
The Privy Council arranged for questions to be put to the bishops about the state of each diocese. Details of all householders were required and, from parochial information the number of households in each parish, were recorded. See 1603.
1598
Order that registers be made of parchment and entries, especially since 1558, were to be copied into the new register. Also an order for a transcript (copy) of the register to be sent to the diocesan registry every year - these are the Bishops' Transcripts.
1603
An inquiry, along the lines of that of 1563, carried out focusing on the number of communicants in each parish, with the result that dissenters and Catholics were excluded from the count. See 1678.
1653
Clergy required, as a statutory duty, to keep a weekly record of baptisms, marriages and deaths (see 1538). Marriages were in the presence of justices of the Peace instead of clergy. This became void in 1660. Many parents did not have their children baptised until 1662.
1656
Population of England estimated to have been 5.3 million.
1660
Restoration of the monarchy. All statutes of the Cornmonwealth were declared void.
1663
Hearth Tax (13&14 Cha.lI, c.10 7 12) introduced, and abandoned in 1689. The Hearth Tax was levied on the basis of the number of hearths in each house; these Rolls list the householders' names, as well as this number. Prior to 1663 only taxable persons were listed in the assessments. This was changed in 1663 and from then on both chargeable and non chargeable persons were shown. Non-payerswere those who didn't pay church or poor rates (ie paupers did not pay this tax), persons living in a house worth under 20s a year, charitable institutions with an annual income under 100 pounds a year, industrial hearths (eg kilns, furnaces etc) but smiths and bakers do not seem to have been exempt. It was paid by the occupier of the house or if a leaseholder was absent the landlord paid it. The Tax of a shilling per hearth was payable twice a year. Therefore a Hearth Tax assessment is a list of persons, arranged by townships or parishes, which shows against each name the number of hearths in that person's occupation. Some survive such as Headley.
1678
An ecclesiastical census was carried out of the numbers of Anglican communicants, and of Protestant and Roman Catholic dissenters.
1686
Population estimated to have been 4.9 million, 400,000 less than in 1656.
1691
Poor Law Act (3 Will, and Mary, c.1 1) introduced the registration of parishioners in receipt of poor relief.
1695
An Act (6&7 WiII.Ill, c.6) required duties to be paid on births, marriages and burials, and for all parish priests to register these events accurately and give access to the registers to the Collectors. See 1753 and 1836.
1772
An electoral Poll of Sussex took place
1752
England and Wales adopted the Gregorian calendar. 12 days were 'lost' between 2 and 14 September and New Year's Day moved from 25 March to 1 January - click here for more details.
1753
Marriage Act (26 Geo.ll, c.33) (Hardwicke’s Act) - only marriages carried out by a Church of England parson were legal (with the exception of jews and quakers) Separate marriage registers (some including banns entries) were introduced. Each parish to keep a Register of Marriages to contain the signatures of bride, groom, minister and witnesses. See 1836.
1763
Minimum age for marrage raised to 16 from 12 for girls and 14 for boys, and parental consent required for under 21s.
1766
Fragments of the 1766 Religious census, hand written by Tenison Groves many years before the fire in the Four Courts, survive in fragments and have partially been microfilmed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are in no alphabetical order nor with any rhyme or reason. This index therefore, although not a complete record of the whole of Ireland, does cover over 11,000 heads of households, giving their names, parish and religion (catholic, protestant or dissentor). Women are mentioned if they are widows or single heads of houses. The majority of the places covered are in Northern Ireland. The index is available at Ancestry.
1770
Population estimated to be 6·4 million.
1772
An electoral Poll of Wiltshire took place
1783
Stamp duty became payable on all register entries (except for paupers) - this may have been a deterrent. Lifted in 1794
1788
Irish Poll of Electors. Until 1793 the franchise was held by the forty-shilling freeholder, if registered, a protestant and not married to a Roman Catholic. In order to become registered, a freeholder was required to go before the Clerk of the Peace for the county and swear that he was in possession of a freehold of forty shillings annual value; in addition he had to state certain facts about it, such as its nature, the name of the grantor, the quantity of land, the date of its title deeds, and, if it was let, the name of the lessee with the amount of rent received. This information was supposed to test the validity of the freehold and these particulars were entered, with the freeholder's name, in the Poll book, which was open to public inspection. For making the entry, the Clerk of the Peace received a fee of sixpence. (a few examples of Registration Books and Poll Books are in the National Library of Ireland). The freeholder had to be a protestant but he could be an anglican or a dissenter, provided he was not married to a Roman Catholic who had refused to become a protestant within a year of her marriage. (The protestant population of Ireland probably fluctuated between one quarter and one fifth of the whole.)

