Census remarks

[Jeuel]

One poor relative of mine has "bastard" recorded in the occupation column!  Several decades later, the enumerator has kindly described a few-weeks-old baby as a "love child" - but the love child was not my great-great grandfather's, but his daughter's.  (She married the father later).

I also have various people called "feeble minded" or "weak-minded". 

Very un-PC by today's standards!

[Maiden Stone]

  Several decades later, the enumerator has kindly described a few-weeks-old baby as a "love child" -

A census enumerator was supposed to transcribe what the householder had written on the census return. "Love child" would have been the term used by the member of the household who completed the form.
One woman's relationship to the head of household on a late 19th century census return in England was "concubine".
Many women in an enumeration district in Manchester had their occupation recorded as "prostitute" on a census. It may have been 1861.

Added: As I don't wish to stigmatise Manchester I should point out that there were women in other towns and cities who had the same occupation. It's just that I found a concentration of them in 1 district, many in 1 street.
I've also seen "brothel keeper" as occupation for head of household, often in combination with "lodging-house keeper".

[coombs]

Someone in Dennington, Suffolk was enumerated in 1851, but a remark on the census page was "died April 2nd". So the papers were collected a couple or so days after 31 March.

In 1871 though, my ancestors neighbours in St Pancras, London gave very vague info on the census, just initials for first names and "England" for birthplaces.

[venelow]

I looked at a village census where there were several families with wives described in the occupation column as "Concubine". 

I think the enumerator was expressing his views on people living "in sin" without benefit of clergy. I wish I could remember which village it was now.

Venelow
Canada

[BumbleB]

Perhaps we should all bear in mind that these remarks were written AT THAT TIME.  For us in the 21st century to pass judgement is perhaps wrong.   

We can't change history - it was what it was - although I think there are those who would like to.