Genealogy Chat

Lol Gordon!

Julia If I think right I am sure I have read somewhere.. That America only have a 75 year ruling which would allow for the Census to be released every 75 years.. Hence the 1931 is available Mo

Can I just grumpily add This is England (and Wales) we live in, and which has gathered the information. We are not, as yet, part of the US of A, nor are we (yet) subject to their laws. OC

The reason that the census is confidential is practical. The government considers that if people know their details are going to be available for all and sundry to see, then people will put down the wrong information. So I can be quite happy to put down my religeon as worshiping the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and know that my neighbours will never find out! Gordon

I think part of it is that the census was supposed to be confidential and fillers-in of it were told contents would not be released for 100 years. Birth, marriage and death registers are part of the public domain - though of course you can't (unfortunately) turn up at a register office and go through the books! I also think there are safeguards if you want to order more recent bmd certs. nell

Thanks for the replies and the data on what will happen in 2012. It is interesting that there was an attempt to get the information released earlier. There obviously isn't the 100 year privacy law in the USA as you can get very recent information from census returns. Can anyone explain why this is when I can't get a birth/death/marriage cert in certain states unless I can prove I am a direct descendant???? I don't understand how we release birth/cert/death/inquest/will information to anyone at all yet have a rule that applies to the census????????

It's an Early Day Motion, which an MP has tabled and stands no chance of being passed by Parliament. What they are arguing is that the Freedom of Information act over-rides the 100-year closure rule, and they are asking that whoever gets the contract for the 1911 Census releases the information as soon as possible, rather than waiting until 2012. While this is an interesting interpretation of the FOIA, the words 'snowball's', 'chance' and 'Hell' come to mind... Gordon :EDIT: While I'd love to see the information on me in the 1971 census, I'm quite prepared to wait until 2072...

ive just found this but dont understand what its saying!!!!!! to me its saying theyre gonna release it starting by county to county this year but maybe I got the wrong end of the stick as usual lol. RELEASE OF THE 1911 CENSUS (EDM 2330) Tabled by Mike Hancock MP, LibDem Portsmouth South, on 8 June 2006. By 31 July 2006, signed by 59 MPs By the rules of the House of Commons, this petition will be automatically withdrawn in October 2006 and will no longer be available for signature. That this House notes that the Freedom of Information Act 2000 abolished the 100-year closure rule which was applied to English and Welsh decennial census records between 1966 and 2004; further notes that contractors have been invited to tender by 30th June 2006 for work on the 1911 Census Online Project; and urges Ministers to ensure that the successful applicant has a contractual duty to gradually release sections of the 1911 Census Online, county-by-county, beginning in 2006 or as soon as possible thereafter.

hiya this is from TNA website Online release of 1911 census 11 May 2006 The National Archives is committed to making census data available online. We know from our own experience the huge excitement generated by the release of any new census and recognise the great historical and research value of census information. So we are already making plans to make the 1911 census available online in just under six years´ time, on the first working day of 2012. The release of the census returns after 100 years is determined by long-standing government policy. The 1911 census form included the following emphatic assurance to householders: ´The contents of the Schedule will be treated as confidential. Strict Care will be taken that no information is disclosed with regard to individual persons.´ In 1966 the Lord Chancellor determined that ALL decennial census returns should be closed for a period of 100 years, on the grounds that they contained personal information supplied by citizens about themselves. Since then successive governments have consistently maintained this position, and from 1981 onwards there has been an explicit assurance on census forms that they will remain closed to the public for 100 years. This is the assurance that we all receive when we provide sensitive personal information in our completed census forms. The Government continues to believe that the 100-year closure period strikes the right balance between protecting confidential data about us as individual citizens and releasing the information, which is so valuable to researchers and historians alike. Under the Freedom of Information Act, The National Archives considers requests for access to information contained in the 1911 census returns in consultation with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as the department that transferred the record to us. On the specific enquiries received to date it has not been possible to release the information that has been sought, on the grounds that it is exempt under section 41 of the Act, which relates to information provided in confidence. The 1911 census is a huge document – more than 12 times the size of the 1901 census, with 35,000 volumes containing the details of our 35 million ancestors and occupying some 2 kilometres of shelving. They are in good condition and suitable for scanning, with less than 5 per cent requiring more extensive conservation work to be scanned safely. In addition there are also 38,000 volumes of enumerators´ summary books that are in excellent condition. These are likely to be included in the online project as they contain useful and unique information that supports the census information. However, they do not provide the level of personal details that can be found in the actual census schedules. By far the best option for providing access to the census is online delivery, making the returns available to the widest possible audience and preserving the integrity of the original records. Proposals are well underway to find the very best company to work with us in order to provide a good reliable service for millions of potential users. We have published our requirements in the Official Journal of the European Union and over the next couple of months will seek to create a shortlist of potential suppliers. Learning from previous experience and building on our current plans, The National Archives is eagerly looking forward to launching the 1911 census online in January 2012, which we are confident will rapidly become a major resource for family historians of British descent throughout the globe. Julie

Thanks. I hadn't realised this had been covered so well before on here. What's curious to me is that in some states in the USA it is virtually impossible to get a birth/death/marriage cert without being able to prove you are a relative, unlike Britian. However, recent census material is readily available.

Julia I've heard rumours that it is in a mess, but The National Archives released a press statement saying its in excellent condition. You can probably find it by looking on TNA website or checking the oodles of threads about it on these boards. As to whether the 100-year rule will ever be waived, who can say? we can have views and opinions but who knows what legislative changes may be made? I can say that I don't think the desires of family researchers are a major priority for the government or its opposition just at the moment. nell

Is there any truth it is damaged and incomplete? Will the 100 year disclosure law ever be reviewed? Just thinking that it doesn't follow in the USA.

Julia Firstly, its the 1911 census as its taken every 10 years. There's an on-going debate about it, but a) govt has made it clear that it will not be released a minutes before 1st Jan 2012 b) apparently plans are well ahead to launch this census online and hopefully they will be better prepared for demand than they were when 1901 was released. I also hope the transcription is better! I believe the 1931 census was destroyed and there wasn't one in 1941 because of the war. With luck I might still be mentally alert enough to use the 1921 census when its released. If you want to know more, google '1911 census' or put '1911 census' into the searchbox at the top of this message board to see the thousands of threads about it. nell

hiya, according to what has been said about it before, the 1911 census for uk, will be released in 2012, and NOT before, due to 100 yr closure period Julie

Will the 1911 census hold the same information as the 1901 census? Will it go on line eventually like 1901 census? Can we expect a neat 10 year release for the forseeable future? 1921,1931 etc. Why can't we get access to later censuses - 1921, 1931etc? Just comparing to the USA system where this data is available. Will this 'law' ever be revised?