Podcast: The 1911 Census: a vision of England

The 1911 census was the 12th national census of the United Kingdom, and in many ways it represented a watershed in the history of census taking in this country - it was the first to use technology and was by far the most intrusive. The census captured a picture of society at the time before the Upstairs Downstairs world was about to be turned upside down. It records Britain's 'lost generation' - the 885,000 men who would lose their lives fighting in the war and it also adds a fascinating insight into one of the most important issues of the day - the campaign to give women the vote. In this talk, David Annal introduces the 1911 census and shows what it reveals about society at the time. Dave Annal first developed an interest in family history in the late 1970s when he began researching his own family. He became a professional family historian in 1990 and, from 1998 to 2009 was employed by The National Archives, working at the Family Records Centre and Kew. He has written a number of books including Easy Family History and, more recently with Peter Christian, Census: the Expert Guide. He was a regular columnist in Ancestors Magazine and gives regular talks on all aspects of family history research. Dave is now working as a freelance researcher