The 1921 census of Great Britain – held on 19 June

The 1921 census of Great Britain is an amalgamation of the 1921 census of England and Wales, plus the separate 1921 census of Scotland. Both censuses were held on the same day and asked virtually the same questions. Due to the imminent partition of Ireland, there was no census of Ireland in 1921.

The 1921 census was held at a time of great turbulence. It was set in the shadow of two world disasters; World War I and the Spanish Flu Epidemic. It was also taken against a background of considerable industrial unrest at home. As we shall see, all these circumstances have all left their mark on the 1921 census.

The 1921 census and the 100 years rule

UK census records that are less than 100 years’ old are not available for public viewing. This ‘100 years rule’, is designed to safeguards people’s privacy. This means that records for the 1921 census of England and Wales, and the 1921 Scotland census, are the latest to become publicly available.

The Census Schedule

This census form asked each head of household (or establishment) to enter the personal details of every person who passed census night in the dwelling, or who arrived and was ‘received’ there on the following morning of 20 June (unless recorded elsewhere). Only those ‘alive at midnight’ on census night were to be recorded.

Since 1911, England and Wales census records consisted of the original census schedules which were usually completed by each householder. In most cases, therefore, we are able to view the householder’s original handwriting.

Scotland, however, continued with the original system in operation since the first ‘modern’ British census of 1841. The Scottish census enumerator copied information from the original census forms into an enumeration schedule, and the original forms were destroyed. Scottish census records, therefore, consist of the enumerator’s schedules.

What was new in the 1921 census?

Many of the new census questions were a response to the social impact of war, disease and industrial unrest. The welfare needs of the population was the priority now, hence the new ‘orphanhood’ and ‘dependency’ questions which helped draft the Widows, Orphans and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1925.

Welfare of children a priority

An ‘orphanhood’ enquiry was added to the marriage question (now termed ‘Marriage or Orphanhood’). It effectively replaced the ‘fertility’ enquiry which had been controversially included in the 1911 marriage question. The stark census figures need little explanation; 730,845 children had a ‘father dead’, whereas 261,094 children had a ‘mother dead’. This ‘orphanhood’ question is unique to the 1921 census.

The new ‘dependency’ question, although entirely separate to the ‘orphanhood’ enquiry, addressed the same concerns for the welfare of children.

The ‘occupation question was expanded. For those in employment, the employer’s name was now required and, unsurprisingly, given the poor economic conditions facing post-pandemic/post-war Britain, unemployment was explicitly recognised. To help plan for housing and transport, a ‘Place of work’ enquiry was also included.

For those in receipt of an education, the occupation question now asked for a distinction between part-time and full-time education; if children were described as being in part-time education, they were probably also at work (and, in truth, probably not in education at all).

In Scotland, there was a new question on qualification to National Insurance benefits.

A certain ‘realpolitik’ had entered the national census. The marriage question recognised divorce for the first time, whilst separate and confidential returns were now allowed to encourage honest answers.

To provide space for the ever expanding number of questions, the unpopular ‘infirmity’ question was ditched.

The delayed 1921 census and its effects

The census of 1921 was originally scheduled for 24th April and this is the date printed on the original schedules. However, it had to be delayed for two months due to the coal miner’s Black Friday Strike and other threats of industrial action. This unusually late date, so near to the traditional holiday season, can cause confusion; the 1921 census recorded a population increase of 64% in Blackpool and 50% in Southend on Sea. Although it is possible your ancestors suddenly moved to a seaside town, they were far more likely to be on holiday.

Effects of World War I and the Spanish Flu Epidemic on the population

The 1921 census, the first since the Great War and Spanish Flu, laid bare the devastating impact of these events and, whilst the population grew, it slowed considerably.

The population of England and Wales grew by 5%, down from the 11% increase recorded in the 1911 census. In Scotland it grew by 2.5%, down from 6.5%. Predictably, it was the male population that pulled the UK population figures down; in England and Wales alone the 1921 census recorded 1.7 million more women than men.

1921 Census – Population recorded

Country	Population	†Change(%)
†Change(%) since last census. Source: Census of England and Wales, 1921, Preliminary report. Please visit Census Records for population in other census years.
England & Wales	37,886,699	5%
Scotland	4,882,288	2.5%
Ireland	Not taken	n/a
Population of Great Britain	42,768,987	4.7%
Islands of the British Seas	149,852	0.6%

Looking beyond the 1921 census

The 1951 census records are the next publicly available census returns for England and Wales. This marks an unprecedented 30 year gap and is due to two events; the 1931 England and Wales census records was destroyed by fire and the 1941 census was cancelled throughout the UK due to World War II. The situation is less acute in Scotland because the 1931 Scotland census records are safely stored in Edinburgh.

The situation in Ireland is mixed. As discussed, the 1921 census of Ireland never took place due to political turmoil, culminating in the partition of Ireland. Post-partition, there was a 1926 census of Northern Ireland, and a separate 1926 census of the Irish Free State (due for release in 2026). Unfortunately, the 1926 census records for Northern Ireland have been lost.

Please see our Ireland census records page for more Irish census information.

The 1939 Register

These significant gaps in census records during the first half of the 20th Century have been largely resolved by this ‘Wartime census’. It bears many of the characteristics of a decennial UK census and, of perhaps greater immediate significance, many of its records are available to the public (despite being under 100 years old). Please visit our 1939 Register page for more information.