An electoral poll of Buckinghamshire took place
1790
Population estimated to be 8 million.
1794
End of tax on registration
1801
The first census of the population of England and Wales and a separate census of Scotland was carried out on March 10th by a house-to-house enquiry together with returns of baptisms and burials between 1700 and 1800, and marriages between 1754 and 1800 as supplied by the clergy. The details included the number of inhabited and uninhabited houses, the number of families occupying the former, the number of persons of each sex, and the numbers of people employed in agriculture, trade, manufacture or handicrafts. The enumerators in England and Wales were the overseers of the poor, local clergy or other substantial householders; in Scotland they were the schoolmasters. The local returns were statistical summaries only, made in a prescribed form and attested before the justices of the peace. The first abstracts and reports of the results of the census were compiled by John Rickman (1771-1840, clerk in the House of Commons) and published in December. The population in England and Wales was counted as 8·9 million, but if allowance is made for under-recording the total was estimated at 9.2 million. Scotland's population was about 1.6 million. The occasional original documentation still survives for example Amlwch.
1811
Census on 27 May, conducted on the same lines as for 1801 (the enumerators were asked to give more information about the reasons houses were unoccupied, so that the prosperity of the district could be more accurately gauged), estimated the population of England and Wales at 10·2 million. Again there are some surviving original records - for example Calverley.
1813
Introduction of seperate registers for baptisms and burials, and a new format for marriage registers containing much more information such as witnesses (Roses Act).
1821
Census carried out on 28 May as for 1801 with the addition of recording people’s ages (in order to assess numbers of men able to bear arms, and to improve the tables on which life assurance was based). Population of England and Wales estimated to be 12 million. A seperate census was held in Scotland and an Irish census was carried out on the same date. This census, organized by townland, civil parish, barony and county, aimed to cover the entire population. It recorded the name, age, occupation, relationship to the head of the household, acreage of land holding and number of storeys of the house. Almost all of the original returns were destroyed in 1922, with only a few volumes surviving for parts of Counties Cavan (see here for example), Fermanagh, Galway, Meath and Offaly (King's County).
1831
Census on 30 May. More detailed questions on occupations from 1831 provided the government with economic information. Population of England and Wales estimated at 13·9 million. There was also a census in Scotland and in Guernsey (including Sark, Alderney and Jethou), Jersey and the Isle of Man. There was also an Irish census organized by townland, civil parish, barony and county, this census recorded name, age, occupation, relationship to the head of the household, acreage of land holding and religion. Very little of this survives, with most of the remaining fragments relating to Co. Derry.
1836
Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act (6&7 Will.IV, c.86) introduced registration of births, deaths and marriages but contained no penalties for refusal to register; established the General Register Office; and divided the country into registration districts. Registration became effective from 1st July 1837. TH Uster (1800-42, novelist and dramatist) was appointed the first Registrar-General. These are available on the Internet at FreeBMD, Ancestry and several other sites. Note that it is estimated that between 6 and 10% of births were not registered prior to compulsion in 1874 - this was due to a a large fine being imposed for late registration - some parents also lied about the date of birth to avoid the fine. Prior to 1850 it was optional whether an unmarried father was named. Initially (till 1911) only the names (two forenames plus initials), district and registration number were recorded. The age at death was not intially recorded. Registration districts frequently changed - GenUKI has a list of disticts and the parishes therein while GenUKI has a list of parishes and which district they are in. For similar action in Scotland see 1854. See 1874.
1837
Civil registration of births, deaths and marriages began in September 1837 (see 1836) - prior to this the Church was reponsible for recording christenings, marriages and burials, and hence only a fraction of the records remain (a person not christened, married or buried would have no record of their existence). England and Wales were divided up into registration districts based on Poor Law Unions which were used between 1st July 1837 and 31st March 1930. The same districts were also used to compile the decennial census for the years 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911. The early records were handwritten, but many were subsequently typed and this has lead to transcription errors (some of the originals are nearly illegible). There are further transciption errors when put online. FreeBMD and Ancestry both allow corrections to be made to the indices.
