Pre 1841 Norfolk Censuses and other Name Lists

Censuses have been taken down the ages for many reasons, although many have been for taxation or military purposes and one should look under these and other similar topics. They started with the Domesday Book which only gives us a few names followed by others which at least give names of able bodied men, or heads of households. It should be noted that the majority of the names in the early ones are males.

The chronological list which follows will increase as information is located. When the national headcount was done on 10/Mar/1801, 27/May/1811, 28/May/1821 and 30/May/1831 (although not all had these exact dates) some villages produced more information (including names) and that which is known to survive is indicated. These items can mostly be found in the Norfolk Record Office. Please note that some of the items in the list are not true full national population censuses, but alternatives (mainly sub-sets of the population) to try and help fill the gaps. For example "Voting Lists" might help locate a person from 1700 onwards. Remember that people after appearing in some lists eg. Muster Rolls, found themselves taxed and so disappeared in others, not unlike the Poll and Council taxes.

Some namelists were produced for military purposes and these are fully listed under Norfolk Military Records.

1086
- Domesday Book for Norfolk
  [Phillimore & Co. Ltd.: Vols I,II, 1984, ISBN 0850334780(case) & 0850334799(limp)]
1200+
- Manor Court Rolls
c.1600
- Ashwellthorpe, Fundenhall, Hapton and Wreningham - Heads of households and population.
1600+
- Hearth Taxes
  [Norfolk and Norwich Genealogical Society: Vol.15 Norwich Archdeaconry Hearth Tax. Mich. 1664]
  [Norfolk and Norwich Genealogical Society: Vol.20 Norfolk & Norwich Hearth Tax Assessment 1666 Lady Day. Occupiers and number of hearths from 300 parishes. Indexed.]
1700+
- Poll books - Voters in County elections - transcriptions 1714, 1734, 1768 (inc. occupiers) etc.
- City of Norwich (1710+) and Boroughs - Kings Lynn (1747+) and Great Yarmouth (1754+).
1801 - 1831
- National head counts were done every 10 years from 1801 to 1831. Books and forms were produced by Goverment and printers to make this counting easy. The few which survived in the "Parish Chest" with other documents are listed below in the "Population Statistics" section and normally just contain numbers although some also have the enumerators name. Note that these figures for every parish in the county were published by the Government and are available in some libraries.
- Other census taken between the years 1801 to 1840 (and beyond) have been included where a date is indicated.
- In 1831 the Government issued printed forms called Formula No 1 and Formula No 2. Examples of these can be seen under Forncett St Peter below.
- Clergymens Returns (National Archives ref HO71) give numbers (but no names) of births, marriages and deaths for a parish in 1831 and some previous years. See Brisley for an example of the 1821 returns which cover the years 1811 to 1820.

Censuses containing names

Place	Up to 1800	1801 to 1810	1811 to 1820	1821 to 1830	1831 to 1840	Notes & Post 1840 Local Census
Alderford					1831
Aylsham				1821
Baconsthorpe	1768	1801	1811	1821
Beeston (with Bittering)		1801
Bircham, Great			1811
Blakeney	1770
Bodham	1768			1821
Bradfield				1821
Buckenham, New		1803
Buckenham, Old			1811	1821
Bunwell	1777
Burston						1846
Carleton Rode	1777
Coston					1831
Diss				1821
Dunston				1821
Felbrigg	1788
Haddiscoe				1821	1831
Harling, West				1821
Heacham						1842
Hethersett		1801
Houghton next Harpley				1829	1832/4	Note 3
Illington		1801
Ingworth		1801
Langham				1822
Northwold	1787
Norwich - St. John de Sepulchre					1831
Norwich - St. Peter Southgate					1831
Ovington				1821	1831
Rackheath			1811 1815	1821
Reepham with Kerdiston			1811
Repps, South	1800
Sedgeford				1829
Shotesham All Saints	1736/7/9 1764
Shotesham St Mary	1736/7/9 1763
Shotesham St Martin	1763
Sparham				1821
Starston		1801
Tacolneston					1839
Thorpe St Andrew (or Episcopi) (inc. Thorpe Hamlet)		1801
Tuddenham, East		1810
Tuttington				1821
Wacton			1811
Walsham, North	1704		1811	1821
Wells - next - the - Sea	1793
Weston Longville		1801
Winfarthing		1801	1811	1821
Woodton		1801
Wormegay				1821
Yarmouth, Great (Middle Ward only)		1803

Population Statistics - Numbers of males/females/families etc.

These contain mostly numbers and an enumerators name. "Y"=online.

Place	1801	1811	1821	1831
Alby		Y
Ashill				Y
Attlebridge				Y
Baconsthorpe				Y
Bale				Y
Barsham, East	Y		Y
Beckham, West				Y
Bilney, East				Y
Bodney				Y
Bracon Ash				Y
Bradenham, East				Y
Brisley			Y
Brumstead			Y	Y
Burgh next Aylsham				Y
Burnham Westgate			Y
Cantley	Y	Y	Y
Carbrooke				Y
Colkirk				Y
Dersingham			Y
Dunston		Y
Elmham, North				Y
Fincham	Y	Y	Y	Y
Forncett St. Peter				Y
Foulsham				Y
Foxley	Y	Y	Y	Y
Gissing				Y
Heacham				Y
Hindolveston				Y
Holt				Y
Horstead	Y	Y
Hunstanton				Y
Ickburgh				Y
Illington			Y
Kempston			Y
Kimberley				Y
Kirby Bedon			Y
Langford				Y

Place	Up to 1800	1801	1811	1821	1831
Langham				Y	Y
Letheringsett		Y	Y	Y
Mattishall	1759 1775 1790	Y	Y
Newton, West					Y
Reedham			Y		Y
Reepham with Kerdiston	1651	Y	Y	Y	Y
Ridlington					Y
Rockland All Saints				Y
Roydon (near Diss)				Y	Y
Salle					Y
Scarning		Y	Y	Y
Shelton					Y
Shipdham					Y
Sporle-with-Palgrave		Y
Stockton					Y
Stokesby with Herringby			Y
Stratton Strawless					Y
Tharston		Y		Y	Y
Thetford St Mary					Y
Thorpe St Andrew (or Episcopi) (inc. Thorpe Hamlet)			Y	Y
Tofts, West					Y
Tuttington					Y
Wacton		Y
Weasenham All Saints & St Peters				Y	Y
West Acre			Y	Y
Winch, East				Y
Wormegay					Y
Wroxham					Y
Wymondham	1747		Y	Y

The following parishes exist for the years stated but have not been transcribed :-
1821 - Sculthorpe
1831 - Guestwick
1831 - Norwich - St. Clement, St. George Colegate, St. John de Sepulchre and St. Peter Parmentergate

Books

Chapman, Colin. R.: Pre 1841 Censuses and Population Listings in the British Isles
[Genealogical Publishing Company,5th ed., 1999, ISBN 0 806316136]

Notes

1. Indexes of names are provided with many of the online transcripts.
2. More "Population Statistics" are to be found in some of the Towns and Parishes pages.
3. Transcript in Norfolk Family History Society Library
4. Pre-1841 Census which are in the Norfolk Record Office collections but are not in Norfolk have not been transcribed. This covers part of NE Suffolk and includes :-
- 1811 - Lowestoft - St Margaret (PD 589/92)
- 1831 - Rushmere (PD 116/7) [5 miles South West of Lowestoft in Mutford Hundred]

Link back to main Census page

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