The 1921 Census is the largest ever census release, since its inception in England.
On 19 June 1921, close to 38 million individuals in England and Wales completed a census return.
This unique snapshot lets us step back 100 years and witness up close a key moment in the lives of those who had survived the First World War, and who were embarking on a new decade.
The project examines digitised historical census data to track changing patterns in gender, disability, socio-economic background, race and ethnicity between 1901 and 1921, which are then linked to contemporary issues in health, housing, employment and education.
Strike A Light will be offering these free activities to explored the themes and changes from this 1921 census which is now publicly available.
They will look at up to date resources and new research in a series of open, free workshops looking at topics such as housing, health, work and family and shared skills for researching houses and family history.
Using Find My Past, the National Archives and other more regional archives such as The Keep and West Sussex Record Office, through this project, they will explore hidden histories from the census from 100 years ago.
The 1921 is Census is particularly important, as it will be the last census publication for some years to come – the 1931 Census of England and Wales was destroyed in a fire at the Office of Works in 1942, the 1941 Census was never taken due to the outbreak of the Second World War, and the 1951 Census is not due to be released until 2052.
Suffragettes, Trailblazers, and War Widows (Women in the 1921 census) – Wed 22nd June 10-12pm
Sussex 1921 (Research, Resources and Case Studies) – Friday 15th July 10-12pm
Disability, 1921 census and heritage conference, Brighton. Date TBC