United Kingdom 1921 census example forms and guidance

Question

I'm preparing for the release during 2022 of the UK 1921 census records (England & Wales, Scotland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man). [Note: there was no census taken of Northern Ireland in 1921, nor of Ireland, which was outside the United Kingdom by then].

The censuses for England & Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man will be made available via FindMyPast; and for Scotland via ScotlandsPeople.

I'm looking for example (blank) forms for the census for each relevant locale, and the guidance for completing them.

I've found an example of the English form archived at TNA but have had no luck with Wales, Scotland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. (I can find details for most of these of extra questions, but not the layout of the form, not the guidance for completing it).

Where can I find the example forms and guidance that I need? (a Google search including 'census 1921' and each locale has not yielded anything useful.

Answer 1

The census forms and instructions for the 1921 census of England, Wales, and the islands can be found at Online Historical Population Reports (www.histpop.org).

Navigate to TNA Census - Other > 1921

There you will find three documents:

• Census of England, Wales and Islands in the British Seas, 1921 (this it the one that contains the instructions and census forms)
• Documents relating to the preparation of the 1921 census
• Documents relating to 1921 census statistics

You will also find the 1931 census instructions and forms on this website, although we will never see these for our ancestors as they were destroyed.

Note that the histpop website is sometimes a bit temperamental, and has been so for years. Don't worry if you get a "too busy" error — just come back later.

Answer 2

There are a couple of examples of Scottish household schedules in the English 1921 census, where the families were visiting England and handed them to the enumerator there. You won't see any on ScotlandsPeople when the Scottish 1921 census is released, because the schedules weren't kept, the details were written up in enumeration books, as in 1911. There are also samples of Scottish vessels schedules. More details under 'Scotland and the 1921 Census' among the background information on Findmypast - you need to scroll a long way down on the Advanced Search page to find it https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/1921-census-of-england-and-wales

Answer 3

Here’s some information on completing the 1921 Scottish census taken from contemporaneous newspaper articles:

http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=18925&p=149220&hilit=1921+census#p149220

You could try contacting ScotlandsPeople and asking them if they have a blank form, and the enumerators’ guidance, for the 1921 census. There is a “contact us” option at the bottom of their homepage:

https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/search-our-records