Find your ancestors in Ireland Census 1851

1851 Census

The 1851 census was taken on 30 March 1851 and filled out by the householders themselves. It survives for parts of County Antrim

The 1851 recorded the following information about each household member:

• Name
• Age
• Occupation
• Relationship to head of household
• Date of marriage(s)
• Ability to read/write
• Religion
• Townland
• Parish
• Barony

The 1851 census also recorded:

• Family members living elsewhere including location
• Visitors to the house at the time of the census including where they were from
• Deceased family members (since 1841) including cause of death

Absent family members and visitors are both often shown in the transcript as having a different place of residence. Do make sure you check the image where more information can frequently be found. This can give a fascinating insight into people’s movements for work.

The 1851 Census was also used to determine age when the old age pension was introduced in 1909.