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the american cencus goes up to 1930 and if people are alive the don't put names on just put living so why can't our country

On a point of information, LDS did not transcribe the 1881 census. They checked, input and acquired a computer large enough to do a final sort, but the actual transcribing was done by family historians (and prisoners!) across the country. The quality of the transcriptions is variable and having battled with parts of Southwark where the enumerator wrote a o and u identically I am probably to blame for some of the mistranscriptions. Brenda

The 1911 census would help me because my dad did not know his father or his family from the age of 2. All the people I have managed to find are dead and I am trying to find other immediate relatives. I have very little information to go on and the census would hopefully show me if they had anymore children, brothers or sisters etc. Genetic testing is not an option with the condition my son has. There has been very little research into it and the "experts" say it is genetic but they don't know exactly what gene causes it. There are no tests that can be done before a baby is born. A biopsy can be done once a baby is born but not before. The guilt I feel about maybe passing this dreadful condition onto my son makes me not willing to have another child. It might not have been me that passed it on, which is why I need to know my family history.

You're lucky the 1911 is being systematically transcribed by the government at all. Only the 1901 has been so far. 1871, 1881 and 1891 were done by the LDS and Ancestry. Anyone after the 1841 to 1861 has been waiting for at least 43 years. If you want to petition for something, why not try and get the Irish censuses or BMD index transcribed? You know you wouldn't be happy with the 1911 just being released. After all, the Irish censuses have been released, and what good are they, stuck unindexed and untranscribed in Ireland? As they've already been released, half the battle has already been fought. It really is blindingly obvious that, if 1911 was made available tomorrow, you would not be willing to wait until 2022 for the 1921 census. No, the authorities aren't stupid enough to walk into that trap. Trish, how would a census will rule out whether you carry a genetic defect; all my family needed for genetic screening was a hospital appointment and a blood sample?

I have looked at the arguments for and against releasing the census early and I have to disagree with the arguments against this. I am desperately trying to find information for my dad's father. He married my Granfmother but my dad never knew him. I need to find out about his family not because of a whim or a hobby, but because my son has a hereditary disorder and I am trying to find out "where" it came from. Finding relatives on the 1911 census would help me (hopefully) locate some living relatives. I would love to have another child, but the risks are too great knowing that I could pass this onto another child. Ruling it out of my family in the past means that it could be just a coincidence that my son has this disorder. Trish

Go to: http://www.ffhs.org.uk/ to read a bit about it. Brenda

What are these new stupid rules the stupid Government are introducing if I need ask.

All of you should really be directing your energies towards civil registration, not censuses. The rules will be changing fairly shortly and the details we will be allowed to see will be reduced. I haven't been following the argument too closely as I'm all right, Jack - I've got all the modern certificates I need. The efforts of the Federation of Family History Societies and other interested individuals have modified government thinking and the proposals are nothing like as draconian as originally intended. Beginners, however, will find research much more difficult in the future. This is currently a golden age for family history. Enjoy it while you can. Brenda

Archives exist to preserve and protect the history and heritage of the nation. They are not there to pander to the whims of genealogists, or academics, or local historians, or TV crews who want to film something pretty. Were you aware that there is a growing number of academics calling for genealogy-orientated projects to be stopped? They claim - with some justification - that the time and money spent on our hobby is hindering their scholarly research. They may wait decades for documents to be located, cleaned, transcribed or scanned. Don't panic, it won't happen. The same rules which protect academics from favouritism also prevent genealogists from special treatment too. Just be aware that your demand is just one of many being placed by various groups. Thirdly, the 1901 census survey closed a few months ago. Obviously the wheels are in motion for transcribing the 1911 census. Which means you're too late for any protest to have an appreciable effect. You're already going to have it in seven years and one month, it's really not a priority for archives. Finally, the idea that Tony Blair's government will listen to anything the electoare says is frankly unlikely. Especially when they graduated from those institutions with the genealogy-hating professors.

There are still people alive who were on the 1901 census. There is a feature in this months issue of your family tree magazine about a man who is 108 and can view his own census return. So why not release the 1911 census. Lucia

I agree with what everyone said but America gives up to the 1930 cencus so why can't Britain Scotland don't even give death records before 1855 and won't give births after 1903 so can't find births for my relations born after 1903

I think that the 100 yr. rule has a point but should apply to records over the current life expectancy of a new-born. For the UK this is 79 years so the 1911 and 1921 should be released by now under this idea.

Oooh shall we set up a rally outside Downing St? :oD

True, but anything which may identify living people is automatically closed. I chose coroners inquests as an example because they deal with people who have been dead a long time yet people want the closure period extended further. You disagreeing with closure rules simply isn't going to get them changed. You'd be amazed at some of the things marked out for closure. Personally I doubt that the archive world is thrilled at the thought of early release of censuses, there is enough competition for the limited amount of funding and resources as it is. Check Ebay or the Sotheby's catalogue and you'll see dozens of manuscripts and artefacts up for sale, which by rights should be in archives or museums rather than someone's loft. If you want to launch a campaign, try petitioning for more government funding for libraries, museums and archives as their budgets have been systematically cut for years.

Here here Deborah!! I agree. Genealogy isnt just about finding an ancestors birth then marriage then death and be done with it, it is nice to know where they lived, what addresses, their jobs and how they lived in them days. So Mr Blair if you release the 1911 census, we will get off your back.

if it works for the americans then why should we be any different. At the end of the day its not government secrets were after just our rellies. And if all the family contacts you need are dead so unable to give you the info then census's are our most valuable source of info ie; who they were, what they were doing, where and how they lived etc.... to get the whole picture. Having their BMD is not always enough to make them real

Ah yes but that is coroners inquests and not censuses, and it is doubtful that info 93 years ago will relate to anything distressing today, and there have been hundreds of people signing my petition thinking the 100 year rule is a load of tosh which it is, and if we extend closure rules, then people who are in their twilight years wanting to look at the 1911 census will be gone or too feeble by the time it is released, as a lot of people who have signed my petition have pointed out.

There is already concern over allowing coroners' inquests to be released after the current 30-year closure period. Many details in them relate to people who are alive (relatives of the deceased, relatives of murderers even) and there is concern that family members could be distressed at the gruesome information and photos. The trend is to extend, not to release things early.

I'd bet a month's wages they won't. To do so will set a precedent; closure rules (not just for censuses) exist for a reasons and I doubt anyone will embark on the 'oh just this once' journey.

does anyone know if they are bringing out the 1911 cencus early or not