The first official census for England and Wales was taken in 1801. Thereafter a census has been taken every 10 years to the present day, with the exception of 1941. However, the information contained in the census remains confidential until 100 years have passed. The latest census available is 1911, as pay-per-view on 1911Census.co.uk, provided by FindMyPast.

Pre-1841 Censuses

Until 1841, the census records are mainly statistical, although some do list the main householder. Information Sheet 11 (PDF file - see below to download) lists our holdings of pre-1841 Censuses and lists of inhabitants. We hold the 1821 and 1831 Censuses for St Marylebone, both of which have a surname index.

1841-1901 Censuses

A census record is particularly useful from 1841 onwards. The entry will provide details of an individual's age, occupation and place of birth as well as indicating their relationship to the rest of the household. The 1841 Census is less informative than the later ones, as it has ages of persons over 16 rounded down to the nearest 5 years and it does not give precise details about the place of birth of each person.

The Archives Centre holds copies of the 1841-1901 Censuses for Westminster, St Marylebone and Paddington. The 1841 Census for Paddington and the 1861 Census for the Pimlico and Belgravia areas of Westminster have not survived.

Street Indexes

All the censuses we hold are indexed by street, available in the Archives Centre searchroom.

Name Indexes

The following name indexes have also been compiled:-

1841 to 1901 Censues: indexes are available for a fee via the National Archives and Ancestry. Ancestry is also available for free in the searchroom at the Archives Centre, and in all Westminster public libraries.

In addition,

• 1851 Census: an index is availale on microfiche at the Archives Centre
• 1861 Census: an index is available for a fee on FindMyPast
• 1881 Census: an index for the whole of England and Wales, compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormon Church) is available on microfiche and CD-ROM at the Archives Centre.  It is also available free on the internet as FamilySearch.