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census is here
The
census is here
Access all areas of Findmypast, including the 1921 Census
Uncover more family stories and surprises
Was your grandmother one of the first female racing car drivers? Or your grandfather one of the last mole catchers? The 1921 Census reveals where they were, who they were with and what they were doing one summer night a century ago.
The most extensive British census open to the public, this detailed snapshot of 38 million lives is available to search and view online at Findmypast. We're delighted to have been chosen by The National Archives to bring it to you.
Watch our handy video to see how easy it is to unlock incredible census stories. From pinpointing the right relative to tracing house history, this must-see guide will get you started and keep you on track.
After 25 years of searching for his records, I was delighted to find my grandad on the 1921 Census, stationed in India.
The 1921 Census helped me to break down the most life-changing of ‘brick walls’. I've discovered my mum's birth mother and family.
Thanks to Findmypast and the 1921 Census, we have an amazing picture of some of the people who also called our house a home.
Part of the family...
Lynn discovered a story that reminded her of what good people her grandparents were. A quick search of the 1921 Census revealed that Thomas William and Margaret Maria Kemp adopted one of Maria’s nephews. Walter Money’s parents were recorded as ‘both dead. He was only 14 years old at the time.
She ordered the death certificate of Walter’s mother, Eliza (Margaret’s sister), which revealed she’d died in 1912 of ‘pulmonary tuberculosis, premature parturition and shock’. Walter’s father Edward also died in 1912. The next thing on Lynn’s to-do list was to order his death certificate.
Even at 14, Walter was working, boiling whelks for John Thomas Little. After a spot of further detective work, Lynn discovered Mr Little was Thomas’ brother-in-law. So, Walter was not only adopted but given a job as well.
Lynn was delighted to learn that Walter stayed in close contact with the family, living in the same area, and even on the same road.
A missing piece of the puzzle
Janet’s mother Maisie was born in 1917. Maisie’s mother was Mabel, a servant in the household of John David Hannam, a commercial traveller. Back in 1920, Maisie had been adopted informally, with John as a signed witness.
Janet already knew of the family who adopted her mother. She found the widowed, 79-year-old Henry Willetts in the 1921 Census, at 10 Highgate Place, Birmingham. Also in the household were his single daughters, Annie and Henrietta, plus young Maisie, whose name was simply Lily, parent’s ‘NK’ – ‘not known’.
But even more intriguing was the note included on John David Hannam’s return. Mabel was still working for him on 19 June 1921. John filled out the return, but he didn’t sign it. Tragically, John died that very day, as we can see from this note left on the family's census return.
A Christmas miracle
While searching for her 2x great-grandmother, Mandy uncovered a heart-warming tale that made her rethink what she knew about her ancestor.
It proved the family story about Mary Elizabeth Christmas’ divorce, but the record also yielded some surprises: two adopted sons. Her ex-husband, James William Christmas, was a boarder in a nearby household, still describing himself as married. Mandy quickly got to work, desperate to uncover more about the mystery boys.
It turns out James and William’s mother had died in 1910, leaving their father to raise them alone. But when the First World War erupted, the father left the boys in the care of Mary and went to fight.
The mystery uncle
Jeni often wondered why her father wasn’t baptised until 1918 with his brother. It turned out there was more to this tale. After some searching, she found this brother was adopted. And thus began a search to uncover the true identity of Cecil Jack Sharp Stone.
Jeni already knew that Cecil was the child of a single mother and that when Cecil got married, he was going by the name Cecil Wright. The 1921 Census shed more light on the story.
Jeni opened the record for her grandparents, and there was her uncle, listed as 3 years old and adopted. It confirmed Jeni had purchased the correct birth certificate. On the Census, Stanley notes that he doesn’t know if Cecil’s parents are dead or alive. Jeni was delighted to learn that her grandmother, Bessie, was a foster mother. She was also fostering a 1-month-old baby, Eric Thomas Goodwin, in 1921.
Explore the full list of 1921 Census frequently asked questions for further information.
