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  • 1939 register

    Fmp is digitising the 1939 register of Britain. It's important because in 1920 a privacy law was passed closing census records for 100 years. I had seen somewhere that the 1921 census was water damaged, and the 1931 census of england and wales was destroyed in 1945 by a fire.

  • #2
    Oh no - I'm now desperately hoping that the bits I need of the 1921 census are still intact



    Researching Irish families: FARMER, McBRIDE McQUADE, McQUAID, KIRK, SANDS/SANAHAN (Cork), BARR,

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    • #3
      I hadn't heard that the 1921 was water damaged.

      Mind you, they have said that about every census so far. I remember reading an article years ago which said that up to 60% of the 1911 was damaged beyond repair....someone had actually seen piles of waterlogged documents. Turned out not to be true. (well, certainly not 60%).

      OC

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      • #4
        Originally posted by kylejustin View Post
        Fmp is digitising the 1939 register of Britain. It's important because in 1920 a privacy law was passed closing census records for 100 years. I had seen somewhere that the 1921 census was water damaged, and the 1931 census of england and wales was destroyed in 1945 by a fire.
        This will very much depend where your ancestors were living in 1939. If they were living in the country then the results will most probably be fine but if living in a city like London/Birmingham/Liverpool/Plynouth/Coventry and many other cities then the 1939 register may well only reflect where those people lived for that one year. So many people in the cities were displaced by bombing, that it may not be as good for many people as they think. I am looking forward to it because I am unsure where I was living in Plymouth in 1939, but by 1941 the family was scattered over a couple of counties, and never returned to the old Plymouth address, but to a new area of Plymouth which did not exist before the war. This happened to millions of people over the country.

        As I understand, the 1921 Census was not damaged, and not as much of the 1931 Census was destroyed as has been thought.

        Janet
        Last edited by Janet; 11-07-15, 13:27.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by JBee View Post
          Oh no - I'm now desperately hoping that the bits I need of the 1921 census are still intact
          Snap- Granddad was born that year but then again if it's April like the others seem to be he wouldn't have been on it with an August birth.
          Lennon. Phillips. Thomas. Peacock. Tubridy. Burton.

          I am the girl from that town & I'm darn proud of it.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by kylejustin View Post
            Fmp is digitising the 1939 register of Britain. It's important because in 1920 a privacy law was passed closing census records for 100 years. I had seen somewhere that the 1921 census was water damaged, and the 1931 census of england and wales was destroyed in 1945 by a fire.
            Sorry but your claim that a privacy law in 1920 closed census records for 100 years is wrong.
            I assume you are referring to the Census Act 1920.
            There is no mention of 100 years or any other timescale anywhere on the Census Act, 1920.

            Section 8 does prevent revealing information without lawful authority but in 1920 the Registrar general had the lawful authority to release census information if he so wished.

            Census Act 1920, Section 8
            “(2) If any person-
            (a) being a person employed in taking a census, without lawful authority publishes or communicates to any person otherwise than in the ordinary course of such employment any information acquired by him in the course of his employment ; or
            (b) having possession of any information which to his knowledge has been disclosed in contravention of this Act, publishes or communicates that information to any other person ;
            he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment with or without hard labour for a term not exceeding two years or to a fine, or to both such imprisonment and fine.”

            A later Act the Census (Confidentiality) Act 1991 (c.6) removed the ability of the Registrar General from releasing information other than the statistical data from any census taken under the Census Act 1920.
            Again no timescale was placed on this prohibition and it will require a change of law to allow any future releases of census.

            People are very confused about the 100 year rule this was introduced by The Lord Chancellor's Instrument No. 12 of 1966 established the 100-year embargo rule, that SI was repealed in 2000 by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

            You can read about the fire that destroyed the 1931 census for England & Wales and also a little about the damage to the 1921 census here
            http://tinyurl.com/k24qp9m

            It should also be noted that it was not until 1981 that any census carried a reassurance the census would not be released for 100 years and that was an unlawful reassurance for which the Registrar General at the time had to apologise to the House of Commons.

            Cheers
            Guy

            PS the complete 1931 Census for England & Wales was destroyed in the fire of December 1942
            Last edited by Guy; 11-07-15, 14:50.
            Guy passed away October 2022

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            • #7
              That's interesting Guy because I had a nagging feeling that I had read somewhere that some of the of the 1931 Census had been saved, but cannot now find what I thought I had read a few years back, except that I did find that the Scottish 1931 Census was not destroyed as it had been stored in Edinburgh, so maybe that is what I had read. At least that will be good news for those with Scottish ancestors!

              Janet

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              • #8
                Does anyone have any idea when this is going to be released, I'm very excited for this :

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                • #9
                  Looking forward to lots of 'wasted' time, just browsing and hopefully finding interesting information ..... but when?!

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                  • #10
                    Always useful to keep an eye on our Genealogy News board - we take the RSS feeds from FMP (amongst others) e.g. this one:



                    (Remember you need to click on the word More in those threads, not the full link).
                    Caroline
                    Caroline's Family History Pages
                    Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

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                    • #11
                      Thanks Caroline

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by lennon2011 View Post
                        Snap- Granddad was born that year but then again if it's April like the others seem to be he wouldn't have been on it with an August birth.
                        It was taken on 29 September 1939 so you'll be in luck!
                        Margaret

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