1911 Ireland Census – 2 April

The 1911 Ireland census was the last all-Ireland census to be held; Ireland was partitioned in 1921 and, due to political turmoil, the scheduled 1921 Ireland census never took place. 1911 Ireland census records are also the last Irish census records currently available to the public. This is because census records (in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) are not scheduled for release until they are 100 years’ old, on privacy grounds.

The Ireland census continued the practice, first started in 1851, of involving an almost unmanageable number of census forms. However, it is the Family Return (completed by the householder) and the House and Building Return Form (completed by the enumerator) that are generally most valuable to researchers of Irish family history.

Householders Forms

There were potentially two ‘householders’ census forms that required completion by the head of the family; the ‘Family Return’ (Form A) and the ‘Return of the Sick’ (Form C).

The Family Return Form A was compulsory. It instructed every householder to provide the personal details of anyone who stayed overnight on census night (or who returned home the next day from work or travel – unless already recorded). The head of family was asked to have the form ready for collection the next morning (i.e. 3 April) as the enumerator was due to collect the form between 8.30am and 6pm on that day.

With minor variations, most of the census questions matched those of the census of Great Britain i.e.: name, relationship to householder, age, sex, occupation (‘rank, profession or occupation’), ‘Particulars as to marriage’, where born, and the infirmity question (options: ‘deaf and dumb’, dumb’, ‘blind’, ‘imbecile or idiot’, ‘lunatic’).

However, as with previous Ireland censuses, there were some extra questions that were not included in the rest of the UK: religious profession; education (‘read and write’, ‘read’, ‘cannot read’); language (‘Irish’, ‘Irish and English’, otherwise blank). There was no ‘language’ question in England, although there was a similar question in Scotland (Gaelic), Wales (Welsh) and the Isle of Man (Manx).

The ‘particulars of marriage’ question, which made its debut across the UK, extended the traditional marital status enquiry to include: number of years in present marriage; number of children from the marriage born alive; how many children still alive. This ‘fertility question’, although deeply unpopular in Great Britain, did not seem to attract the same level of opposition in Ireland, perhaps because a similar question had been asked in earlier Ireland censuses.

There was a fine of £5 for refusing to answer any census question (apart from the ‘religious profession’ question which was voluntary) or for wilfully giving false answers. However, the enumerator was to give assistance to anyone who needed help.

The ‘Return of the Sick Form C’ was only applicable when a family member ‘laboured under sickness’ on census night. It asked for personal details of the afflicted person and a description of the sickness, its duration and whether it prevented the person carrying out his/her usual occupation.

Institutional Forms

Although most Irish family historians focus on the Family Form A, there were a number of other ‘institutional census forms’ that were designed to record the personal information of the inmates of various institutions; workhouses (Form E), hospitals (Form F), barracks (Form H), lunatic asylums (Form I) and prisons (Form K). These were completed by the governor, master or chief resident officer who, regrettably, often recorded only the initials of those in their care.

There were also a number of forms used for recording the inmates of boarding schools (Form G), and those on the roll of schools/colleges/universities (Forms L1, L2, L3 and L4). Fortunately, the heads of these institutions who were responsible for completing these forms generally recorded the full names of the inmates and students.

Enumerators Forms

Enumerators were, as in previous census years, drafted mainly from the Metropolitan Police and Ulster Constabulary. They distributed the census forms shortly before census night and collected them on the following day, providing any help where needed. However, they had a range of other duties that involved a complex array of ‘enumerators’ census forms’.

Enumerator’s Forms B1 and B2 were essentially buildings surveys, completed by the enumerator whilst delivering the various household and institutional census forms.

The ‘House and Building Form B1’ recorded the type of building (‘private dwelling’ etc.), whether inhabited, and gave a ‘class of house’ score (between 1 – 4) based on the building’s construction, number of rooms and front windows. Form B1 also recorded the number of families per house, number of persons per family, number of persons who were sick and number of rooms per family. The name of the householder (and landowner if applicable) was identifiable and, as a result, we gain invaluable information about our Irish ancestors’ living conditions and prosperity (or poverty).

Form B2 recorded any out-buildings such as barns, stables, coach-houses, cow-houses etc. held by each householder (who was, once again, identifiable).

The Shipping Return Form B3 related to ships in the same way that Form B1 related to buildings, although no individuals on board shipping vessels were identifiable. The captain, crew and passengers were recorded on the Family Return Form A in the normal way and if anyone aboard the vessel was accompanied by his family, then a separate Form A was completed.

The enumerator also had to carry out land surveys using Forms M1, M2 and M3. Form M1 recorded the number, area and value of agricultural holdings, together with population figures. The landholder was named and the form was cross referenced with Form B1. Form M2 was a summary of M1 and did not hold any personal information. Form M3 only applied to multiple farms (or single farms occupying multiple townlands) and recorded both the name and address of the landholder.

The enumerator had other forms to complete such as the ‘Return of Lunatics and Idiots, not in institutions’ Form D which usually recorded personal information. The individuals listed in Form D were normally living at home (i.e. they were not living in ‘hospitals, asylums, workhouses) and this means that their details can usually be found in both Form D and the Family Return Form A.

The remaining enumerator’s forms were mainly summaries such as the ‘enumerator’s abstract’ form N. The enumerator’s abstract can often be viewed on family history websites and identifies the householder via reference to Form B1.

Population– 4,390,219

The population recorded of 4,390,219 was only 1.5% down on 4,458,775 recorded in the 1901 Ireland census. This was the lowest rate of decline since the Potato Famine of the late 1840s.