This image is a reduced quality image for the web in JPG format. The original scanned image is a TIFF image which is larger and of much higher quality.

The handwriting on the page is a mixture of faded ink and pencil. The paper is browned and foxed. The vertical grey lines are the watermark in the paper!

But this is an example of what could be done if the original census enumerator's books were scanned using a modern state of the art scanner. Most of the 1841 to 1901 original books held at the National Archives are in much better condition than this very old one of 1821.

Click to enlarge the image...