I wonder what we missed out on

[Pam Downes]

. . . . in earlier censuses by not being able to see the original household schedules? I remember (some years ago) listening to Meryl Catty and Audrey Gillett pretending to be an enumerator in the 1851 census and revealing some of the weirder entries found.

As a subscriber I get newsletters from FMP, and I've found one from June 2016 which talks about the census. One of the articles is headed "7 Surprising Finds in the 1911 Census" and talks about some of the stranger entries our ancestors wrote on the household schedules. Fortunately none of the names mentioned appear in my family tree. https://
blog.findmypast.co.uk/surprising-finds-in-the-1911-census-1521315365.html?utm_source=fmp&utm_medium=email&ut m_content=982884-A-13-C&utm_campaign=news&utm_term=FMP-CAM-Newsletter-15616-12-UK

Pam

[almach]

I enjoyed reading the census returns, and have to admit I (sort of) admired those who filled them out, in particular the sufragettes. I have never been into women's lib, but without the sufragettes perhaps women still wouldn't have a vote!

Though I sympathise with the head of household who wrote - 'Unfortunately, my wife being a suffragette put her pen through her name,' he writes. 'A silly suffragette to defeat the object of the census, to which as head of the household I object' - he was obviously a conformer, but just once he could have ignored authority to support his wife

Years ago an aunt, a war widow, had an application form to fill out to claim financial help for her daughter's university studies. The amount of questions and intrusiveness irritated, I remember her answering one question with 'your guess is as good as mine'.

It's a good read, Pam, and gave me a giggle. Thank you.