1841
Census on 6 June, the first to be conducted by the Registrar-General, counted the population of England and Wales to be 15·9 million, thirty six per cent of whom were aged under 15 years and four per cent were 65 or more. In England and Wales the newly appointed local registrars were responsible for conducting the census and each head of the household for completing the enumeration form for his/her family. The information recorded was limited to the address, (whether inhabited), the occupants, their ages (rounded down to the nearest multiple of 5 if over 15), sex, occupation (but not relationship) and whether or not they were born in the county or Scotland or Ireland or Foreign Parts. In all censuses households are delimited by / and buildings by //. The census is now available at Ancestry and FindMyPast on subscription. Note that the original householder records for all the censuses up to and including 1901 were destroyed, and the records kept are the transcriptions of those records. The records are organised by parish, Hundreds (an ancient gegraphic division capable of supporting 100 families) or Wapentakes in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire in 1841, and counties.

In Scotland the official schoolmaster or other fit person was responsible for the census locally. Ancestry has a complete index. Scotlands People also has a copy of the originals as well as an index. Both are only available under subsription, but a free copy of some counties is available at FreeCEN. The information is similar to that in the England and Wales census - occupations are often abbreviated - HLW means Hand Loom Weaver for example.

An Irish census was also held. The information supplied was name, age, occupation, relationship to the head of the household, date of marriage, literacy, absent family members and family members who died since 1831. Only one set of original returns survived 1922, that for the parish of Killeshandra in Co. Cavan. There are, however, a number of transcripts of the original returns because the returns from 1841 & 1851 were used in the twentieth century as proof of age when the Old Age Pension was introduced.

There were also censuses held in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man at the same time as the English census - these are also availaible online.

1845
State registration of non-Roman Catholic marriages began in Ireland
.
From 1850 to 1953 the father of a child born out of wedlock could not be named in the Register of Births for England and Wales.
1851
Census (30 March) carried out under Farr’s supervision and collected more details than former censuses. The details included age, sex, occupation, birth place, relationship to head of household, marital state, education, and the number of persons who were deaf and dumb or blind. The handicap questions continued to be asked up to and including 1911. A question about religious worship was included, the only time that this has been asked in a census. The data about education were published in a special report in 1854. This was also the first to record the numbers living on vessels in inland waters or at sea (including the Royal Navy and merchant navy), those serving abroad with the forces and with the East India Company, and British subjects residing overseas. This was the first census to be organised by the same Registration Districts as the Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths. The England, Wales, Scotland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man census is available online. The population in England and Wales was given as 17.9 million, thirty five per cent aged under 15 years and four per cent aged 65 or more. For the first time more people were recorded as living in towns than in rural areas. During the 1850s one death in every three was attributed to an infectious disease, among which tuberculosis dominated. In 1851, an additional census was taken of places of worship. Although this was purely voluntary, most places of worship made returns. Clergy completing the returns were asked to discover 'how far the means of Religious Instruction provided in Great Britain during the last fifty years have kept pace with the population during the same period, and to what extent those means are adequate to meet the spiritual wants of the increased population of 1851'.

An Irish census was also held - most of the surviving returns relate to parishes in Co. Antrim.

1854
Scottish Registration Acts (1 7&1 8 Vict.., c.30) and (1 8&1 9 Vict.., c.29), introduced registration in Scotland as from 1855 as had been in England and Wales from 1836. These are available at Scotlands People.
1861
Census (7 April) estimated the population of England and Wales as 20.1 million, 35 per cent aged under 15 years and 4 per cent 65 years or more. This census is becoming available at 1837online with the payment of a small fee to see the details. The England, Wales, Scotland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man census is available online. For the first time a separate census was held in Scotland conducted by the Registrar-General for Scotland. An Irish census was also held but Virtually nothing survives except the Catholic registers of Enniscorthy, Co.Wexford.
1864
Start of registration of all births, deaths, and marriages in Ireland.
1866
The Register of Deaths in England and Wales included the age at death from 1866 to 1969.
