The nationwide census of the population has been carried out every 10 years since 1801, with the exception of 1941, when the country was at war. Before 1841, the data were collated locally and only the resulting numerical evidence was submitted centrally. The records from which the pre-1841 figures were compiled were usually destroyed but there are occasional survivors (see Nether Hallam 1831 below). The detail in these early records is very limited.
Access to the census
A hundred year closure order means that the most recent census that is publicly available was taken in 1911. There are several subscription websites offering access to census records 1841-1911 online. The FreeCEN website offers free access to transcribed census records, but this is a work in progress and is far from complete. The problem most commonly encountered when using any of these sites is the accuracy of the indexing, which sometimes makes it difficult to find the entry for your ancestor.
Census Indexes for Sheffield
One of the Society’s early projects was the indexing of the census records 1841 and 1851. These indexes were made to help researchers using the census records at Sheffield Archives and Local Studies Library. Society volunteers also participated in the LDS project to index the 1881 Census. The 1881 index is free to use on Family Search. When the 1891 Census became available the Society undertook a complete transcription of the records for Sheffield and Bradfield.
Copies of the indexes for 1851 and 1861, and the full transcription of the 1891 census are available on this website. If you are struggling to find an ancestor, why not see if you can find them in our indexes? Also available to download is a transcription the census of 1831 for Nether Hallam, one of the Sheffield townships. This rare survivor was discovered among the collection at Sheffield Archives.
Searchable indexes and downloads
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