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Census: 1841 to 1921
In England and Wales, a Census has been taken every ten years since 1801, with the exception of 1941 during WWII. Most of the very early censuses were simply head-counts, so of little use to us beyond providing statistics. Those from 1841 recorded individuals who were living in each household. The National Archives provide a research guide on the Census Returns explaining the information you can expect to find in them.
Census Resources
FreeCEN
- Volunteers are in the process of transcribing the 1841-1911 census returns for various counties across the United Kingdom. Transcriptions are
searchable and free to view. There are Opportunities to Volunteer with FreeCEN transcribing census returns. You can join an existing team of transcribers (known as syndicates) by registering through the Transcriber Registration page.
1881 Census - Searchable for free at the Family Search LDS website. Results show transcriptions of the household with the option to visit their partner site Findmypast to view the orignal census scan for a fee.
Ships in UK Ports 1881 - Bob Sanders provides transcriptions of ships that were in UK ports in the 1881 census. These include passengers, crew, Royal Navy personnel and mariners at various shore establishments e.g. Royal Navy Barracks, Training Schools, colleges and prisons.
Commercial Pay-to-View Census Scans
The following companies offer free searches of their census indexes. Access to view census returns on either a pay-per-view or subscription basis. Some of these records may be viewable for free where research centres have subscribed to commercial websites.
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Ancestry.com - Census Returns for England and Wales, the Isle of Mann, Channel Islands and Scotland (1841-1911). -
Find My Past
- England and Wales Census (1841-1921), Scotland Census (1841-1901) and some earlier census records for parishes where they survive. 
Genes Reunited
- England and Wales censuses (1841-1911) and Scotland censuses(1841-1901).
The Genealogist - England and Wales censuses (1841-1911).