1921 Census of Great Britain
The 1921 census of Great Britain comprised two national censuses; the census of England and Wales, and a concurrent census of Scotland. Unlike the 1911 census, there was no Irish census due to the political turmoil in Ireland.
The 100 years’ rule
This rule is designed to protect the privacy of those individuals recorded in a UK census. Many family historians consider this to be excessively long and there have been many attempts over the years to reduce this period; US census records are released to the public after only 72 years.
1921 census records – when are they available?
England and Wales census records.
FindMyPast have been awarded the contract to digitise the 1921 census records by the National Archives. The schedule date for online publication is January 2022.
Scotland census records
ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk aim to provide access to digitised 1921 census records by mid-2021. The Scottish census records are held by the National Records of Scotland.
Changes since the census of 1911
To encourage honest answers, householders were permitted to complete confidential separate returns for the first time. The 1921 census was also the first census in which the householder’s schedules were not destroyed in Scotland; this brought Scotland into line with the rest of the UK. Householder’s schedules were forms in which each householder was to list the personal details of his/her occupants and these documents now formed part of the census records.
There were also a number of significant extra questions, most of which were introduced to help inform public policy:
- The ‘orphanhood’ question. Applicable to all children aged under 15, this asked whether a child’s mother, father, or both parents, were dead. It was considered necessary to establish the number of orphans following the huge loss of life suffered during the Great War.
- The ‘dependency’ question. Applicable to married men, widowers and widows only, it asked for details of any dependent children. This was to establish the number of dependents attached to different social classes. Like the ‘orphanhood’ question, it was designed to frame welfare policy such as Workmen’s Compensation and pensions.
- Whether attending school – full or part-time. This fell under the ‘personal occupation’ question and was designed to establish the number of children who were both working and going to school.
- ‘Place of work’ question. For the first time the Government wanted to find out where people worked, not just where they lived. This was to help with housing and transport policy.
- The ’employment’ section was expanded to ask for the name of the employer (if employed).
- ‘D’ (divorce) was specifically mentioned for the first time as a description under the marriage section.
In Scotland, there was an extra enquiry relating to the number of people eligible for National Insurance benefits.
Also for the first time, and partly in response to the expanding number of census questions, it was decided that some census questions should be dropped. These were:
- The ‘infirmity’ question – long considered unreliable.
- The controversial ‘fertility’ question – which only made a fleeting appearance in the census of 1911.
1921 census questions
Full address of property.
Householder/head of family to provide personal details of those who stayed overnight on 19 June, or who returned the next morning (unless recorded elsewhere):
- Name
- Relation to head of family
- Age (in years and months) and sex
- ‘Marriage or orphanhood’. Now split into two parts:
- if aged 15 plus: marital status.
- if aged under 15: parents’ mortality: ‘both alive’, ‘father dead’, ‘mother dead’, ‘both dead’.
- Birthplace
- Nationality (if born outside the UK) and whether ‘resident’ or ‘visitor’.
- ‘Occupation and employment’ now split into three parts:
- Personal occupation.
- If attending school, whether full or part time.
- Precise nature of ‘profession, trade, manufacture, service etc.’ including materials used/articles made.
- Employment. Employer’s business details – including name of business (if employed), ’employer’ (if an employer) ‘out of work’ (if unemployed) ‘own account’ (if a sole-trader), ‘private’ (if a domestic servant).
- Place of work. Answers could include ‘no fixed place’ or ‘at home’ if appropriate.
- Personal occupation.
- The ‘dependency’ question. Applicable to married men, widowers and widows only: the number and ages of all living children and step children under 16 years.
- Language question. Only applicable to Wales (Welsh/Welsh and English), Isle of Man (Manx /Manx and English) and Scotland (Gaelic/Gaelic and English).
- Scotland:
- Entitlement to Medical Benefit under the National Insurance (Health) Acts.
‘Household’ questions:
- England & Wales: Number of rooms (now completed by the enumerator).
- Scotland: Number of windowed rooms.
