1911 Scotland Census

Date: 2 Apr 1911 to 2 Apr 1911
Location: Scotland

Scotland Project

Contents 1 1911 Scotland Census 1.1 Changes from the 1901 Census 1.2 Resources 1.3 Scotland Census Years

1911 Scotland Census

The 1911 Census for Scotland was taken on Sunday, 2 April 1911.

A mechanical system of punch card tabulation was used for the first time. The Census Office in Edinburgh hired Hollerith machines which had been used successfully in the United States of America for their 1890 census. This speeded up processing and allowed for the publication of more detailed tables.

Changes from the 1901 Census

There were new questions relating to fertility of marriage: on duration of marriage; the number of living children born to each marriage; and the number alive at the time of the census.

There were changes to several other entries:

• categories for people with disabilities were revised and the introductory section to the third report on the 1911 census refers to the intended use of the terms as:
• lunatic - in cases where the infirmity had been acquired during life
• imbecile - in extreme cases where the infirmity had existed from birth or an early age
• feeble-minded - in milder cases where the infirmity had existed from birth or an early age.
• the question on occupation was extended to find out which industries or services a worker was connected to in addition to their personal profession or occupation
• the question on place of birth was extended to include nationality for those born in a foreign country, that is, outwith British territory, colonies and dependencies.

With the additional columns, the entries now spanned two pages in the enumeration book.

The following information was requested:

• Registration District-Civil parish, Parish ward, Ecclesiastical parish, Quoad Sacra parish, School Board District, Parliamentary Burgh, Municipal Burgh or Police Burgh ( and each ward of any Burg so divided), Parliamentary Constituency, Special Water, Drainage, Lighting or Scavenging District, as well as every inhabited island.
• Road, Street, Number or name of house.
• Houses, Inhabited, uninhabited or building
• Rooms with one or more windows
• Name and Surname of each person that had spent the night in that household
• Relation to head of family
• Marital Status (for all persons over 15 years of age), duration, number of children born to each marriage and the number alive at time of census
• Age at last birthday
• Sex (indicated by which column the age is recorded in)
• Whether Gaelic or G & E (only for ages 3 and up)
• Particulars as to Marriage
  • Single, Married, Widower or Widow
  • Married Women
  • Duration of Marriage
• Children born alive
• Children still living
• Profession or occupation
• Personal Occupation
• Industry or Services with which a worker is connected
• Whether an employer, worker, or on own account
• If Working at Home
• Birthplace
• Nationality if born in foreign Country
• Whether
  • Totally Deaf or Deaf and Dumb
  • Totally Blind
  • Lunatic
  • Imbecile or Feeble-minded

The population of Scotland on 2 April 1911 was 4,760,904

Resources

• 1911 Census National Records of Scotland
• Census Returns ScotlandsPeople

Scotland Census Years

• 1841
• 1851
• 1861
• 1871
• 1881
• 1891
• 1901
• 1911
• 1921