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The Origins of the Census and 'Alice in Wonderland'
By Maggie Loughran Origins of the UK Census
The Process
Census enumerators were assigned a specific area and distributed a schedule to every household in that area before the census night. They collected them the day following the census, checked the details and copied them into an enumerator’s book. The book and the schedules were then returned to the local registrar who in turn checked them and sent them to the Census Office in London. Technology did not reach the census until 1911 when punch cards and mechanical sorting were introduced, followed in 1961 by computers.
Since 1801 there has been a census every ten years, except for 1941, during WWII. Although the basic methods and principles remain unchanged new questions have been added whilst others have been removed. The 1841 census is regarded as the first modern census, when the first Registrar General was made responsible for organising the count. This is the earliest census that has survived in its entirety. There is a 100-year closure on each census before the general public are allowed access to preserve individual's confidentiality. However the 1911 census was released earlier under the Freedom of Information Act. The Story Behind 'Alice in Wonderland'
2011 sees the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Henry George Liddell, father of the Alice in Alice in Wonderland and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Princess Helena Frederica Augusta, Duchess of Albany. So what connects these 2 people you may ask?
Henry George Liddell was the father of Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodson) first met Alice at Christ Church College, Oxford where he was a Fellow and Alice's father was Dean. (and where Lewis Carroll spent many a happy hour photographing, entertaining and enthralling the Liddell children with his stories). In 1872, Queen Victoria sent her youngest son, Prince Leopold to the college to study and he lived in with the Dean, met Alice, grown up now of, course and they fell deeply in love. Naturally a marriage between the two was out of the question, and having completed his studies Leopold left the college. In 1880 Alice married a very rich gentleman, Reginald Hargreaves, and in 1882 Leopold was married to Princess Helene Frederica Augusta, daughter of His Serene Highness George Victor, Prince of Waldeck- Pyrdmont and was created Duke of Albany. Prince Leopold was godfather to Alice’s second son, whom she named Leopold Reginald, and Leopold’s daughter born 1883 was named Alice (later Duchess of Athlone). In March 1884 Prince Leopold suddenly died of a brain haemorrhage, a complication of his haemophilia, which he had inherited from his mother, Queen Victoria. The Liddell family can be found on the 1871 census on www.origins.net. A search for Henry Liddell brings back the following results for the family, who were, at this time, based at Charlton Kings, in Gloucestershire:
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