Census returns
England and Wales' first official census was taken in 1801 and has been taken every 10 years to the present day with the exception of 1941.
As the information remains confidential for 100 years the latest census available is 1911 as pay-per-view on 1911Census by FindMyPast.
Pre-1841 censuses
Until 1841, the census records were mainly statistical although some do list the main householder. We hold the 1821 and 1831 censuses for St Marylebone which have a surname index.
1841 to 1901 censuses
A census record is particularly useful from 1841 onwards. Entries provide age, occupation and place of birth as well as indicating an individual's relationship to the rest of the household.
The 1841 census is less informative than later ones as it rounds down ages of people over 16 to the nearest 5 years, and doesn't give precise details about place of birth or relationships within the household.
We holds copies of censuses from 1841 to 1901 for Westminster, St Marylebone and Paddington. The 1841 census for Paddington and the 1861 Census for Pimlico and Belgravia have not survived.
Street indexes
All the censuses we hold are indexed by street and are available in the searchroom.
Name indexes
The following name indexes have also been compiled:
- 1841 to 1901 censuses - indexes are available for a fee via National Archives and Ancestry (Ancestry is also available for free in the searchroom and in all Westminster public libraries
- 1851 census - an index is available on microfiche at the Archives Centre
- 1861 census - an index is available for a fee on FindMyPast
- 1881 census - an index compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormon Church) for the whole of England and Wales is available on microfiche and CD at the Archives Centre (it is also available for free on the internet as FamilySearch)
