It seems many of our ancestors were animal lovers, even going so far as to record their pets on their 1911 census returns. Some of our customers have been unearthing some rather touching records such as that of Mr and Mrs Arthur John Delve in Smethwick who recorded their pet dog, Biddy at the bottom of their household form. Biddy was described as the couple’s “faithful Irish Terrier Bitch, Magnificent Watch, a demon on Cats and Vermin, age 11 years”.

Biddy in the 1911 census - please click to enlarge

Inclusions like this one emphasise just how special the 1911 census is, being the first census for which householders’ original census returns have survived. Had the household schedules been destroyed like those of the 1841 – 1901 censuses, we would never have seen that the Delves even owned a dog, let alone that she was clearly considered one of the family. The inclusion would certainly have been lost in the census enumerator’s summary. Census returns like the one above can provide incredible insights into our ancestors’ personalities which allow us to begin building a much clearer picture of who they really were.

Do let us know if you’ve found any examples of pets in the 1911 census. You can do so by commenting on this post or by writing on our facebook wall.

Findmypast.co.uk has just carried out a survey which has revealed that young Brits shy away from jobs that require hard graft and instead, one in six 18-24 year olds aspire to become a famous singer, actor or member of a band.

There has never been such a stark contrast between the career choices of today’s young people when compared to the manual jobs of their ancestors. In the 1911 census some of the most popular occupations recorded include working in domestic service, agriculture, mining, building and the cotton industry. In contrast, less than 1% of young Brits in the 21st century would like to have a manual job such as a builder or plumber.

Here you can see a 1911 census return for singer Tom Jones’ maternal grandparents, Albert Rees and Ada Jones, who were in the coal-mining industry. Jones is Tom’s stage rather than birth surname.

Click to enlarge

Debra Chatfield

Our marketing manager, Debra Chatfield (pictured right), says: “It seems the growing obsession with celebrity has really impacted on young people’s career choices these days, as our study reveals how the more non-traditional jobs now come high up on the wish-list.

“Times have certainly changed when it comes to young people’s career choices. A look at the 1911 census provides a fascinating insight into the professions of our ancestors and you can really see how times have dramatically changed. On the other hand, in some cases, it can be interesting to see how some families have carried the same profession down through the family tree to the modern day. In our recent study it was revealed that, worryingly, a fifth (22%) of those aged 18-24 years do not know what their ancestors did for a living.”

Find out what your ancestors did in our complete census records from 1841 to 1911.