The 1841 census, though much shorter than what we are used to, was the first modern census. Enumerators went to households and asked householders to complete a schedule, then entered information from the schedules, as well as other information (most importantly about addresses) into a 'Census Enumerator's Book'. The enumerator noted 'place' (address) and whether houses were inhabited or uninhabited. Information was collected about householders':
| Name | First Christian name only, and surname |
|---|---|
| Age | Rounded down to the nearest term of five if over 14 years. This column also provided information about sex as the householder was asked to indicate age in one of two columns: 'Age of Males' or 'Age of females' |
| 'Profession, trade, employment or of independent means' | Abbreviations required, e.g. Ag Lab (Agricultural Labourer), Ap (Apprentice), F.S. (Female servant) etc. |
| Whether born in the same county (yes or no), or whether born in Scotland, Ireland or 'foreign parts' (S,I, F) | If from 'foreign parts' householder was to write 'foreigner' indicating those born outside the UK who were not British subjects |