Census Returns

A Census is a complete count of the population of the country on a certain day. Specially appointed enumerators deliver schedules to each household in their area for completion by its head. After the night of the Census the schedules are collected up and handed to the District Registrar for enrolment in Census Register Books. The Censuses for England and Wales are forwarded to the Registrar General in London.

The Census was first taken in 1801 to discover the total male and female population distribution over town, village and hamlet, the number of inhabited and uninhabited houses, the number of families occupying each house, and lastly the total of those employed in agriculture, trade, crafts and manufacturing industries.

A complete census has been taken every ten years since then, with the exception of 1941, but only those from 1841 contain names.

There is a hundred year closure period on Census returns, which means that a hundred years needs to have passed since its completion before it is made available for public viewing. Consequently, only the Census Returns for the years up to 1901 are available for viewing. The 1911 Census will become available at the beginning of 2012.

Below is a list of the Census Returns for the Barnsley MBC area which the department has available in Microfilm or Microfiche form:

The department also holds a number of copies of returns from outside the BMBC area, plus a number of transcripts and indexes. Full details are available either by visiting the department or from the family history handbook.