1881 Census information...
1881 census. The 1881 census is very useful record set for tracing your ancestors in England and Wales. It was the first census available online and the date that is was conducted in 1881, means that many people can find a great grandparent in the records. In April 1881 census enumerators went round every home recording who was present.
How can the 1881 census help me discover my family history? The census records show a snapshot of your ancestor in 1881 and reveal their age, occupation, address and the people they were living with when the census was conducted in 1881. Before searching 1881 census records, the best place to start is by searching the 1901 census records first. By finding your great-grand father in this census, you can discover his parents and siblings and grow your family tree. Once you have found your relative in 1901 you can trace your family back into earlier census records.
Find out how we used to live...
"I found out from the 1901 census that my ancestor used to be a steam engine whistle tester!" Austin, Pembrokeshire
Who lived in your house?
Discover who lived in your house between 1841-1901...
Search the 1901 Census
Search over 400 million people living in England and Wales between 1841-1901 and view images of the original documents.
How does it work?
Search the name and approximate birth year of the person you are looking for
View transcribed details of your ancestors and the original census images
Discover where your ancestors were living, who with and what they were up to between 1841-1901.
It's not just people...
Address search - find out who lived in your house in 1901 
Place search - look at who was in which enumeration district in 1901. 
Institution search - see who lived in hospitals, barracks, orphanages etc in 1901 
Vessel search - locate a naval or merchant vessel in 1901 census. 
Reference number - Use this search if you know the National Archives census reference number
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Travel further back to trace your ancestors. Discover what they were doing and the people they were living with.
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