Red 0 on 1911 census

[Suzy100]

Could someone please tell me what the zero means next to the statement that the person is "Totally Blind"  Does it mean that he isn't??

[Marmalady]

It will be an enumerators / statisticians code of some sort

For the  censuses where you get an scan of the actual form filled in by the householder rather than a scan of the enumerators copy book you will see all sorts of annotations in various colours of ink --done by the enumerator as he copied them onto his master form or by the statisticians analysing various data (which is the purpose of the census  -- to collect data  on the population to help formulate Government policies)

If it was an actual correction to the information given, the statement of him being blind would be crossed out and possibly something else written in.

[Suzy100]

Thank you.

[AlanBoyd]

According to this site

https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/census/EW1911GEN/9

in 1911 the age at which the affliction dated from was to be included. Perhaps this has been added to denote ‘from birth’?

[Suzy100]

According to this site

https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/census/EW1911GEN/9

in 1911 the age at which the affliction dated from was to be included. Perhaps this has been added to denote ‘from birth’?

Well he was not blind on the other census's or on his birth certificate.  So not too sure about that.  I have looked back on them but nothing.

[AlanBoyd]

That’s the beauty of a true hypothesis: it was testable, and now it has been rejected.

My fallback hypothesis is that the zero denotes an entry where age information is missing, but that’s more difficult to test, unfortunately.

[Spelk]

The reason for the "O" might be resolved by gathering more data.
Look at pages before and after this one and take notes of any other marks in red ink - what the marks are and what is unusual about the entry where they are. While doing that also make note of all other people who are Blind Deaf Idiot Lunatic etc. and what if any marks in red are alongside them.
A pattern may start to emerge.
Or you could just get on with more fun things.

[Marmalady]

Well he was not blind on the other census's or on his birth certificate.  So not too sure about that.  I have looked back on them but nothing.

It would not be on his birth certificate anyway --  BCs do not have any mention of disabilities

[Suzy100]

Well I don't think he was blind before as he attacked his lodger with a bucket when he came home drunk and got sent to prison for a month.