The so-called population controversy sparked much-heated debate in the British Isles during the latter half of the eighteenth century. Was the population rising or falling? Could the nation feed itself? As the century drew to a close, the discussion was intensified by poor harvests, unusual storms, and the appearance in 1798 of An Essay on the Principle of Population by the Reverend Thomas Malthus.

Poor harvests came and went in Britain during the late 1700s¹ and across the Irish Sea it was no different. Several seasons of crop failure and famine in Ireland, notably in 1728, 1739-40, and 1756² resulted in a new look at the population. Malthus caught the attention of the public and authority figures in analyzing whether the supply of food could keep pace with the ever-increasing population. To some, his essay translated into the simplistic issue of whether or not poor relief was in the best interest of the nation.³ The growing concerns over food supply and bad harvests were enough to overcome any opposition to a national census.

The First Irish Census
While Britain's first enumeration was in 1801 and conducted every ten years thereafter, the first Irish census wasn't until 1813. Ireland then followed suit, with a census every ten years. Unfortunately, the Irish census return for 1813 is regarded as both careless and incomplete⁴—six counties and two towns were never even enumerated.

The blame was placed on the shortcomings of the process of data collection, but others believe it may have been caused by the lack of cooperation among the grand juries who were assigned responsibility, or by the inadequacies of the chosen enumerators. Certainly, the officials who organized the census return in 1821 knew what the problem was—there were no overseers of the poor in Ireland, and only a few parish schoolmasters were available to help with the enumeration. Historically, parish overseers in England and Wales, and schoolmasters in Scotland, gathered the early returns. Officials concluded that it was impossible in 1813 to find enumerators of reasonable intelligence and sufficient local knowledge, including familiarity with the many small administrative divisions known as townlands, to carry out a thorough enumeration. ⁵

When the second enumeration was carried out in May and June of 1821, officials were confident, perhaps even smug, of the thoroughness of their efforts (as implied by their disparaging remarks about the enumerators of the first census). The enumerators were to be vested by the Bench of Magistrates with preference to those who collected local taxes—it was believed that these individuals knew their communities. Enumerators were instructed to proceed from house to house, day by day, until they had gathered the required information. Today, assessment of the 1821 census varies. It has been described as both "flawed"⁶ and "perhaps the single most disastrous loss in the 1922 burning of the Four Courts." ⁷

Fire in the Four Courts
The Four Courts building in Dublin housed the public records of Ireland. But in June of 1922 it was the scene of a battle between Free State forces and Republican Irregulars who had made the Four Courts their headquarters. The Free State bombardment set the building on fire midday on 30 June, and shortly thereafter a land mine exploded, fire spread, and the conflagration destroyed the building. Documents were found in the River Liffey, three miles away.⁸

The flames consumed the original returns of the 1831 census. Records that can now be consulted come from the retrospectively amended records (1834) which incorporate a column for religious affiliation. One way or another, a number of early census records have survived. Best represented among the fragments are the counties of Cavan (1821), Galway (1821), Offaly/King's (1821), Londonderry (1831), and Meath (1821). Details appear in a variety of publications. ⁹

These returns have been microfilmed and are in the collections of the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. For anyone interested in the descriptions written by the officials of the Public Record Office, refer to Irish and Scotch-Irish Ancestral Research (Falley, 1962) which quotes liberally from the Deputy Keepers reports, primarily the 55th, 57th, and 58th, that were published after the 1922 fire.

In 1841, following the pattern of the rest of the United Kingdom, Irish returns were left with each household to be completed on June 6th; distribution and collection was overseen by the Irish Constabulary. ¹⁰ But there were differences among national censuses. Irish returns required much more information than the form used in England, Scotland, and Wales. The census asked for name, age, occupation, marital status and year of marriage, county of origin, and relationship to the head of the household. In addition, the form recorded whether individuals could read or write, details of those absent, and details of those deceased since 1831 including relationship, occupation, and year of death and cause.

