The first ever national census in England and Wales was taken in 1801 but it wasn't until 1841 that the individual names of people living at addresses were entered and so it is this census which is the first of interest to genealogists. A census has - with the exception of 1941 - been taken every decade since.

Due to privacy laws the census can only be made available to the public 100 years after it was taken and so the most recent census open to scrutiny is the 1901 census which became available on the 1st January 2002.

The National Archives have made the censuses from 1841 through until 1901 available and can now be accessed for a fee from their website.

In addition a free transcription of the 1881 census can also be seen on the internet at the International Genealogical Index website and images of the 1901 census can be accessed for a fee at the National Archives website.

The complete nationwide censuses from 1841 until 1901 can be viewed at the Family Records Centre in London or local record offices hold the census for their particular area - see counties. Local libraries may also hold copies for their area - see the Familia website to see which libraries hold what.

As with all transcriptions the original source should always be checked for accuracy. The original itself is prone to mistakes as often information was entered wrongly or incompletely by the compilers or the people themselves gave false information.

Otherwise the census is a rich resource for genealogists listing all occupants living at an address, their occupations and their relationship to one another. Exact ages and places of birth (except in 1841) are also given enabling a search of the baptism/birth records for a specific location and year.