01 January 2025
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Ancestry has announced that the 1921 Census of England Wales is now available on its platform, giving subscribers to the popular website the chance to search through the records and explore the lives of almost 38 million people who were living in England and Wales at the time.
In addition to the existing 60 billion records available on Ancestry, the 1921 Census offers a snapshot into what life was like for almost 38 million people who were living in England and Wales, and is the last census from the first half of the 20th century available to family historians as the 1931 Census was taken but destroyed in WWII.
- Watch our interview with Ancestry's Simon Pearce
- Discover insights into our ancestors' occupations
- Customers can access the records from the 7 January 2025 at www.ancestry.co.uk
- You can read more about the 1921 Census in our in-depth guide
- The 1921 Census was first made available in 2022 on the FindMyPast website
Simon Pearce, Family History Expert at Ancestry, said:
"The 1921 Census of England and Wales provides us with a fascinating insight into the lives of our ancestors in the years after WWI. We hope the addition of this collection to the Ancestry platform will help users discover rich details about the lives of their ancestors at the time of the census, including where they were living, where they were born, and their line of work. It's exciting to think where these clues could take you and what you might learn along the way.”
Interview with Ancestry's Simon Pearce
Family Tree recently spoke to Simon to find out more about the 1921 Census:
Insights into our ancestors' occupations
The records offer a fascinating look into the occupations and trades of Brits in 1921, giving an insight into the job opportunities of the past alongside the particularly limited scope for women to thrive.
| Rank | Men: job type | Women: job type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Labourer | Domestic Servant |
| 2 | Farmer | Textiles |
| 3 | Coal Mining | Shop Assistant |
| 4 | Clerk | Clerk |
| 5 | Gardener | Cook |
The role of domestic servant tops the list as the most common occupation for women in 1921.
This typically involved cleaning out fireplaces, fetching coal, re-lighting fires and taking hot water to the bedrooms, and is followed by occupations in textiles and working as a shop assistant. Fast forward more than 100 years, and women are taking prominent roles within the health and social sectors (for example; medical research, medicine, social work).
In contrast, the prevailing role of men in 1921 was being a labourer (such as a manual labour on a farm or in a coal mine); highlighting the different opportunities in the job market available to our ancestors compared to now. Today, the range of career options is far more varied and the most common roles for men include the wholesale and retail industry, or working as a mechanic.
Data on occupations is just one of the many details available in the 1921 Census; the new collection also allows users to view the handwriting of heads of households.
1921 was also the first census to include ‘Divorced’ as a recognised marital status.
Family historians who have not registered on Ancestry before can take a two-week trial membership, completely free.
To celebrate the new records, Ancestry's Family History Memberships are being offered with a 50% discount from 1 to 12 January 2025. Visit Ancestry.co.uk for more information.
