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                  Why is my ancestor missing from the census?

                  If you find the correct family but one individual is not recorded, then the individual probably was not present in the household on the exact date of the census. It is hard to draw any firm conclusions without further research, and it is likely that you will not be able to find out exactly why someone is not there. Could they have been away travelling, for work or caring for sick or elderly relatives or visiting distant friends or other reasons? If the husband is absent, then can you find them at another address for that night and does their name continue to appear on the valuation rolls for the family address? If the wife is absent, look for them with known relatives. If they are a child or young person, could they be lodging with neighbouring family or could they be apprenticed to someone else? Try looking through the indexes to see if the name appears in another household. Check whether the age, place of birth and occupation match any other records you have of the individual and be careful not to assume you have found the right person without corroboration.

                  What date was each census taken?

                  From 1841 onwards the censuses were taken on the following dates:

                  • 1841 – 7 June
                  • 1851 – 31 March
                  • 1861 – 8 April
                  • 1871 – 3 April
                  • 1881 – 4 April
                  • 1891 – 5 April
                  • 1901 – 31 March
                  • 1911 – 2 April
                  • 1921 – 19 June

                  Was the census taken during the Second World War?

                  No, a census was not taken in 1941 in the UK.

                  Why are census schedules closed for 100 years?

                  The primary purpose of the census is to compile statistics. The information contained in census schedules is deemed to be confidential, as it consists of answers to personal questions.

                  How can I find out which censuses have been indexed?

                  Complete indexes for the open censuses are available on the Scotland’s People website. Online access to the indexes is free but there is a charge for downloading the schedules: for further details see the Scotland’s People website. Alternatively, there is a daily charge for in-person visits to the ScotlandsPeople Centre or to one of the local family history centres, which covers access to all the information: for more details on see the Scotland’s People website.

                  Indexes to the 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1871 censuses have been compiled by family history societies, other bodies and individuals for most Scottish counties or parishes. Some microfilm copies are available for sale. For a full list of what is available, arranged by county and parish, consult Peter Ruthven-Murray, Scottish Census Indexes: covering the 1841-1871 civil censuses (Scottish Association of Family History, 3rd edition, 1998), or contact the family history society for the area concerned.

                  Why might a place ‘disappear’ between one census and another?

                  The most likely explanation for this is that the place concerned has been affected by a boundary change. Changes to parish, county and burgh boundaries were made throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, but the principal changes were made by Boundary Commissioners set up after the 1889 Local Government (Scotland) Act. Over 3000 settlements in Scotland were affected by either parish or county boundary changes, or both, in the period 1890-91. In addition, many suburban settlements were annexed by burghs between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries. If a place appears to have ‘disappeared’ between censuses (or, indeed, between years in other records, such as valuation rolls) you should check Francis H Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer for Scotland (1896 or later editions), which contains information derived from the Boundary Commissioners reports. If the place itself is not mentioned because it is quite small, check under the parish concerned to see if it was affected by a boundary change. Alternatively check the General Register Office for Scotland’s Index of Scottish Placenames from the 1971 Census (HMSO, 1975) or Index of Scottish Placenames from the 1981 Census (HMSO, 1985) – both of which give the civil parish and county for settlements with a population of 100 or more.

                  How do I find population statistics etc for a particular place?

                  The statistics compiled during each census are published, currently by HMSO. These are available online at http://www.histpop.org [accessed 26 April 2024]. Reference libraries and some university libraries hold the original published volumes, but not necessarily for every census. If your local reference library does not hold census reports for the census or area of Scotland that you want, you should try one of the major reference libraries such as the Mitchell Library, Glasgow or the National Library of Scotland, in Edinburgh. 19th century population figures for towns and many other settlements, as well as parishes and counties in Scotland can also be found in a variety of publications, most notably the Ordnance Gazetteer for Scotland, published by Francis H Groome in 1884, 1896 and 1901.