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1891 Census

This page covers the 1891 census for England and Wales. The census was taken the night of Sunday 5 April 1891.

What does it contain?

The information you will find is as follows:
  • Address
  • Whether inhabited or not
  • Number of rooms if less than five – this question occurred for the first time on the 1891 census
  • Name
  • Relation to head of household
  • Whether married, unmarried or widowed
  • Age
  • Sex
  • Profession or occupation
  • Employer, employed or neither – neither might include the retired, private tutors, dressmakers etc
  • Where born
  • Whether deaf-and-dumb, blind, or a lunatic, imbecile or idiot – some particularly conscientious enumerators include other information here (for example, I’ve seen a broken leg recorded).
  • Language spoken – added in Wales

How do I find my ancestor?

If you subscribe to a site, such as ancestry.co.uk, you can consult their person index for the 1891 census. These are not always very accurate, as some handwriting was hard to read. Your ancestor’s name may have been transcribed wrongly. Therefore, you may have to use some ingenuity in your search.

If you can’t find the person you are interested in, you can try browsing the actual census returns for the place you think they were living.

How do I find a place?

The reference used by the National Archives for the 1891 census is RG12 (RG 12). If you would like to find the reference for a particular place, search The National Archives’ catalogue for the 1891 census. Set the year range to 1891-1891. Type in RG12 as the series code. Then enter the place name.

What places are missing?

In addition to the places listed below, numerous British ships are also missing. If you think this may include your ancestor, search The National Archives’ catalogue as above, but enter MISSING instead of the place name.

England...

  • Durham – Tyne Port Sanitary Floating Hospital missing.
  • Lancashire – Infectious Diseases Hospital partially missing.
  • London – Chelsea return for Victoria Hospital for Children missing.
  • Warwickshire – Compton Wyniates.

Wales...

  • Monmouthshire – Mamhilad return for Monmouthshire Reformatory for Boys missing.

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