1871
Census (2 April) found the population of England and Wales to be 22.7 million, with 37 per cent under the age of 15 years, half under the age of 21, four fifths under 45 and 4 per cent aged 65 or over. For the first time the census asked a question about mental handicap ("imbecile or idiot" or lunatic"); this question together with later additions about blindness and deaf and dumb were abandoned after the 1911 census. In 1871 and 1881, people were asked whether they were unemployed. The England, Wales, Scotland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man census is available online. The census in Scotland asked about speaking Gaelic. An Irish census was also held but virtually nothing survives except Drumcondra and Loughbraclen, Co. Meath.
1873
Return of Owners of Land (The New Doomsday Survey) found that less than 7,000 men owned more than four fifths of the land.
1874
Births and Deaths Registration Act (37&38 Vict., c.88) consolidated and amended previous acts; introduced a penalty for failure to notify; and required medical certification of the cause of death. See 1970
1881
Census (3rd April) placed more emphasis on details of occupation, and in Wales included a question on speaking Welsh. The population of England and Wales was estimated at 26 million, with 37 per cent under the age of 15 years and 4 percent aged 65 or over. Changes introduced in the classification of causes of death. The England, Wales, Scotland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man census is available online.
1889
The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c.41) created County Coucils on 1 April 1889 in England, Wales and Ireland resulting in two types of county - administrative (area administered by the council) and ceremonial (historic bounderies) - this lasted until the reorganisation of 1974. There were significant changes in the London area which previous was limited to the City of London with most of "London" being in the counties of Middlesex, Kent, Surrey. The County of London was created on 21 March 1889.
1891
Census (5th April) contained new questions on the number of rooms and their occupants in all tenements with fewer than five rooms; and distinguished between employers, employees and the self-employed. Population estimated at 29 million; 35 per cent were aged under 15 years and 4 per cent 65 or over. The England, Wales, Scotland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man census is available online.
1901
The census (31 March) included, for the first time, questions on the number of rooms per household. The population of England and Wales was estimated to be 32.5 million with 32 per cent under the age of 15 years, and 4·7 per cent aged 65 or over 80 per cent lived in urban areas; 6·4 per cent of the national income came from agriculture. An Irish census was also held - it included the ability to speak English or Irish, and details of the houses, giving the number of rooms, outhouses, and windows, and the type of roof. Members of the family not present when the census was taken, are not given. The England, Wales, Scotland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man census is available online.
1911
Census (2nd April) estimated the population at 36·1 million with 31 per cent under the age of 15 years and 5 per cent aged 65 or over. The accommodation enquiry of 1891 was extended to tenements of all sizes; questions about duration of marriage and the number of surviving children were introduced; and, the questions about deaf and dumb, blind and mental handicap were asked for the last time. This was the first census in which machines were used in part of the processing, and in which some analyses by social class were reported. An Irish census was also held, similar to the 1901 but with one important addition: married women were required to state the number of years they had been married, the number of children born alive, and the number of children still living. Unfortunately,widows were not required to give this information, although a good number obliged in any case. Only the initials, not the full names, of policemen and inmates of mental hospitals are recorded.

More information was recorded in the Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages for England and Wales - for births the mothers maiden name was included and for marriages if a female was previously married both the maiden and married names were recorded. However for deaths only the first forename and initial were recorded.
1920
Census Act (1 0&1 1 Geo.V, c.41) provided for the taking of a census from time to time through an order in council, laid before both Houses of Parliament, specifying the date of the census, the part of the population to be covered, and, in regulations, the particulars to be collected.
1921
Census (19th June) estimated the population of England and Wales to be 379 million, an increase since 1911 of about 5 per cent, half of the increase during the previous decade. Twenty eight per cent of the population were under the age of 15 years and six per cent were age 65 years or more. The census omitted the questions about fertility and about handicap and lunacy which had been in the 1911 census; it introduced a new classification of occupations and questions about widows, orphans and other dependants. The contents are not available.
1926
Births and Deaths Registration Act (1 6&1 7 Geo.V, c.48) required a registrar’s certificate or coroner’s order before burial or cremation, with an additional medical certificate before cremation; and, required stillbirths to be registered (see 1904).
