As you build your family tree, we start searching for your relatives in our records. Look out for ‘shaky leaf’ hints in your family tree.
1911 Census
The perfect place to start discovering your family’s past. The 1911 Census lets you visit your ancestors’ homes a century ago and discover their names, birthplaces, occupations and more.
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Getting started
You may well have grandparents or even parents who were alive in 1911, so try searching for them first. Simply type in a name, give your best guess of where they lived and when they were born, and see what you can discover.
Historical records
The 1911 Census lets you see the actual forms your ancestors filled in. So, you can check out their handwriting and look for any special notes they may have made. Some helpful souls even provided potted histories of their movements or past occupations.
Going further
Grow your family tree by moving back through the censuses, every ten years all the way back to 1841. Find the relatives you know about as children, and you’ll usually discover their parents. Then go back a decade and track down the parents’ parents, and so on.
Building your tree
Find one relative in the Census, and you’ll also reveal everyone else they were living with – which usually means more of your family. Keep track of your discoveries by building your family tree, and we’ll help you learn more with our unique
Unique experience
Our exclusive viewer brings these records to life like never before. Move your cursor all the way along your ancestors’ entries for a detailed description of what each column is telling you—and our interpretation of any difficult handwriting.
Discover the history
Upstairs-downstairs
1911 marked the height of the British class system. The privileged few lived in luxury on vast estates, while the lower classes served their every need. Look for the different roles in your family — were they the lords and ladies, or the butlers, maids, gardeners and drivers?
New jobs
With the Industrial Revolution complete, Britain was like a new country. This is most obvious in people’s occupations — the Census shows thousands of coal miners, builders and factory workers. See what trades you can find in your family, then learn more about them in our occupation records.
Votes for women
The campaign for equal voting rights was at its height, with the likes of Emmeline Pankhurst already famous for violent marches and hunger strikes. See if you can spot suffragettes among your ancestors — did they sabotage their forms, or give their occupations as ‘slave to the family’?
Titanic arrival
1911 is the year the Titanic was completed, designed as the ultimate in luxury and style. You’ll find passengers and crew in the Census, recorded less than a year before their fateful voyage. You can then learn more about them in our Titanic Collection.
World War I
Within three years of the 1911 Census, war had erupted across the globe. These records represent the last chance to see hundreds of thousands of young men in their home surroundings. You can then follow their military careers in our WWI records.