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What's In Each Census?

What Each District Contains

Piece, Folio, and Page Numbers

Communities Covered

Understanding Your Results

Problems with Specific Censuses

Sample Transcriptions

What's In Each Census?

Year Night of Information Given How Many Names
Do We Have?
1841 June 6/7 Dwelling, Name, Age, Occupation, Born in county or not;
if an employer, how many employees
306,147
1851 March 30/31 Dwelling, Name, Age, Relation to Head, Marital Status,
Occupation, Birthplace (town/parish & county)
329,213
1861 April 7/8 same as 1851
232,033
1871 April 2/3 same as 1851
293,931
1881 April 3/4 same as 1851
111,916
1891 April 5/6 same as 1851
227,903
1901 Mar 31/Apr 1 same as 1851
50,682

Communities Covered

Our collection includes census transcriptions for the following communities and years. Please check back often, as we are adding new data weekly.

LocationYearsLocationYears
Aislaby1841-1851Archdeacon Newton1841-1851
Auckland St. Andrew1841-1871Auckland St. Helen1841-1871
Barmpton1841-1851Barmston1841-1871, 1891
Barnard Castle1841-1851, 1871Benfieldside1841-1871
Bill Quay1841Billingham1841-1851
Billingside1841-1871Billy Row1841-1871
Binchester1841-1871Birtley1841-1871, 1891
Bishop Auckland1841-1871Bishop Middleham1841-1891
Bishopley1841-1871Bishopton1841-1851
Bishopwearmouth1841-1851, 1861 (piece 3765 only)Blackwell1841-1851
Bolam1841-1871Boldon1841-1871, 1891
Bournmoor1841-1891Bowburn1841-1871, 1891
Bradbury1841-1891Brafferton1841-1851
Brancepeth1841-1871, 1891Brandon & Byshottles1841-1871, 1891
Brierton1841-1851Broom1841-1871, 1891
Burdon1841-1891Burnhope1841-1871
Butsfield1841-1871Butterwick1841-1891
Byers Green1841-1871Carlbury1841-1851
Carlton1841-1851Cassop1841-1891
Castle Eden1841-1901Chester-le-Street1841-1871, 1891
Chilton1841-1891Chopwell1841
Claxton1841-1851Cleadon1841-1871, 1891
Cleatlam1841-1851, 1871Coatham Mundeville1841-1851
Coatsay Moor1841-1851Cocken1841-1891
Cockerton1841-1851Cockfield1841-1851, 1871
Cold Hesledon1841-1901Collierley1841-1871
Consett1841-1871Conside1841-1871
Cornforth1841-1891Cornsay1841-1871
Coundon1841-1871Coundon Grange1841-1871
Cowpen Bewley1841-1851Coxhoe1841-1891
Crawcrook1841Crook1841-1871
Dalton Piercy1841-1891Dalton-le-Dale1841-1901
Darlington1841-1851Deaf Hill1841-1901
Denton1841-1851Dinsdale1841-1851
Dipton1841-1871Durham City1841, 1851 (partial), 1861
Easington1841-1901Easington Lane1841-1891
East Hartburn1841-1851East Hetton1841-1891
East Thickley1841-1871Ebchester1841-1871
Edmondsley1841-1871, 1891Edmundbyers1841-1871
Egglescliffe1841-1851Egglestone1841-1851, 1871
Eldon1841-1871Elstob1841-1891
Elton1841-1851Elwick1841-1891
Elwick Hall1841-1891Embleton1841-1891
Eppleton1841-1891Escomb1841-1871
Esh1841-1871Evenwood1841-1871
Fatfield1841-1871, 1891Felling1841
Ferryhill1841-1871, 1891Fishburn1841-1891
Ford1841-1851Forest & Frith1841-1851, 1871
Foxton & Shotton1841-1891Framwellgate [Rural]1841-1871, 1891
Frosterley1841-1871Fulwell1841-1871, 1891
Gainford1841-1851, 1871Garmondsway Moor1841-1891
Gateshead1841Great Aycliffe1841-1851
Great Burdon1841-1851Greatham1841-1851
Greencroft1841Grindon1841-1851
Hamsteels1841-1871Hamsterley1841-1871
Harraton1841-1871, 1891Hart1841-1891
Hartlepool1841-1851Harton1841-1871, 1891
Haswell1841-1901Haughton-le-Skerne1841-1851
Hawthorn1841-1901Headlam1841-1851, 1871
Healyfield1841-1871Hebburn1841
Hedley1841-1871, 1891Hedleyhope1841-1851, 1871
Hedworth1841Heighington1841-1851
Helmington Row1841-1871Herrington1841-1891
Hett1841-1871, 1891Hetton-le-Hole1841-1891
Heworth1841High Coniscliffe1841-1851
Hilton (in Teesdale)1841-1851, 1871Holmside1841-1871
