General Chat

Thank you magpie, I understand and appreciate your post.

Rambling Rose, if there is no connection between census forms and religion, wht is that until recently you has to declare your religion?

In Northern Ireland the closeness of politics and religion was instrumental in causing the "troubles" just a few decades ago

Well that's true re NI David, but that wasn't the topic was it? and I don't think that on the census forms you were talking about in particular, it was asked what religion you were? ( 1901 and 1911 Irish excepting of course).

I believe that on the last one many put "Jedi Knght" referencing Star Wars, so what our descendants will make of that I don't know !

Certainly the connection between religion and politics has proved thorny, throughout history. I can't recall if anywhere on the most recent census ( 2011) it did ask what my political affiliations are, but of course now I could still follow any of the religions or none and that wouldn't indicate what my political leanings were. :-)

In a general sense I am not fond of 'labels' not the ones that classified infirmities on the census, nor the tick boxes to say what nationality/ethnicity you are. I am not wholly 'British' ( by my own definition) nor am I strictly speaking entirely C of E.

But those entries in census are incredibly useful if they appear, for eg knowing from an American census that a couple came from Poland originally might make a huge difference to a search, or that someone was labelled 'deaf from birth' might help with finding where they went to school. Likewise that simple Y or N in the "born in county" column in the 1841 can be very helpful can't it :-)

Thank you Rambling Rose. The census form I'd been reading from was NI
Belfast, Duncairn ward to be precise. But NI is part of the union on of Great Britain.

Sorry if I appear to meander (sounds nicer than wander) but isn't it interesting
where these threads and their contributions take us

I don't think any of the older English censuses asked for your religion

I'm not sure about the Scottish ones.

It was probably very important for the Irish to know ........... although I think that it might well have been assumed that if you lived in certain areas you were more likely to belong to one religion than to the other.

Welsh censuses asked which languages you spoke, English, Welsh or both, but not the religion.


I know that one side of OH's ancestors are thought to have been Quakers back in the early part of the 19th century, and I have seen a little bit of evidence of that, but they were all baptised, married and buried in the Anglican church .............. not one word on censuses.

The only way you would know the religion from an English census would be if it was included as part of one's occupation, eg Welsh Methodist Minister, Minister in the Wesleyan, Roman Catholic Father, etc etc

Thank you Sylvia for your informative post. The United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is as you already know a Nation of peoples who are not
of one religion or political persuasion. In many regions the differences are as subtle as the dialect. The haves and the have nots, but all have equal opportunity.
In Northern Ireland the difference in religion determines the individuals work prospects and consequently their financial wealth and where they live. Years of troubles there has been rooted in where a group lived rather than how they worship their God.
Funnt how subjects of a united nation have often such dis-united lives, due largely dare I say to politics and religion.

David ...............

I was born and raised in England, so I do understand the UK, far more than you probably could ever guess :-)