The 1921 UK Census is Available Pay-Per-View
The 2021 UK Census is available now on FindMyPast! But there is one pretty big catch. The census is not included in any of their membership plans and will only be available pay-per-view.
You can search the census for free (meaning it will say whether or not they have a record matching your search terms), however, you can’t view the image or the transcript without forking over some cash. It will cost $3.50 to view the transcript and $4.90 to view the image. If you have a FMP Ultimate membership, discounts are available.1 This may be odd for those used to viewing census information from the comfort of our own homes without paying any extra.
Digitizing the 1921 Census was an expensive endeavor, and it makes sense why they would want to charge. But don’t worry, I don’t expect the pay-per-view to last forever. FindMyPast’s exclusivity duration is for “up to three years.”2 The vagueness of their exclusivity length causes me to think they are planning on selling their rights to other major genealogical websites before that time, but that’s just speculation. Perhaps when that happens they will stop charging to view the transcripts and images. At the latest, I suspect that when FindMyPast’s exclusivity agreement expires, other companies will offer it, and likely free of charge.
What is on the census?
The census contains the following:
- Address
- Names of persons in each household
- Relationship to head of household
- (Unfortunately, relatives who are visiting are listed as “visitor” rather than their relation)
- Age (years and months)
- Sex
- Marriage or Orphanhood
- For those over 15: Single, married, widowed, or divorced
- For those under 15: living status of parents
- Place of birth
- Occupation and Employment
- Number of children or stepchildren under the age of 16
- Filled out by married men, widowers, and widows3 (I guess children of divorced parents weren’t counted in this column)
The last census for a while
We’ve been spoiled with a new census being released every ten years. But the 1931 census was burned in a fire in 1942.4 And there was no census in 1941 due to the war. The 1939 register was created to issue identity cards during the war and can be used as a census substitute.5 Those 1939 register records have already been released. However, the records are redacted for living people as well as some deceased people (such as they died after the redaction occurred, no death records could be verified, etc). The next census to be released will be the 1951 census, which won’t be available for 30 more years!
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“How Much Will the Census Cost?”, FindMyPast (www.findmypast.com: accessed 5 Jan 2022). ↩
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“Is the 1921 Census Available Anywhere Else Online?”, FindMyPast (www.findmypast.com: accessed 5 Jan 2022). ↩
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“What information does the 1921 Census contain?”, FindMyPast (www.findmypast.com: accessed 5 Jan 2022). ↩
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“1931 Census,” UK Internet Services LTD, (www.familyhistory.co.uk: accessed 5 Jan 2022). ↩
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“1939 Register,” The National Archives, (www.nationalarchives.co.uk: accessed 5 Jan 2022). ↩
About
Karen Kowallis, MEd, AG® is an Accredited Genealogist® with a passion for learning, teaching, and researching.
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