Houghton-le-Side1841-1851Houghton-le-Spring1841-1891
Hulam1841-1901Hunstanworth1841-1871
Hunwick & Helmington1841-1871Hurworth-on-Tees1841-1851
Hutton Henry1841-1901Hylton (North)1841-1871, 1891
Ingleton1841-1851, 1871Iveston1841-1871
Jarrow1841Kelloe1841-1891 + 1901 Kelloe Town
Kibblesworth1841-1871, 1891Killerby1841-1851
Kimblesworth1841-1871, 1891Knitsley1841-1871
Kyo1841-1871Lambton1841-1891
Lamesley1841-1871, 1891Lanchester1841-1871
Langley1841-1871Langleydale & Shotton1841-1851, 1871
Langton1841-1851, 1871Leadgate1841-1871
Littletown1841-1891Long Newton1841-1851
Low Coniscliffe1841-1851Ludworth1841-1891
Lumley1841-1891Lynesack & Softley1841-1871
Mainsforth1841-1891Marwood1841-1851, 1871
Medomsley1841-1871Merrington1841-1871
Middlestone1841-1871Middleton Saint George1841-1851
Middleton-in-Teesdale1841-1851, 1871Middridge1841-1871
Middridge Grange1841-1871Monk Hesleden1841-1901
Monkton1841Monkwearmouth1841-1851
Moorhouse1841-1891Moorsley1841-1891
Morden1841-1891Morton Grange1841-1891
Morton Palms1841-1851Morton Tinmouth1841-1851, 1871
Muggleswick1841Murton1841-1901
Neasham1841-1851Nesbitt1841-1901
Newbiggin (Stockton)1841-1851Newbiggin (Teesdale)1841-1851, 1871
Newbottle1841-1891Newfield1841-1871
Newlandside1841-1871Newsham1841-1851
Newton Bewley1841-1851Newton Cap1841-1871
North Bedburn1841-1871North Biddick1841-1871, 1891
Norton1841-1851Offerton1841-1891
Old Park1841-1871Ouston1841-1871, 1891
Pelton1841-1871, 1891Penshaw1841-1891
Piercebridge1841-1851Pittington1841-1891
Plawsworth1841-1871, 1891Pollard's Lands1841-1871
Pontop1841-1871Preston-le-Skerne1841-1891
Preston-on-Tees1841-1851Quarrington Hill1841-1891
Raby & Keverstone1841-1851, 1871Rainton1841-1891
Ravensworth1841-1871, 1891Redmarshall1841-1851
Redworth1841-1851Ryhope1841-1891
Ryton1841Ryton Woodside1841
Sacriston1841-1871, 1891Sadberge1841-1851
Satley1841-1871School Aycliffe1841-1851
Seaham1841-1901Seaham Colliery1841-1901
Seaham Harbour & Vessels in Port1841-1901Seaton Carew1841-1851
Seaton with Slingley1841-1901Sedgefield1841-1891
Shadforth1841-1891Sheraton1841-1901
Sherburn1841-1891Sherburn House1841-1891
Shildon1841-1871Shincliffe1841-1891
Shotton1841-1901Silksworth (Old)1841-1891
Sockburn1841-1851South Bedburn1841-1871
South Biddick1841-1891South Hetton1841-1901
South Hylton1841-1851South Shields1841, part of 1851
South Wingate1841-1901Southwick1841-1851
Spennymoor1841-1871Staindrop1841-1851, 1871
Stainton & Streatlam1841-1851, 1871Stainton (Great & Little)1841-1851
Stanhope (incl. Forest & Park)1841-1871Stella1841
Stillington1841-1891Stockley1841-1871, 1891
Stockton1841, 1851Stranton1841-1851
Summerhouse1841-1851Sunderland1841-1851
Sunderland Bridge1841-1891Tanfield1841-1871
Thornley1841-1901Thorpe Bulmer1841-1891
Thorpe Thewlis1841-1851Thrislington1841-1891
Throston1841-1851Tow Law1841-1871
Trimdon1841-1891Trimdon Grange & Foundry1841-1901
Tudhoe1841-1871, 1891Tunstall (New Silksworth)1841-1891
Urpeth1841-1871, 1891Usworth1841-1871, 1891
Wackerfield1841-1851, 1871Waldridge1841-1871, 1891
Walworth1841-1851Wapping1841-1891
Warden Law1841-1891Washington1841-1871, 1891
West Auckland1841-1871Westerton1841-1871
Westoe1841-1851Westwick1841-1851, 1871
Wheatley Hill1841-1901Whessoe1841-1851
Whickham1841Whitburn1841-1871, 1891
Whitton1841-1851Whitwell1841-1891
Whitwell House1841-1891Whitworth1841-1871
Whorlton1841-1851, 1871Willington1841-1871, 1891
Windlestone1841-1871Windy Nook1841
Wingate1841-1901Winlaton1841
Winston1841-1851, 1871Witton Gilbert1841-1871, 1891
Witton-le-Wear1841-1871Wolsingham1841-1871
Wolviston1841-1851Woodham1841-1851
Woodland1841-1851, 1871

