CENSUS DATA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22954, 4 February 1938, Page 6

CENSUS DATA

QUEEN "VICTORIA'S AGE FORM WRONGLY FILLED A COMMON DISCREPANCY f ' " [from our own correspondent] LONDON, Jan. 5 How., Queen Victoria's age was entered in a census return as two years less than it really was can be seen among'the documents which have been plac ed on show in the museum at the Public Record Office, Chancery Lane, W.C. The apparent discrepancy appears in the Royal Family's census return for 1841. It is headed by the names of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, both of whose ages aro given as 20. As Queen Victoria was bom on May 24, ISI9, and the Prince Consort on August 26 of the same year both were actually 22 in 1841. Inquiries at the Public Record Office and at Somerset House showed that among the early Victorians such discrepancies were not considered to impair the accuracy of a census. At the first British census, taken in 1801, no inquiries were made as to age, nor was any such indelicate question asked at the next, in 1811. In 1821 overseers were told to obtain ages if this could be done "in a manner satisfactory to yourself and not inconvenient to the parties." Ten years later it became compulsory for men to discloso whether they were over 20. General statement of age first became compulsory for men and women in 184,1. But a loophole was left and, as the document now to be seen at the Public Record Office shows. Queen Victoria was among those who took advantage of it. .Enumerators were told that the exact ages must be filled in of children xmder 15. But for persons above this age they were instructed to '.'write the lowest of the term of five years within which the age is; thus for persons aged 15 years and under 20, write 15; for those 20 years old and under 25, write 20." % Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort, both being under 25 at the time, came into the last category, and were officially given the age of 20. At all subsequent censuses the "age last birthday" has been required, and in 1931 ages were required to be given in years and months.