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*Tracing Your Roots > Irish > Irish Records
* 19th-century Census Fragments 
 
1821 This census, organised by townland, civil parish, barony and county, took place on 28th May 1821, and aimed to cover the entire population. It recorded the following information:

  • name
  • age
  • occupation
  • relationship to the head of the household
  • acreage of land-holding
  • number of storeys of house
Almost all of the original returns were destroyed in 1922, with only a few volumes surviving for parts of Cos Cavan, Fermanagh, Galway, Meath and Offaly (King's County). These are now in the National Archives. The overall reliability of the population figures produced by the 1821 census has been questioned recently, but there is no doubt as to the genealogical value of the returns. However the ages given need to be treated with scepticism.

1831 Again organised by townland, *civil parish, barony and county, this census recorded the following:

  • name
  • age
  • occupation
  • relationship to the head of the household
  • acreage of land-holding
  • religion
Very little of this survives and most of the remaining fragments relate to County Derry.

1841 Unlike the two earlier censuses, the returns in 1841 were filled out by the householders themselves, rather than government officials. The information supplied was:

  • name
  • age
  • occupation
  • relationship to the head of the household
  • date of marriage
  • literacy
  • absent family members
  • family members who had died since 1831
Only one set of original returns survived 1922, that for the parish of Killeshandara in County Cavan. There are, however, a number of transcripts of the original returns. The 1841 census was the earliest to be of use when state Old Age Pensions were introduced in the early 20th century. Copies of the household returns from 1841 and 1851 were sometimes used as proof of age. The forms detailing the results of searches in the original returns to establish age have survived and are found in the National Archives for areas in the Republic of Ireland and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland for areas now in its jurisdiction. Copies of the Northern Ireland returns are also available at the *LDS Library.

1851 This recorded the following:

  • name
  • age
  • occupation
  • relationship to the head of the household
  • date of marriage
  • literacy
  • absent family members
  • family members who had died since 1841
  • religion
Most of the surviving returns relate to parishes in County Antrim. The comments above on transcripts and abstracts of the 1841 census also apply to 1851.

1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 The official destruction of the returns for these four years was thorough and virtually nothing survives. The only transcripts are contained in the Catholic registers of Enniscorthy (1861), and Drumcondra and Loughbraclen, County Meath (1871).

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Creators: John Grenham

 
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