Understanding Your Results

Birthplaces in 1841: Y, N, and N(x)

In the 1841 census, birthplace was listed in one of several ways:

In the 1841 census, we usually only record birthplace for people NOT born in County Durham. Sometimes we include the "Y" for clarity, as in cases where most of a family was "N" but one person was "Y". You may assume any person with no birthplace listed was recorded as "Y", born in County Durham..

Birthplaces in 1851 or later: We have corrected various birthplace name spellings to make them more recognizable. For example, we change "Pensher" and "Painshaw" to "Penshaw". If we're not sure if a name is an alternate spelling vs. a separate place, we don't change it; we put our guess at what it might be in square brackets next to the original spelling. Also, we have added birth counties for some obvious birthplaces that were originally missing counties. For example, the enumerator often wrote simply "Newcastle upon Tyne" or "Berwick on Tweed", with no county shown because to him, it was obvious which county they were in. For cases like this, we have added "Northumberland" to the county column for search purposes.

NB or Note - Some census entries contain extra notes from our transcribers, including notes on the history of a place or person. Such notes are in square brackets and start with NB or Note.

[] or / (slash) in names - Names in square brackets (with multiple names separated by slashes) denote alternate spellings of a common name, or, if a name was illegible, our other "best guesses" at what the name was. The first name in the string is the name that appeared in the record, or our best guess at it. For example: Randyll [Randall] means the person was recorded as Randyll, but Randall is a common alternate spelling, which we include here so it will be picked up by the search engine when you type "Randall". An entry like Primp [Pump/Pamp] means it looks like Primp, but may be Pump or Pamp.

Blank fields: If there is no occupation listed, the Occupation column was blank in the census. If there is no marital status listed, the person was listed as unmarried OR the field was blank, which many enumerators used to mean "unmarried". Sometimes we include the word "unmarried" for clarity. If a relationship or birthplace or age was blank in the census, we show that with [relationship blank], [age blank], or [birthplace blank]. You will also see [surname blank] or [given name blank] for those cases where a name was blank.

do or ditto - Censustakers used this to mean "same as above". They used it often for surnames and birthplaces. To facilitate searching, we have replaced "do" in the surname field with the surname directly above, and likewise have replaced "do" in the birthplace column with the birthplace listed directly above. We realise that enumerators made errors and sometimes wrote "do" for a birthplace or surname in error, and we are compounding that error by stating the birthplace or surname to be a specific name, but this was necessary to provide the ability to search on surnames and birthplaces.

A note about addresses: In the earlier censuses, most houses did not have numbers. Any number shown is typically not an address but an enumerator's number. For example, 4 California Row was not necessarily #4, California Row, but rather the 4th house he visited on California Row.