As with the early returns, a limited number of 1841 through 1891 records have avoided destruction. The 1841 and 1851 returns were lost in the 1922 fire, and the 1861 through 1891 returns were destroyed by government order. From the 1841 census, only the returns for Killeshandra in County Cavan, part of Currin in County Fermanagh, and some fragments from Waterford have survived. Few records remain from the 1851 enumeration—only twenty-eight volumes from thirteen parishes in County Antrim, returns for one townland in Fermanagh, and a few extracts from parishes in Kilkenny and northeast Cork. For the other census years, a handful of stray copies survive in volumes of parish registers.

Modern Census Records Compensate
Two twentieth-century census returns are available for research and, in some measure, make up for the loss of the earlier records. In 1901 the following details were gathered: name, age, religion, occupation, literacy, marital status, relationship to head of household, county of birth, and knowledge of English or Gaelic. Several additional details were added in the 1911 census; married women were asked to report how long they had been married, number of children born, and those children still living. Data was arranged by county, district electoral division, and townland, and absentees were not recorded. Most source guides caution genealogists against accepting recorded ages in the 1901 census because there is evidence from comparisons with the 1911 enumeration that many responses were too low. ¹¹

Under ideal circumstances any search in these twentieth century returns can be made knowing the street or townland of the ancestor's residence. Even when there is no alternative to a search through one or more films, the job will be easier if the district electoral divisions and townlands have been identified.

Several aids make it easier to locate the appropriate divisions. The first are the townland indexes. The indexes for 1901 are contemporary, but the ones for 1841, 1851, and 1871 are also helpful. District electoral divisions appear in the 1871 and 1901 listings but not in 1851. The 1841 index (not in the Family History Library) is organized by county and barony, and Townlands and Poor Law Unions (Handran, 1997) includes parishes, electoral divisions and townlands. There is no townland index for 1911 but differences from the 1901 census are minor. Nominal indexes exist for the 1901 census of Longford, Fermanagh, and Tyrone, with Donegal to follow soon. ¹² (The latter three are on microfiche.)

The Family History Library Catalog (FHLC) conveniently lists appropriate film numbers under each parish for the 1901 census. For many names, genealogists have extracted all the entries and generally arranged the lists by county. Any of these name lists held by the Family History Library can be found entered in the FHLC under the appropriate county and, for surveys through many counties, in the national census listings. A small portion of the 1911 census is now available at the FHL, but the majority of it must still be researched in Ireland.

Other twentieth century resources include the Old Age Pension applications. Ireland introduced an old age pension in 1908 but because few people had proof of their age, evidence was sought in nineteenth century census records. The abstracts of information include the name of the pensioner, his or her parents, and occasionally other members of the family. Townland, parish, barony and county, age at time of application, and age at time of census are also included. These records have not been indexed. Northern Ireland's applications have been filmed and can be accessed through family history centers. Pension applications for Ireland are located in the National Archives in Dublin.

Research Suggestions
There are three steps to assure that you have identified and located all of the relevant information on government census returns.

1. Use maps, gazetteers, and townland indexes so that all of the civil and ecclesiastical divisions are known.

2. Refer to the books noted in this article for listings of surviving census fragments.

3. Check the Family History Library Catalog under the following headings for information about LDS holdings.

IRELAND-CENSUS

IRELAND-CENSUS-INDEXES

IRELAND, COUNTY NAME- CENSUS

IRELAND, COUNTY NAME- CENSUS INDEXES

IRELAND, COUNTY NAME, PARISH NAME-CENSUS

IRELAND-PENSIONS

Other important resources are records of civil registration, Griffith's Primary Valuation, and modern probate calendars. All of these are in the Family History Library. Civil registration began for all events in all counties in 1864, and for all non-Catholic marriages in 1845. Griffith's Valuation, a property survey showing both occupiers and landlords between 1848 and 1864, has been filmed and indexed. A version of the index is on CD-ROM and another is incorporated into the Householders Index (available in family history centers).

Probate became the business of the secular court system in 1858. Although the wills were lost in the 1922 fire, the calendars of wills and letters of administration are available for study. These sources provide name, place, and date information. Relationships appear in birth and marriage records and sometimes in probate calendars.

