Kathleen Ogg-Moss wrote: > Would everyone in Scotland be on the 1841 census, or would some persons be > missed for whatever reason? The rules for the Census have been the same ever since 1841. The basic idea is that only those people who were *actually* in a house on Census Night (usually Sunday to Monday) are included. People who normally lived there, but were temporarily absent for some reason, should *not* be included at that address. If they were at some other address (say visiting relatives, or working away from home) then they *should* be included at that address. Some people were probably missed. Some Enumerators faithfully tramped the roads on Census night looking for vagrants sleeping in the open, or in barns and sheds, but it seems likely that some were missed. And while the crews of boats on rivers or in port would probably be counted, anyone at sea on Census night might also be missed. And, of course, simple human fallibility means that, from time to time, and in some place or another, someone might have been missed. And ultimately, the whole exercise depended on the honesty and accuracy of the individual householder. Gavin Bell