Census
National Census Returns
The National Census Returns have been taken annually from the year 1841 to the present. However, because it is felt important not to publish data concerning people still alive, a ‘hundred year’ rule is applied, meaning that, at the time of writing (2019), the latest return to be published in full is that of 1911. We may expect the 1921 return in 2021. However, one special census was undertaken in 1939 as part of preparation for World War II and this has been published in part (though omitting data on individuals still alive). This latter return is especially valuable in so far as the 1931 Census was destroyed in a fire during World War II and the 1941 Census was never taken.
These Returns can be downloaded from The National Archives and we have done this for the Cotgrave (including Stragglethorpe) records for all years 1841 to 1911 but it is important to understand that the originals are all hand-written and a great deal of work was required to ‘translate’ them into type. Indeed, there are inevitable uncertainties involved, many of which are made clear in our typescript but there may well be others! It is also important to recognise that the information provided is far from uniform over the years, the questions asked having been made gradually more sophisticated with each succeeding Census. One particularly frustrating factor is the lack of precise addresses, not helped by a certain randomness in the geographical order in which the Censuses were done. For example, while it may be clear that a particular individual was a farmer, it is often impossible to be sure which farm he ran or in which farmhouse he lived. Also, the acreage of the various farms is only occasionally specified – it was specifically asked for in the 1851 Census but not in other years.
The 1939 Census is available in type-written form so is much less subject to uncertainty but, since it was specifically intended to set up a system of rationing, it makes no pretence of providing details of farms or other occupations.
Finally, we should like to record our sincere thanks to Steve Cockbill who did much of the work involved in ‘translating’ these Census Returns and organising them into an easily useable format
The National Census Returns have been taken annually from the year 1841 to the present. However, because it is felt important not to publish data concerning people still alive, a ‘hundred year’ rule is applied, meaning that, at the time of writing (2019), the latest return to be published in full is that of 1911. We may expect the 1921 return in 2021. However, one special census was undertaken in 1939 as part of preparation for World War II and this has been published in part (though omitting data on individuals still alive). This latter return is especially valuable in so far as the 1931 Census was destroyed in a fire during World War II and the 1941 Census was never taken.
These Returns can be downloaded from The National Archives and we have done this for the Cotgrave (including Stragglethorpe) records for all years 1841 to 1911 but it is important to understand that the originals are all hand-written and a great deal of work was required to ‘translate’ them into type. Indeed, there are inevitable uncertainties involved, many of which are made clear in our typescript but there may well be others! It is also important to recognise that the information provided is far from uniform over the years, the questions asked having been made gradually more sophisticated with each succeeding Census. One particularly frustrating factor is the lack of precise addresses, not helped by a certain randomness in the geographical order in which the Censuses were done. For example, while it may be clear that a particular individual was a farmer, it is often impossible to be sure which farm he ran or in which farmhouse he lived. Also, the acreage of the various farms is only occasionally specified – it was specifically asked for in the 1851 Census but not in other years.
The 1939 Census is available in type-written form so is much less subject to uncertainty but, since it was specifically intended to set up a system of rationing, it makes no pretence of providing details of farms or other occupations.
Finally, we should like to record our sincere thanks to Steve Cockbill who did much of the work involved in ‘translating’ these Census Returns and organising them into an easily useable format