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  • Who is right?

    Hi

    Im just looking at some census info and in my WDYTYA mag it says anyone under 14 had their ages rounded down to the nearest 5 years, whereas on Ancestry it say anyone over 15. Which is right? I thought it was over 15 years got their ages rounded?

    many thanks
    Robyne


    Name interests: Alderton, Osborne, Danslow, Hanley, Bowkett, Lakin, Elliott, Banner, Walters, Reed, Deighton, Sleight, Dungar ;)

  • #2
    Children had their ages exact, and 15 onwards were rounded down to the next 5 below, so 15-19 showed as 15, 20-24 as 20 and so on.

    Sounds like WDYTYA have got their twickers in a knist. ;)

    Christine

    PS - It's also clear that some enumerators decided it was easier not to bother with the rounding and just put in the age they'd been told.
    Researching: BENNETT (Leics/Birmingham-ish) - incl. Leonard BENNETT in Detroit & Florida ; WARR/WOR, STRATFORD & GARDNER/GARNAR (Oxon); CHRISTMAS, RUSSELL, PAFOOT/PAFFORD (Hants); BIGWOOD, HAYLER/HAILOR (Sussex); LANCASTER (Beds, Berks, Wilts) - plus - COCKS (Spitalfields, Liverpool, Plymouth); RUSE/ROWSE, TREMEER, WADLIN(G)/WADLETON (Devonport, E Cornwall); GOULD (S Devon); CHAPMAN, HALL/HOLE, HORN (N Devon); BARRON, SCANTLEBURY (Mevagissey)...

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    • #3
      This is taken from a page of the census itself

      Write the age of every person under 15 years of age as it is stated to you. For persons aged 15 years and upwards, write the lowest of the term of 5 years within which the age is.
      Thus – For persons aged 15 years and under 20 write 15
      20 years and under 25 write 20
      25 years and under 30 write 25
      30 years and under 35 write 30
      and so on up to the greatest ages.
      If no more can be ascertained respecting the age of any person than that the person is a child or is grown up, write “under 20” or “above 20” as the case may be.

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      • #4
        And of course some enumerators ignored the instructions and put exact ages for everyone.
        Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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        • #5
          And some complete idiots opined "not known" for age, grrrr.

          OC

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          • #6
            and some did bizarre things like add 20 years to everyone;s age!
            ~ with love from Little Nell~
            Chowns, Dunt, Emms, Mealing, Purvey & Smoothy

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            • #7
              And some other idiots didn't get it at all. I have a family with three children aged 15 in 1841. One of them was only about 7.
              Asa

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              • #8
                And some people were so pleased to find themselves younger, that they continued to knock a couple of years off their age at every census ;)

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Jewels View Post
                  This is taken from a page of the census itself

                  Write the age of every person under 15 years of age as it is stated to you. For persons aged 15 years and upwards, write the lowest of the term of 5 years within which the age is.
                  Thus – For persons aged 15 years and under 20 write 15
                  20 years and under 25 write 20
                  25 years and under 30 write 25
                  30 years and under 35 write 30
                  and so on up to the greatest ages.
                  If no more can be ascertained respecting the age of any person than that the person is a child or is grown up, write “under 20” or “above 20” as the case may be.
                  What was the reason for doing this?

                  Geraldine

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Geraldine View Post
                    What was the reason for doing this?

                    Geraldine
                    To confuse us when we came looking :D
                    Daphne

                    Looking for Northey, Goodfellow, Jobes, Heal, Lilburn, Curry, Gay, Carpenter, Johns, Harris, Vigus from Cornwall, Somerset, Durham, Northumberland, Cumberland, USA, Australia.

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                    • #11
                      Was this instruction given for all censuses ?
                      Simon

                      "You've got to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky ? " (Dirty Harry) - Be lucky; the facts are out there somewhere

                      http://www.thebirdtree.co.uk

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                      • #12
                        No, only for the 1841. They quickly realised it took just as much trouble to fiddle about rounding ages as it did to write the actual age.

                        OC

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                        • #13
                          I suppose they were breaking us in gently for all the information they want off us nowadays - if they continue with it in future.
                          The rounding was only in the 1841 census. From 1851 it was supposed to be exact ages.

                          Before this (1801 - 1831) the only info given was
                          Number of Inhabited and Uninhabited buildings.
                          Number of Families.
                          Number of people and their Employment.
                          Number of Baptisms/Marriages/Burials.

                          Most of this information has been lost or destroyed.

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