Histpop's view of Britain's past

The free access to census data from the 19th and 20th centuries will appeal to researchers. Laura Smith delves with delight

A partnership between the National Archives, UK Data Archive at Essex University and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) has made available a previously hidden gem detailing British life in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Online Historical Populations Reports project or Histpop, offers free online access to 200,000 pages of census reports for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, between 1801 and 1937, offering in-depth insights into the economy, society and medicine during a period of immense change. The enormous range of information on offer includes the population's age breakdown, marital and employment status, numbers in the armed forces and how many families occupied each household.

The way the information was recorded offers further insights into more subtle aspects of life, such as class distinctions, medical attitudes and religious and racial prejudices.

Also included is a range of related documents intended to complement the collection, including the registrar general's reports from the period, thousands of pages of documentation about the administration of the census and specially commissioned essays that put the material into context.

The website's homepage is not particularly inviting. With a slightly old-fashioned colour scheme and a block of text explaining what the site contains, it looks rather like a school textbook, which could put some users off. But the site is well organised and the sections clearly labelled, and things improve when you click the browse tab along the top of the page.

FEE- AND PASSWORD-FREE
The browse section allows users to look through the collection by date or geographical area. As with the rest of the site, no password or account is needed.

A clearly worded list appears detailing the types of information on the site; another clickable list to the left allows users to enter subject areas including census, registrar general and essays.

Curious to explore the data for 1801, the first year a national census was taken in England andWales, we clicked on Census and found our way to the population abstract, where we were immediately directed to the scanned pages of the original document complete with squiggly hand-written notes. Other information on the site offers insights into historic events. Amid the reports for 1861 is a section on emigration, which reveals that more than 2.2 million people left these shores, probably for lives in the New World, in the decade after 1851.

The search section allows users to explore the site using specific words or phrases and carry out Boolean searches. Results are delivered quickly in lists of 10. Clicking on Other Search Options brings you to an advanced search page.

A useful help section offers advice on searching, although the downloading section is incomplete. The project section contains documents relating to the digitisation and web development process and a contact email is included.

Although the site contains a wealth of information – you might be surprised to hear, for example, that in 1861 there were three female taxidermists and almost 900 people born in Africa or Asia living in England and Wales – it can take a while to familiarise yourself with what's available. And because of the changing nature of the data recorded from one census year to another it can be challenging to ascertain trends.

But the site is endlessly fascinating and a valuable tool for those who already knewwhat they were looking for, such as researchers and academics.

All in all, the site is clear, easy to use and an excellent addition to the growing body of information available under JISC's £10m digitisation programme.

USABILITY

SITE DESIGN

INFORMATION DEPTH