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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: jwynne on Sunday 17 September 23 08:58 BST (UK)

Title: 1921 Scottish Census - numbers in the Marriage-Orphanhood column
Post by: jwynne on Sunday 17 September 23 08:58 BST (UK)

Can any kind soul please tell me what the numbers in the Marriage-Orphanhood column in the 1921 Scottish Census might mean?
They appear to have been added later in violet ink.
Thank you.

Title: Re: 1921 Scottish Census - numbers in the Marriage-Orphanhood column
Post by: KGarrad on Sunday 17 September 23 09:29 BST (UK)

Those columns were supposed to contain:

Marital Status (S - Single, M Married, D Divorced, W Widow/Widower)

Orphanhood (for those under 15years)
Whether parents were alive (Both Alive, Father Dead, Mother Dead, Both Dead)
The number was probably a code added later by an enumerator.

Title: Re: 1921 Scottish Census - numbers in the Marriage-Orphanhood column
Post by: jwynne on Thursday 21 September 23 13:49 BST (UK)

I've managed to find the reason myself.

ScotlandsPeople explained it as:

"The numbers in the column appear to refer to each code. So, for example, 0 is 'single', 1 is recorded alongside 'married.' 2 related to a 'widow/widower' and so forth.

This would have been done to aid the enumerators in their task, as it is easier to add up the number of people in each category rather than have to count the initials allotted to each person. The census was then, as now, primarily carried out for statistical reasons and so if you see any pencilled in numbers or ink in a different colour, this would have been down to the enumerators collecting their figures from the details."

There ya go! 😊