The Census of England, Wales, Scotland, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man collected detailed information on each individual who spent the night in an individual household.
Information in the 1881 Census records:
- Name and surname of each person in the property
- Relationship to head of the family
- Marital status
- Age at last birthday
- Gender
- Occupation
- Birthplace
- Additional information about the dwelling and property was also collected
The 1881 Census forms were distributed to all households a couple of days before census night and the completed forms were collected the following day. All forms were meant to accurately reflect each individual's status as of 3/4 April 1881 & the household they spent the night of the 3/4 April in.
People who were travelling or living abroad were recorded at the location where they spent the night. All of the details from the individual forms were later sorted and copied into The Census books, which are the original records you can view images of today.
See the top surnames, forenames and occupations in the 1881 Census: