Difference in age: 1901 and 1911 Census

[David Buckley]

I have noticed that there are some reported age diffences between the 1901 and 1911 census.

For example the Angland’s of Croanrea

1901              1911
Edmond   44   Edmond   59
Katie      40   Katie   53
John   16
Maurice   15   Maurice   25
Mary   13         
Katie   11   Katie   21
Nora   9
Maggie   6   Maggie   15
Edmond   4   Neddie   13
Jeremiah   1   Jeremiah   10

I wonder if Edmond and Katie have added a few years in order to qualify for a state pension early.

Has any else noticed this? Should we treat 1911 age dates as suspect?

David

[GAJM]

Hi David,

I have found the ages in the 1911 Census to be more accurate than those in 1901 in most cases. From cross checking with births and baptisms usually 1911 was alot more accurate.

However some may have increased their aged to qualify for state pension.

Apparently in fact people applying for the pension had to give details of where they lived in 1841 & 1851 Census (from memory) and age but at the time the pension office was able to check to validate their case as the census had not being destoyed by then. Apparently some of these census application records still exist but have never had a chance to fully follow up on this. Source was in a book i once read.

Ger

[David Buckley]

Thanks Ger, I knew you would know. I will treat the given ages on the 1911 census with care.

[aghadowey]

The state pension age was originally 70 so they'd have been a bit young to increase their age for that reason.

[Wicklow Rose]

Yep, Mr Murphy is correct! There are some pension applications still surviving.

The old age pension was introduced in January 1909. To qualify, anyone who claimed had to 'prove' their age and this was done by checking the 1841 and 1851 census returns, which still survived at that time.  So if, for example, Annie Doyle claimed she was 75  in 1910, she would make a 'green form' claim stating where she was living during the time of those censuses, and with whom. The pension bods would then check her details and would expect to find her recorded in one or both of the early census returns.

Some of these 'green forms', annotated with the civil servants' finding, have survived and can be studied at the National Archives in Dublin. If the claimant was 'found', a full transcription of the household's census record was added or attached to the green form. (I'm not sure what proportion of the early 'green forms' survive.)

As far as I'm aware, the only online source of these pension claims is www.pensear.org. Charge £2 a view.

Rose

[hancock12]

I have an ancestor in the 1901 census aged 86.... Yet on her death certificate in 1903 she died at the ripe old age of 100 years old!

Which age is most likely to be correct?

[hallmark]

I have an ancestor in the 1901 census aged 86.... Yet on her death certificate in 1903 she died at the ripe old age of 100 years old!

Which age is most likely to be correct?

Both...until you find Birth for her, then both could be wrong!