Taken from www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/famhist/genealgy/census.htm - 17k -

Some study has been done on identifying the census enumerators as they were obviously key players- the Census Office had a clear picture of what constituted a suitable candidate:

The enumerator, in order to fulfil his duties properly, must be
a person of intelligence and activity; he must read and write well, and have some Knowledge of arithmetic: he must not be infirm or of such weak health as may render him unable to undergo the requisite exertion: he should not be younger than eighteen years of age, nor older than sixty-five: he must be temperate, orderly and respectable, and be such a person as is likely to conduct himself with strict propriety, and to deserve the good-will of the inhabitants of his district. He should also I be well acquainted with the district in which he will be required to act and it will be an additional recommendation if, his occupations have been in any degree of similar kind.
taken from Mills and Schurer

Whilst from Scotlands People www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?r=554&1262 - 17k -

"Census enumerators were usually schoolmasters, who were deemed best equipped for the task".

From British-Genealogy.com www.british-genealogy.com/resources/census/index.htm - 17k

"It is a common myth that a census enumerator knocked on doors and asked who was present, and then wrote down the details, often mis-hearing, or mis-spelling. No. Sure, there may have been isolated examples of that having been done, but this is very rare!

During the week following census night, the enumerator visited all of the houses, and collected the forms. (The Schedules), and then he collated them, and then wrote them up into his enumerator's book, in schedule number order. The enumerator may have found it difficult to interpret the handwriting on the schedule, and he may have mis-transcribed some details".

From Central Statistics Office Ireland 2006 Census www.cso.ie/census/main_duties_enum.htm - 25k

Enumerators are responsible for the delivery and collection of the census forms in local areas. They will be employed for a period of 8-10 weeks between March-May 2006 on a part-time basis. The work will be conducted mainly in the evenings and weekends. The work involves direct contact with the public. It requires tact, consideration and patience to win the confidence and co-operation of householders. The work may require a considerable amount of walking and/or climbing of stairs. The area assigned to each Enumerator is known as an EA (Enumeration Area). It will usually comprise about 350 households.

I hve no idea how they were recruited in the past. In more recent times, enumerators are recruited through local authority staff offering to do the work but on a seperate contract. A friend of mine took part in the 1991 and 2001 Census and in the last one she was a superviser. The work can be quite difficult; going to areas where there may be hostility or trying to seek out and persuade rough sleepers to take part.

Best wishes

Jerry

Census background

The census returns for 1841 were the first to be kept and, as far as the general public is concerned, the information is released by the Public Record Office after a hundred years. For example, the public were given access to the 1891 census returns on 1 January 1992.

The country was sub divided in to districts etc and small areas that the Enumerator could cover in a day, on foot I suspect.

The census was usually taken at the end of March/ beginning of April. Enumeration forms were distributed to all households a couple of days before census night and the complete forms were collected the next day. The 'Enumerators' also wrote down the details for the illiterate and tried to check that the entries were correct.

Unfortunately the Victorian censuses were undertaken at a time when up to half the adult population were illiterate or semi-illiterate. Many householders would, therefore, have found it difficult to read and interpret the instructions, and this would have led them to give inaccurate and incomplete information. moreover, it seems likely that, because of poor spelling and poor presentation, enumerators would have found it difficult to read some of their census schedules. This, in turn, would have led to transcription errors in the Census Enumerators Books (CEB's)

All responses were to reflect the individual's status as that night. People who were travelling or living abroad were enumerated at the location where they spent the night on census night. Other special "groups" of people included the inmates of institutions, the crews of vessels afloat, the army, itinerants and travellers, and night workers.

All of the details from the individual forms were later sorted and copied into CEBs, which are are the records that survive, these have been filmed, and are available on various CD's and via Ancestry.

So what about the Enumerators ?

Its clear then that the Enumerator skills needed would include being able to read and write, able bodied and I suspect possess common sense and a degree of diplomacy. Schoolmasters, Public officials, Clergy would be obvious candidates.

I think that the early Enumerators were employed by the Overseers of the Poor - so being known or connected with what was local government would, I suspect, help

Just as today there must have been great suspicion of "the Government" gathering information - what was it going to do with it - raise taxes, relocate people ??

This also was an age without computers and instant access to databases etc, so it was easy to move a short distance and change your identity in an attempt to purge your past - be it crime or in some cases a spouse (!)

100 + years on this just adds to the fun of tracking back our ancestors.

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>