Census Records

The first official census was taken as far back as 1801 but contained very little information other than it being a “head count” of the population. Censuses were subsequently taken every 10 years from this time and we find the 1841 census was one which started to record more detail than in previous years. Over time, the details provided in the census remained pretty much the same until 1911 and again in 1921 when additional questions were asked of the population.

Census records are an important tool for the local and family history researcher but they fall under what is known as the “100 year rule,” meaning the only census records publicly available are at least 100 years old, the most recently released being the 1921 census which was made available at the beginning of 2022. The 1921 census is the last one we will see for some considerable time. The 1931 census records were completely destroyed by fire and the 1941 census wasn't carried out due to WW2.

Census returns for a particular area were, and still are, based on Parliamentary and Parish boundaries and further split into smaller areas called Enumeration Districts. Through time, these boundaries may have slightly changed. Quite often, natural or other permanent objects such as rivers, footpaths and railway lines provided some of these boundaries.  

Each Enumeration District was assigned an official Enumerator, normally a local man, whose job it was to obtain the relevant information from each household and thus providing the details we see today. At the start of each Enumeration District the Enumerator wrote a description of the area that he worked. Some of these descriptions can be very scant in detail but others give plenty of insight into the route that was taken and sometimes contain information not recorded elsewhere. These descriptions will be made available on the relevant pages of this website.

Over time, it is hoped to add transcriptions of all the enumeration districts within the Spen Valley. It is a huge task and will take some considerable time to complete. As details of each district are added, the addresses featured in that area are being added to a master Census Address Index, which should make finding where a particular address features in the census years much easier. See also the Completed Projects page to see at a glance which districts have so far been transcribed.