Householder's schedule, England and Wales, 1851

Population returns, England and Wales, 1851

Prepared under the direction of one of Her Majesty's Secretaries of State

To the Householder

You are requested to insert the particulars specified on the other page, respecting all the persons who slept or abode in your house on the night of March 30th, in compliance with an Act which passed the House of Commons, and the House of Lords, in the last Session of Parliament, and received the assent of Her Majesty, the Queen, on the 5th of August, 1850.

This Paper will be called for on Monday, March 31st, by the appointed Officer, and it will save trouble if, as the Act requires, you have the answers written in the proper columns by that time. It is his duty to verify the facts, and if you have omitted to comply with the above Instructions, to record them at your residence on that day.

Persons who refuse to give correct information, incur a Penalty of Five Pounds; besides the inconvenience and annoyance of appearing before two Justices of the Peace, and being convicted of having made a willful misstatement of age, or of any of the other particulars.

The Return is required to enable the Secretary of State to complete the Census; which is to show the number of the population-their arrangement by ages and families in different ranks, professions, employments, and trades-their distribution over the country in villages, towns, and cities-their increase and progress in the last ten years.

George Graham,
Registrar General

Approved,
G. Grey.

General Instruction
This Schedule is to be filled up by the occupier or Person in charge of the house; if the house is let or sub-let to different persons or families, in separate stories or apartments, the Occupier or Person in charge of each such story or apartment must make a separate return for his portion of the house upon a separate Householder's Schedule.

____ Parish or township

____ Town, tything, village, or hamlet

____ Street, square, etc. or road

____ Name or no. of house

List the members of this family of visitors and of servants who slept or abode in this house on the night of Sunday, March 30th.

____ Name and surname
No person absent on the night of March 30th to be entered.
Write after the name of the head of the family, the name of his wife, children, and others of the same surname; then visitors, servants, etc.

____ Relation to head of family
State whether wife, son, daughter, or other relative, visitor, or servant

____ Condition
Write "married", "widower", "widow", or "unmarried" against the names of all persons except young children

____ Sex
Write "M" against males and "F" against females

____ Age (last birthday)
For infants under one year, state the age in months writing "under 1 month" "1 month" "2 months" etc.

____ Rank, profession, or occupation
Before filling in this column, you are requested to read the instructions on the other side.

____ Where born
Opposite the names of those born in England, write the County, and Town, or Parish. If born in Scotland, Ireland, the British colonies, the East Indies, or in foreign parts, state the country. In the last case, if a British subject add "British Subject"

____ If deaf-and-dumb or blind
Write "deaf-and-dumb" or "blind" opposite the name of the person.

Instructions for filling up the Column headed "Rank, profession or occupation"

The superior titles of peers and the other persons of rank to be inserted, as well as any high office which they may hold. Magistrates, aldermen and other important public officers to state their profession after their official title.

Army, navy, and civil service - Add after the rank, "Army", "Artillery", "Royal Navy", "Mariners", "East India Company's Service", as the case may be -distinguishing those on half-pay. Persons in the Civil service to state the department to which they are attached, after their title or rank; those on the superannuation list to be so distinguished. Chelsea, Greenwich, and other pensioners, to be clearly designated.

Clergymen of the Church of England to return themselves as "Rector of ____", "Vicar of _____", "Curate of ____", etc., or as not having cure of souls. They are requested not to employ the indefinite term "Clerk". Presbyterian Ministers and Roman Catholic Priests to return themselves as such, and to state the name of the church or chapel in which they officiate. Dissenting Ministers to return themselves as "Independent Minister of ____ Chapel", "Baptist Minister of ____ Chapel", etc. Local or occasional preachers must return their ordinary occupations.

Legal profession-Barristers to state whether or not in actual practice; Officers of any Court, etc., to state the description of office and name of Court. The designation "Attorney" or "Solicitor" to be confined to those whose names are actually upon the Roll. Persons in Solicitors' offices should distinguish whether "Solicitor's, Managing, Articled, Writing, or General Clerk."

Members of the Medical profession to state the university, college, or hall of which they are graduates, fellows, or licentiates -- also whether they practice as physician, surgeon, or general practitioners, or are "not practicing".

Professors, teachers, public writers, authors and scientific men -- to state the particular branch of science or literature which they teach or pursue, artists, the art which they cultivate, graduates should their degrees in this column.

Persons engaged in commerce, as merchants, brokers, agents, clerks, commercial travellers, to state the particular kind of business in which they are engaged, or the staple in which they deal.

The term farmer to be applied only to the occupier of land, who is to be returned -- "Farmer of [317] acres, employing [12] labourers"; the number of acres, and of in and out-door labourers, on March 31st, being in all cases inserted, sons or daughters employed at home or on the farm, may be returned -- "Farmer's son," "Farmer's daughter."

In Trades the master is to be distinguished from the journeyman and apprentice, thus - (Carpenter-master employing [6] men)"; inserting always the number of persons of the trade in his employ on March 31st.

In the case of workers in mines or manufactures, and generally in the constructive ARTS, the particular branch of work, and the material, are always to be distinctly expressed if they are not implied in the names, as in "Coal-miner", "Brass-founder", "Wool-carder", "Silk-throwster". Where the trade is much sub-divided, both trade and branch are to be returned thus -- "Watchmaker-finisher"; "Printer-compositor".

A person following more than one distinct trade may insert his occupations in order of their importance.

Messengers, porters, labourers, and servants, to be described according to the place and nature of their employment.

Persons following no profession, trade, or calling and holding no public office, but deriving their income chiefly from land, houses, mines, or other real property, from dividends, interest of money, annuities, etc, may designate themselves "Landed proprietor", "Proprietor of iron mines", "Proprietor of houses", "Fund-holder", "Annuitized", etc. as the case may be. Persons of advanced age who have retired from business to be entered thus - "Retired silk merchant", "Retired watchmaker", etc.

Almspeople, and persons in the receipt of parish relief should, after being described as such, have their previous occupation inserted.

Women and children, - The titles or occupations of ladies who are householders to be entered according to the above instructions. The occupations of women who are regularly employed from home, or at home, in any but domestic duties, is to be distinctly recorded. So also of children and young persons. Against the names of children above five years of age, if daily attending school, or receiving regular tuition under a master or governess at home, write "Scholar", and in the latter case add "at home".

Source:
Census of Great Britain, 1851, Forms and instructions prepared under the direction of one of her Majesty's principal secretaries of state, for the use of persons employed in taking an account of population of Great Britain BPP 1851 XLIII (1339) 5-6.