The 1921 Census of England and Wales

Under the 1920 Census Act, the 1921 census for England and Wales cannot be published online until over a hundred years have passed. Family history website Findmypast has been awarded the exclusive contract to publish the records, and despite delays to the project caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the records are due to be released in early 2022. The 1921 census for Scotland is due to be published on ScotlandsPeople in the latter half of 2021.

The first national census was in 1801 when the population of England and Wales was something like eight million people. At the time it was done to see whether the nation had enough fighting men for the Napoleonic Wars and if the people could feed themselves, so the census asked very broad questions about agriculture and trade but not much more. It wasn't until 1841 that the census asked names like a modern census does.

By 1921 there were 38 million people in England and Wales. Because it was the first census after the First World War, the impact of that conflict influenced the questions asked, with children asked whether their mother or their father or both were dead. It was also the first time people were asked whether a marriage had been dissolved by divorce, and they were asked about the workplace of their employer. When the census is released, people will be able to see who their relatives worked with.
The 1921 Census was also the first time the RAF had been included, so it includes RAF staff in overseas stations. While the 1911 census asked about the length of the present marriage, the total number of children born and the number still living, in 1921 it only asked about how many children or stepchildren the family had, and how many were still alive.

The impact of the First World War can also be seen in the ages of the population. About 700,000 men died during the War, completely changing the adult male population. Another impact of the was is in children, with a big reduction in the number of 2, 3 and 4-year-olds compared with the number of 5, 6, 7 and 8-year-olds. The birth rate had dropped dramatically during the war, because men were away. But then what you see in the 1921 census also is that there were a large number of 0 and 1-year-olds, because a whole bunch of babies had been born as men returned from the war.

It is also worth noting that the 1921 census itself was delayed. It was due to take place in late April, but was put back to June because of a coal miners’ strike.