Adoption of Children Act (1 6&1 7 Geo.V, c.29) provided for the adoption of infants and the maintenance of a register of adopted children by the Registrar General. Prior to this there was no legal adoption of children.
Legitimacy Act (1 6&1 7 Geo.V, c.60) provided for the re-registration of illegitimate births if the parents later married each other and set out the rights of legitimised persons.
1929
Age of Marriage Act (19&20 Geo.V, c.36) raised the minimum age for marriage to 16 years. See 1949.
1930
Some of the registration districts which had been used for births, marriages and deaths since 1837 were abandoned on the 31 March and new districts were introduced on 1 April - there were similar changes on 1 April latter in the decade on a county by county basis.
1931
Census (26th April) counted the population of England and Wales as 40 million, with 24 per cent aged under 15 years and 7 per cent aged 65 years or over. This census was destroyed in the Second World War.
1938
Population Statistics Act (182 Geo.VI, c.1 2) gave the Registrar General powers to collect additional information, on a confidential basis, when births and deaths were registered. See 1960.
Registration of Stillbirths (Scotland) Act (182 Geo.VI, c.55) brought Scotland in line with England and Wales (see 1926).
1939
National Registration Act (2&3 Geo.VI, c.91) required every civilian in Great Britain to register and be given an “Identity Card” bearing his or her personal registration number, name, address, date of birth, employment and additional information regarding the war such as membership of the observer corps. The register was maintained by the General Register Office. It was taken on 29 September 1939, and the entries for females who subsequently married were amended with the married surname and in some cases by the date of the marriage. The entries for those known to have died are available online.
1941
Owing to the war there was no census in 1941, but the population had been registered on 29 September 1939. During 1941 social surveys were carried out by a group that later became the Social Survey Division of the Central Office of Information.
1951
Census (8-9 April) collected additional data on fertility, education and availabilty of household amenities, and introduced new socio-economic groups in the analyses. Tabulations based on one per cent samples were published in 1952. Population of England and Wales estimated at 43.8 million, with 22 percent aged under 15 years and 11 per cent aged 65 or over. The contents are not available.
1952
National Registration abolished.
1953
Births and Deaths Registration Act (182 Eliz.lI, c.20) and the Registration Service Act (c.37) consolidated previous legislation. The father of a child born out of wedlock could now be named in the Register of Births for England and Wales.
1960
Population (Statistics) Act (8&9 Eliz.II, c.32) made permanent the purposes of the 1938 act with some modifications.
1961
Census (23/24 April) was the first to be processed by computer. Additional questions were asked about tenure of dwelling; change of address in the the previous year; and about scientific and technological qualifications. The full schedule was given only to a ten per cent sample of households. The population was estimated at 46.1 million, 23 per cent were aged under 15 and 13 per cent over 65 years. The contents are not available.
1965
The creation of Greater London on 1 April 1965 resulting in major changes in the oranisation of London and the surrounding counties including the loss of Middlesex.
The Register of Deaths in England and Wales includes the date of birth from June 1969.
1974
A major reorganisation of all the counties on 1 April 1974 resulting in the lost of some, new counties created (Greater Manchester), and many borders changed. Not completely successful as some of the new counties have subsequently disappeared (e.g. Avon) and borders changed again. There were more sinificant changes in Wales and Scotland.
1975
The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys published the first volume in a series “Population Trends”.
1981
Census (5/6 April) counted the population of England and Wales as 49·1 million, with 20 per cent aged under 15 years and 15 per cent over 65 years. The contents are not available.
1986
The Second Domesday Book organised by the BBC contained more than 250,000 place names, 25,000 maps, 50,000 pictures, 3,000 data sets, 60 minutes of moving pictures, and an unknown number of words. Around a million people contributed. The trouble was that it was not printed on paper, but stored on special Laserdisks which could only be viewed using a special BBC Micro computer, which cost £5,000 to buy. The data has been extracted and is now available at Domesday Reloaded which contains the original information and photographs plus in some cases updates made in 2011.
1991
The census introduced new questions on ethnicity and long-standing illness. The population was counted as 47 million in England, 2.8 million in Wales and 4.9 million in Scotland. In England 19 per cent of the population were under the age of 15 years and 16 per cent were over the age of 65 years. The contents are not available.