7 Amazing Discoveries in the 1921 Census

Whilst this slight delay was manageable, it was important to complete the census before the end of June as otherwise people travelling for the summer holiday season would have provided an inaccurate picture of the population.

Your grandparents’ early years

Many of us may be able to find family members in the 1921 Census that we knew first-hand, like grandparents or great-grandparents. Whilst the discovery of any ancestor can be meaningful, there’s something particularly poignant about seeing the name and details of someone we had a personal relationship with, and learning more about their life before we knew them. Also, if you’d spoken to your grandparent or great-grandparent about their life growing up, you can use the census as a way of validating or comparing their stories.

Handwritten signatures

In the 1921 Census - as with the 1911 Census - we see the original household schedules completed by our ancestors, who were responsible for recording the details of each person staying in their household on the night of 19th June. Prior to 1911, details on the schedules were completed by enumerators. This means that if you find your family member in this collection, you’ll likely be reading the handwriting of somebody you’re related to, which can be an intimate, and sometimes emotional, experience.

A female majority

With hundreds of thousands of men lost during WWI, there were a high number of widowed women in the 1921 Census and the records show that overall, 1.7 million more women than men were living in England and Wales at the time of the census (with this gender imbalance most significant among people in their 20s and 30s.)

In response, the government launched schemes that encouraged so-called ‘surplus women’ to emigrate to other countries in the then-British Empire, such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

‘D’ for divorce

For the first time in census history, the 1921 census recognised divorce as a marital status, and you’ll find the letter ‘D’ on records where this was the case.

The ramifications of war could take their toll on relationships, and after WWI, divorce rates had increased dramatically. By 1921, more than 16,000 people were divorced, but a divorce was still relatively difficult to obtain, particularly for women. Men could divorce on the grounds of adultery alone, but women had to provide evidence of adultery plus one other martial offence.

Occupations in detail

This census is richer in employment details, being the first to include employer’s name and address or location of work. If anyone was out of work, they were asked to record their last employer. This kind of information can be used to help take your search further in newspapers, or may be particularly interesting if you have local family history and might know, or even work for, the same employer as your ancestor.

During WWI, millions of women had taken on roles that had been traditionally reserved for men, such as railway guards, postal workers, police, firefighters and farm workers. The census records show that many women continued this work after the war, seeking economic freedom or supporting a household after their husband’s death. Whilst this was encouraging progress, most women were expected to return to their pre-war roles - and many did.

A record of orphanhood

The First World War and 1918-1920 flu pandemic devastated families. In the 1921 census, you can see this reflected by the chilling words ‘father dead’ being recorded for more than 730,000 children. The loss of both parents was a sad reality for more than 55,000 children in England and Wales, and this was the first - and only - census to show orphaned status for those aged 14 and under. For the government, this data helped prepare the financial framework of the Widows, Orphans and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1925, a contributory pension system that provided income for widows, orphans, and older workers.

If you discover from the census that one of your family members was an orphan, you can continue your search using other resources to find out what happened to them next.

Access the 1921 Census today.