Genealogy Chat

Thank you KenSE for the link, after reading it, you would think that they had a back-up copy. But in those days, it was probably not thought of, which is a shame and a terrible loss
:-(

Yes, it's a great shame but unless the census forms were supplied with carbon paper I would think back up copies would have been too expensive.

It came to my mind today whilst volunteering for a charity, that they had carbon rollers, photocopiers of the day, But I guess it's one of those things we have to wait on when the time does come, what would the Government say to those who expect the census to be released, would they jump the 20 year gap and release the 1951 census in place of the 1921, however if the Government have the 100 year privacy rule in place, that may not happen, so we have to wait and see.

Barbz - it is not the current government who will not release the 1921 census, the legislation was set out at the time the census was taken.

The 100 year ruling is a bit of a 'mare. But it is there for a purpose.

As for the 1951 census. At the time right up to the 1970's, illegitimacy & divorce were considered taboo and disabilities were labelled in such a way as to be more than a little offensive these days, and therefore the 100 year ruling can be seen as a protective blanket to save grace/face at the time.
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We do tend to forget that our open lifestyles today are a very long way from life even back in the 1970's and earlier than that it is almost an alien country

And as an ending to this, at the time all these records were laid down it was not for the benefit of any future Family Historian, but to establish how many people llived in the UK, and from this how to look at future house building, social needs etc.

Me I would love every census to be available within 10 years, but that is not going to happen. And I respect that at the time it was done with good intent.

Unfortunately the Government is not looking to the future when it comes to the population number and the working needs etc, otherwise it would have set something in motion long ago, and often referring to the census when in doubt.

Looking back over the years, we have seen trades and skills diminish and becoming extinct from society. The events that took place between 1979 and 1991 (the Thatcher years), such as privatisation, and selling UK owned businesses have a lasting effect. And whilst I have been looking at the census at just what type of work my ancestors did back then to the ones which are present, is certainly very wide differences.