Why are there errors in the census?: There were many opportunities for error in a census. First, the person answering the census questions was quite likely to be a child, as the child might be the only person in the house who could read and write. The child, however, did not necessarily know the correct answers or correctly understand the answer given to him or her orally by the parents or did not know how to spell the birthplaces they quoted to him. Next, did you know that the census images available to us today are actually transcriptions made by the enumerator from "schedules" filled out by somebody in the household? If the enumerator did not correctly read the schedule filled out by the householder, another error develops. Also, when the enumerator was copying from the schedules to his enumerator's book, he might skip a line and miss somebody. (We suggest you visit BritishGenealogy.com, which provides an excellent description of how the census was taken, why the census images available today are actually transcriptions, and how to reference a piece/folio.) Lastly, of course, we are offering transcriptions, and if we could not read the enumerator's handwriting because it was poor, the ink had faded, or the page had been damaged, then we may also introduce errors. For all these reasons it is important to compare the results of a census to all other available records for continuity.

Sample Transcriptions

These are samples of the type of information you get back when purchasing a census entry from Durham Records Online.

Dalton-le-Dale - 1841 Census.
Hugh Jakes or Jacques, 25, Joiner
Ann Jakes or Jacques, 25, Not born in County Durham [Scotland]
Edward Jakes or Jacques, 2
George Jakes or Jacques, 3 days
Ann Ibbetson or Ibbertson, 15, Female Servant

Aside from Ann Jakes, the rest of the family was born in County Durham.

Dalton-le-Dale Village - 1851 Census -Times Inn
Jane Randyll [Randall], Head, widow, 45, Publican, Stanhope
Sarah Ann R, daughter, 22, Stockton
Catherine R, daughter, 19, Stockton
Isabella R, daughter,16, Stockton

In the 1851 example, the name [Randall] in square brackets represents an alternate spelling of the name. We insert this so our search engine will turn up odd spellings of common names i.e. if you search for Randall, you will also get any entries for Randyll, Randell, etc. that list Randall as an alternate spelling. All of our insertions are marked in square brackets so you can distinguish them from the original census information.

1861 Census - Tudhoe, Tudhoe Ironworks - 12 High Row
Joseph Wanless, Head of Household, Married, 27, Ironworks Stocktaker, Chester-le-Street
Mary Wanless, Wife, Married, 23, Hylton
Joseph W. Wanless, Son, 4, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Elizabeth A. Wanless, Daughter, 1, Spennymoor
Ann Robbins [Robinson/Dobbins (?)], Sister-in-law, 20, Hylton
John Dunn, Lodger, 24, Ironworks Labourer, Houghton-le-Spring
Patrick Reed, Lodger, 19, Ironworks Labourer, Carlisle, Cumberland

In this 1861 census example, the surname of the sister-in-law was unclear, so we have included several possibilities in brackets. The earlier the census, the more varied the spelling of names was, and coupled with unclear handwriting and fading over time, reading a name today can be difficult.

Note that the term "in-law" could mean "step" in today's language, and people raising their grandchildren might call them their children. Also, such terms might relative to the person answering the questions rather than to the head-of-household - for example, a wife might say her husband's brother was a brother-in-law, even though the census was supposed to record the relationship to the head-of-household. To resolve such questions, pay attention to relative ages and the likelihood that a person is related as stated, and get birth certificates to verify parentage rather than relying just on the census.

Birthplaces in the 1851 and later censuses should be assumed to be in County Durham unless otherwise specified, but there are a few exceptions. Certain major cities, such as Newcastle-upon-Tyne or London, were often recorded without a county specified. In most cases, we have left these alone; in some censuses we have added "Northumberland" to birthplaces we know to be in Northumberland.

Problems with Specific Censuses

Many old censuses were especially difficult to read due to poor handwriting or extreme fading, and parts are even missing. Here is a list of areas we have encountered that were particularly unreadable, so treat these transcriptions with caution - in many of these cases, we were just guessing (and trying to compare to other census years):

Piece, Folio, and Page References

The bulk of our older data does not contain the PRO references (the piece, folio, and page number that the census entry is found on). We apologize for that, but when these were transcribed over the past 10 years, they were for personal use and it was not expected that we would want to go back and recheck things. Starting in about June 2004, all new transcriptions include the piece and folio numbers and sometimes the page number, to better enable our customers to find the actual census entry for their own perusal. Also, the entire 1901 census of Easington district does contain PRO references.