Three years since it first went online exclusively via Findmypast, the 1921 census for England and Wales, containing records of 38 million people, was published on Ancestry on 7 January 2025.
The records will be included in Ancestry’s 'All UK and Ireland' and 'All Records' subscription packages. They will also be free to search in subscribing libraries and archives via Ancestry Library Edition.
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The 1921 census was carried out on 19 June 1921. Originally scheduled to happen in April that year, it was postponed due to threats of a general strike.
It gathered information on the population in an unprecedented amount of detail, including recording ages in years and months instead of just years and giving the name and address of each adult’s employer as well as their profession. Even those who were unemployed (and there were many, highlighting the stark hardship of life after the First World War) had to record the details of previous employment.
The census also asked questions about whether children had both parents still alive, reflecting a concern that the war had created many fatherless children.
Like the 1911 census records for England and Wales, the 1921 census records include the original household schedules, usually written by the head of the household.
One thing that makes the 1921 census records particularly precious is that they are the only census records for England and Wales that will be available for almost 30 years, as the 1931 records were destroyed in the Blitz and no census was taken in 1941 due to the Second World War. The 1931 census for Scotland was not destroyed and will be released in 2031.
Simon Pearce, Ancestry’s family history expert, told Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine: “It's such an important collection. It's this snapshot into our ancestors’ lives two and a half years or more after the end of the First World War. For me, and for your readers who love family history, it's so exciting to see our ancestors there. Their name on the page, the household, these amazing clues, their occupations, where they were born. These are the kind of clues that not only help us to learn more about them, but they will then help us to trace them in other records.”
Ancestry has licensed the transcription produced by Findmypast, rather than producing its own. Findmypast was criticised for the quality of its transcription of the 1921 census, but the company has since worked hard to correct errors submitted by users.
To celebrate the launch, Ancestry are offering 50% off its subscription packages from 1-12 January 2025. If you haven't tried Ancestry before and would like to test it first, you can register and enjoy a two week membership completely free.
