Sorry this posting is not threaded but I have just subscribed. I was advised of postings on this list by a friend who mentioned there was some misunderstanding on the list re the 1911 census release. The timeline was as follows. For all census up to and including the 1901 census it was possible on payment of a fee to request information on the next unreleased census. After the release of the 1901 census in 2002 this changed the GRO refused to release information from further census. Because of this refusal I made a request under the Freedom Of Information Act and this eventually forced them to release the information. I made my original request on 20 May 2005. I secured the decision from the Information Commission on the 12th December 2006 which forced the GRO to release the information. On December 13^th 2006 the National Archives announced the 1911 census would be online in early 2009 and available through an interim search service from January 2007 (fee £45.00p.) whilst the census schedules were being scanned. There was no decision in Parliament to release the census (as can be confirmed through Hansard) and the web the petition (which ran until the 08 March 2007) had no effect on the decision either as the decision had already been made and announced. http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/CensusInfoFreed/ I should also point out that unless there is a change in the law it is illegal to ever release information from any census (England & Wales) taken after 1920. Not in 10 years, not in 100 years not in 1000 years. The 1920 Census Act as amended forbids the release of information forever. I am afraid the National Archives site gives an inaccurate view of the legislation. The correct information may been seen on my website at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~framland/acts/1920%20Census%20Act.htm <http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Eframland/acts/1920%20Census%20Act.htm> and the amendment at http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1991/Ukpga_19910006_en_1.htm Incidentally the Information Commissioner (the person who rules on the Data Protection Act and the FOI has already stated that it is acceptable for a person to include details on their website if that website is for the purposes of family history. That only applies to personal websites and not commercial websites. Cheers Guy --

To Guy Etchels Thank you for letting us know the correct position regarding release of Census information, Guy. The 1920 Act and the 1991 Amendment certainly bars anyone from looking at the 1921 and later Census details. We will have to hope for an Act of Parliament or an Amendment to the 1991 Act to enable the formal release of the data. If we are to make it possible for family historians coming after us to have the same facilities as we enjoy, will a new petition be launched? I note that the 1931 records were destroyed in the war and, of course, there wasn't a 1941 Census. So the interruption between 1921 & 1951 will be significant and clearly everyone should be assiduously combing the memories of their older relatives [if any] to fill in detail which will be missing from official records. Thanks again both for informing us and for all your hard work on behalf of all of us. Ray Hennessy 2009/12/6 Guy Etchells <guy.etchells@virgin.net> > Sorry this posting is not threaded but I have just subscribed. > > I was advised of postings on this list by a friend who mentioned there > was some misunderstanding on the list re the 1911 census release. > > The timeline was as follows. > For all census up to and including the 1901 census it was possible on > payment of a fee to request information on the next unreleased census. > After the release of the 1901 census in 2002 this changed the GRO > refused to release information from further census. > > Because of this refusal I made a request under the Freedom Of > Information Act and this eventually forced them to release the information. > > I made my original request on 20 May 2005. I secured the decision from > the Information Commission on the 12th December 2006 which forced the > GRO to release the information. > > On December 13^th 2006 the National Archives announced the 1911 census > would be online in early 2009 and available through an interim search > service from January 2007 (fee £45.00p.) whilst the census schedules > were being scanned. > > There was no decision in Parliament to release the census (as can be > confirmed through Hansard) and the web the petition (which ran until the > 08 March 2007) had no effect on the decision either as the decision had > already been made and announced. > > http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/CensusInfoFreed/ > > I should also point out that unless there is a change in the law it is > illegal to ever release information from any census (England & Wales) > taken after 1920. Not in 10 years, not in 100 years not in 1000 years. > > The 1920 Census Act as amended forbids the release of information forever. > > I am afraid the National Archives site gives an inaccurate view of the > legislation. > > The correct information may been seen on my website at > > > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~framland/acts/1920%20Census%20Act.htm<http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Eframland/acts/1920%20Census%20Act.htm>< > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Eframland/acts/1920%20Census%20Act.htm > > > > and the amendment at > > http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1991/Ukpga_19910006_en_1.htm > > Incidentally the Information Commissioner (the person who rules on the Data > Protection Act and the FOI has already stated that it is acceptable for a > person to include details on their website if that website is for the > purposes of family history. > > That only applies to personal websites and not commercial websites. > > Cheers > Guy > > -- > > > > >

I really dont need an attack at this time of the year, at any time of the year, so hope you will forgive me for having overlooked posting a significant date to confirm I received an unsolicited approach from him and I dont think any Lister deserves this singling out. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Guy Etchells" <guy.etchells@virgin.net> To: <ABERDEEN@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 6:14 PM Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] 100 year limit? Sorry this posting is not threaded but I have just subscribed. I was advised of postings on this list by a friend who mentioned there was some misunderstanding on the list re the 1911 census release.

Seriously, why do you feel singled out? This is what I don't get. Why are you taking everything so personally, so too heart, why do you feel that people are deliberating singling you out and persecuting you? Really, honestly, truly they are not. I'm very very sorry if things have happened in the past you make you feel that. But truthfully no-one wants to hurt you, single you out or otherwise. Given that there is/was a topic discussing Guy's efforts to make available information to family historians, do you not think that someone could have told him that that was being discussed and even Guy himself stated that he had being informed that "there was some misunderstanding on the list re the 1911 census release." That would suggest that Guy joined to correct that misunderstanding - beneficial to many people (how many are on this list?) - and not that he joined to single you out and he did not in his posting even mention you or quote you and you were not the only person active in the thread. -------------------------------------------------- From: "Janet" <wightway@tiscali.co.uk> Sent: Saturday, December 12, 2009 8:27 PM To: <aberdeen@rootsweb.com> Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] 100 year limit? I really dont need an attack at this time of the year, at any time of the year, so hope you will forgive me for having overlooked posting a significant date to confirm I received an unsolicited approach from him and I dont think any Lister deserves this singling out. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Guy Etchells" <guy.etchells@virgin.net> To: <ABERDEEN@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 6:14 PM Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] 100 year limit? Sorry this posting is not threaded but I have just subscribed. I was advised of postings on this list by a friend who mentioned there was some misunderstanding on the list re the 1911 census release. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ABERDEEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message