Slapdash census enumerators.

[BumbleB]

My apologies for this BUT I think you are being far too pedantic about the census returns and the enumerators. 

As I understand it there were some 26 million people recorded in the 1841 census for England and Wales, a lot of whom I think could have been illiterate, probably the majority.

The enumerator possibly had to knock on doors in order to obtain the information AND he/she didn't have a computer to record the details offered to him/her.  He/she had to physically write down the details and then transfer them to the sheets.

Also I remind you to look at my avatar, especially  HE/SHE WHO NEVER MADE A MISTAKE, NEVER MADE ANYTHING!   

[Treetotal]

I suppose we should be thankful that people are giving us the opportunity to Further our knowledge of how and where our ancestors lived. When I first started Family research, the best I had was the 1881census which was loaned from the library and had 8 discs to trawl through.
I'm thankful for all the other census returns that are now available to us.
Carol

[coombs]

I suppose we should be thankful that people are giving us the opportunity to Further our knowledge of how and where our ancestors lived. When I first started Family research, the best I had was the 1881census which was loaned from the library and had 8 discs to trawl through.
I'm thankful for all the other census returns that are now available to us.
Carol

Oh yes I used to do blanket searches at the FRC in Clerkenwell for hours one time. Pity the pre 1911 individual household forms were destroyed as they may have contained notes which was not added to the enumerators book. Then again they probably read the instructions and what the enumerator put into the book was pretty much what was said in the original individual household forms. We have to be grateful that the enumerators sheets were kept.

[hanes teulu]

I'm with the enumerators and the job they did with so much against them, particularly the '41 Census. 
They were unlikely to get rich -
"The persons employed in taking the new census are to e paid in proportion to the number of houses or persons in the districts assigned to them; from 10s for every district containing less than 50 inhabited houses or 30 persons, up to £1 1s for every district containing from 150 to 160 inhabited houses or 900 to 960 persons enumerated, with an increasing rate of 1s for every 10 additional houses or 60 additional persons."

"THE CENSUS - a bill to provide for the better remuneration of the enumerators, to lessen their work, and to alter the day of taking to the 7th of June, was introduced into the House of Commons and read a first time on Friday, and a second reading ordered for Monday".
I think (1) an additional payment of 5s and (2) other than the enumerator could deliver the forms pre Census was proposed.

[Bookbox]

Contributors to this thread might be interested in a 9-minute video on 'Setting the Record Straight', Episode 13.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7bkoe4bVhI

[coombs]

I think "not born in county", while it meant born outside of county of residence, it will be anywhere in England or Wales. I assumed it was just England. So the ancestor "not born in county" may have been from Wales if they died before the 1851 census or you do not have other evidence of their birthplace.

[hanes teulu]

Contributors to this thread might be interested in a 9-minute video on 'Setting the Record Straight', Episode 13.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7bkoe4bVhI

Bookbox - thanks for posting. A 9 mins well spent.

[coombs]

Also thanks for the link Bookbox. I wish I could spend a day with Dave and we would have a great day discussing genealogy, and have a bit of a booze up that evening. 

[Nanna52]

Then you have the transcription errors.  In the 1901 census I have a great aunt and three cousins transcribed as coming from Cork, Ireland, not the county of Cornwall which is clearly written by the enumerator.  Is there a Redruth in Ireland?