The 1921 Census of England and Wales is a population census taken in June 1921 and paints a picture of the population over 100 years ago. It holds information on every household, vessel, institution and overseas residencies that were part of England and Wales in 1921, plus the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Also included are merchant ships in the waters of England and Wales, all ships of the Royal Navy and army and, for the first time, Royal Air Force units stationed overseas. This includes units on occupation duties following the First World War, or based in territories newly under British administration as a result of the war, such as Mesopotamia (modern Iraq).
A full entry on a standard household schedule will contain:
Other types of schedule for institutions/prisons, merchant vessels, or the armed forces add some additional questions about function within the institution, and rank or trade rather than occupation for the armed forces. Schedules used in Wales and the Isle of Man include an additional language question, asking if each person spoke Welsh (or Manx), English, or Both, while the armed forces schedule asks additionally if the person can speak Welsh or Gaelic (in addition to English).
Yes. To search records from the 1921 Census of England and Wales you will need to have a free Findmypast account. Once signed up, you can access unlimited 1921 Census records with a Findmypast Everything subscription.
You can view unlimited records from the 1921 Census of England & Wales with a Findmypast Everything subscription.
Purchasing a Findmypast Everything subscription is simple:
After payment is taken, we'll send you an email confirming your purchase. That's it, your Everything subscription will be ready to use instantly so you can start exploring the 1921 Census straightaway.
If you’re an existing customer on a Family Tree subscription, you can upgrade to an Everything subscription. The remaining pro-rated value of your previous subscription will be discounted from your upgrade price.
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You can search the 1921 Census of England and Wales for free on Findmypast. For unlimited access to the records, you’ll need an Everything subscription. You can find our Everything subscription here.
You can also view 1921 Census records on a pay-per-view basis using Findmypast micropayments. Viewing transcriptions costs £2.50 per record. Viewing images of the original records costs £3.50 each.
JCS Online Resources is our subscription agent for libraries and organisations. Please contact them to find out more about options for access to Findmypast and the 1921 Census. You can drop an email to [email protected] or call +44 (0) 1865 987211.
When first viewing a record image within the 1921 Census of England and Wales, you will land on what would have been the back of the household schedule, the primary part of the record that was filled in by those within the household. To see any of the other images including Address information, click on Extra (Address).
Extra (Address) is located within the filmstrip. You will then see an option to view the Front of the household schedule which includes the address information.
If you have closed the filmstrip this can be reopened using the "Open filmstrip" button at the bottom of your screen, or for smaller screens at the top next to Options.
Remember, you can download each page with the download button in the Options menu.
If you need to view the original image again to find the Extra Materials, you’ll find it in My Records. Alternatively, you can search again and there will be a tick next to the image entry if you have already viewed it.
In Scotland, National Records of Scotland (NRS) takes responsibility for historical census data. Scottish 1921 Census records were collected on the same night as those in England and Wales but processed and stored separately. The digitised records from the 1921 Census returns for Scotland are available on a pay-per-view basis at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk and in the ScotlandsPeople Centre.
As with Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland conducted their own censuses separate from England and Wales. However, The 1921 Census was not taken in Ireland due to the Irish War of Independence. Censuses in Ireland and Northern Ireland were conducted in 1926.
As The National Archives’ digitisation partner, Findmypast was the first genealogy website to offer access to the 1921 Census of England and Wales and offered exclusive access for three years. While it is now available elsewhere, Findmypast remains the original online home to search the 1921 Census, as well as view images and transcriptions of the records.
The 1921 Census online at Findmypast is free to view on the premises at The National Archives at Kew, at the Manchester Central Library, and at the National Library of Wales, in Aberystwyth.
There are no plans to provide access at The National Archives at Kew to the large volume of physical documents that make up the 1921 Census of England and Wales. Now that Findmypast has completed scanning every household schedule, and in order to preserve the highly delicate physical documents for future generations, the original paper census returns of the 1921 Census will be kept in secure storage by The National Archives. Findmypast’s intuitive search experience makes it far easier to explore the 1921 Census online.