The Black Friday Strike
The 1921 census was held on 19th June, considerably later in the year than previous UK censuses. It was originally scheduled for 24 April but was postponed at the last minute owing to the Black Friday coal miners’ strike (and the threat of a railway and transport workers strike). The original schedules still show the original scheduled date.
The delayed census date, pushed towards the summer holidays and combined with good weather, has inevitably distorted some of the population movements recorded in the 1921 census. For example, the population of Blackpool and Southend-on-Sea, both popular seaside holiday resorts, increased by 64% and 50% respectively. These population increases reflected the normal influx of holiday makers rather than any startling growth in permanent residents.
Impact of World War I
As the first British census to follow World War I, the 1921 census is an important measure of the profound impact on the population; more specifically, the male population.
In England and Wales, the population figures published in the 1921 census report told their own grim story. Between the census of 1911 and the census of 1921, the population increased by 5%; the lowest figure ever recorded. In the preceding decade, the population had increased by almost 11%.
The census statistics conveyed the bleak marriage prospects for women. Out of a total population of almost 38 million, there were over 1.7 million more females than males. In the age band 20 – 45, the male population declined from 6,671,000 in 1911 to 6,566,000 whilst the female population increased from 7,307,000 to 7,693,000.
Scotland’s population was also hugely affected. Here, the population increased by 2.5% between 1911 and 1921, compared to a population increase of 6.5% between 1901 and 1911. Again, it was the male population dragging down the figures; increasing by a mere 1.7% compared to the female population growth of 3.3%.
| Country | Population |
|---|---|
| England & Wales | 37,886,699 |
| Scotland | 4,882,288 |
| Ireland | Not taken |
| Total British population | 42,768,987 |
| Channel Islands & Isle of Man | 149,852 |
Post the 1921 census – what next?
The availability of UK census records post 1921 varies considerably across the UK.
In England and Wales
The records for the 1931 census of England and Wales were completely destroyed by fire, whilst the scheduled 1941 census was cancelled due to the Second World War. This means that, for researchers of census records in England and Wales, there is a gap in census records between 1921 and 1951.
In Scotland
Scotland, like England and Wales, did not hold a census in 1941. However, unlike the 1931 census records of England and Wales, the 1931 census records of Scotland were not destroyed by fire.
In Ireland
As already mentioned, there was no census of Ireland in 1921. Ireland was partitioned in 1921 and, and, ultimately, divided into Northern Ireland (which continued as part of the UK) and the Irish Free State (a precursor to the Republic of Ireland). As a result, the last all-Ireland census was held in 1911.
A 1926 census of Northern Ireland was conducted to compensate for the scrapped 1921 Ireland census. Unfortunately, the records for the 1926 Northern Ireland census have disappeared and it is assumed that they have been destroyed. There was a further Northern Ireland census in 1937 and again in 1951, when the decennial census of Northern Ireland again converged with the rest of the UK.
A 1926 census of the Irish Free State was also held and the census records have, thankfully, survived. There was also a 1936 census of the Irish Free State. Thereafter, censuses were held by the Republic of Ireland at least every ten years.
The 1939 National Register – a census substitute
The 1939 National Register is often dubbed the ‘Wartime Census’ for good reason. Taken in the first month of World War II, it recorded many of the same details as a decennial UK census.
It is hugely important because if fills a significant gap in UK census records, particularly the census records of England and Wales. However, of most immediate significance is the fact that many of the records held in the National Register are publicly available, despite being considerably less than 100 years’ old. Visit FindMyPast.co.uk to find out how you can access the 1939 National Register records.
Sources
1921 Census of England and Wales, General Report with Appendices (1927) London: HMSO. Part II: Population. Part V: Sexes, ages and Marital Conditions. Part IX: Dependency, Orphanhood and Fertility.
Census of England and Wales, 1921, Preliminary report including tables of the population enumerated in England and Wales (administrative and parliamentary areas) and in Scotland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands on 19-20th June London, 1921 Cmd. I485 p.62 & 63 [Note: population for England and Wales increased from 37,885,242 in the Preliminary Report to 37,886,699 in the General Report]
1921 Census of Scotland, Preliminary Report of the thirteenth Census of Scotland (1921) Cmd.1473