Census Data Provides More Than Names
A census enumeration gathers data for statistical analysis. The reports generated from the data in the censuses of Ireland were subsequently published, and are available for study. The questions asked were included for a reason, and the resulting numbers influenced the government officials of the day, and the social and economic historians of more recent times. Genealogists also have something to learn from the statistics-details that enhance and encourage understanding.

Historians have looked at the census statistics and used them to support various theories about the population of Ireland, when it peaked, and the impact of the potato famine. Genealogists will also find it worthwhile to examine the numbers for the appropriate county, barony, or electoral division of their ancestors. The report comparing 1813 and 1821 for County Limerick show that the number of houses in that county rose from 17,897 in 1813 to 36,089 in 1821. The population grew during the same period from 103,865 to 214,286. ¹³ In a later report, within the tables of figures for the Poor Law Unions, is the entry for Youghal in County Cork. ¹⁴ The population of the town of Youghal hardly changed between 1841 and 1851, but it was the scene of one of the food riots in 1846. ¹⁵ The enumerated population dropped dramatically in rural areas in the same union, such as at Kilmacdonagh electoral division from 3,457 to 2,008. ¹⁶

The numbers raise new questions. What was considered to qualify as a house? How do the numbers for Limerick compare to other counties? During the 1840s did people move into town when in dire need? Were some individuals missed by the enumerators? Whether or not such issues are investigated, a quantitative sketch emerges at a local level relating to people, their health, home, land, and schools. This information is easier to grasp than numbers for the entire country, and it can be related to eye-witness accounts, local histories, weather, and topography.

To access these reports consult British Parliamentary Papers indexes available in reference or university libraries. ¹⁷ Directories, topographical dictionaries, diaries, and local histories will round out the picture and occasionally quote census figures. Besides providing additional, interesting information for a family history, this sort of analysis often initiates questions or theories that direct further research.

The first Irish censuses were carried out as a response to controversy and, to some extent, fear of the ability of food production to keep pace with population growth. But genealogical researchers two hundred years after Malthus continue to benefit from the recording and analysis of the population. And, despite the devastation of the explosion and fire at the Four Courts in 1922, researchers can still find material of interest and importance. For the lucky ones, there are surviving fragments; however, everyone can search recent returns and pension records for collaterals, and gain useful insight from the official statistical summaries.

Endnotes
1. Nissel, Muriel. People Count. (1987), 51.

2. Foster, R. F. Modern Ireland 1600-1972, (London: Penguin, 1989), 199.

3. Nissel, Muriel. op. cit.

4. Connell, K.H. The Population of Ireland 1750-1845. Westport CT: Greenwood P, 1975: 20.

5. Abstract of Answers and Returns Pursuant to Act for Taking Account of the Population of Ireland, 1824: viii.

6. Connelly, S.J. The Oxford Companion to Irish History. (Oxford UP, 1998), 81.

7. Nolan, William. Tracing the Past. (Dublin: Geographical Publications, 1982), 58.

8. Illustrated London News, July 8, 1922, pp. 43-53.

9. Falley, Margaret. Irish and Scotch-Irish Ancestral Research. 2 Vol. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1962 (rep. 1988); Nolan, Tracing the Past.; Grenham, John. Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. (Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1992).

10. Connolly, S.J. The Oxford Companion to Irish History. (Oxford UP, 1998), 81.

11. Grenham, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. 14; and Nolan, Tracing the Past, 61.

12. Index to the 1901 Census, Vol. 1 County Fermanagh, 1995.

13. Abstract of the Population of Ireland According to the Late Census. Vol. XIV, page 737.

14. A Comparative View of the Census of Ireland in 1841-1851. Vol. XLVI, p. 357.

15. Illustrated London News. November 7, 1846, p. 293.

16. A Comparative View of the Census of Ireland in 1841-1851. Vol. XLVI, p. 357.

17. Ford, P. and G. Ford. A Guide to Parliamentary Papers: What they are, How to find them, How to use them. (Shannon: Irish UP, 1972).

Sherry Irvine, author of Your Scottish Ancestry: A Guide for North Americans, is a faculty member of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University and is a conference lecturer.