----- Original Message ----- From: "John Ball" <1.co.uk> To: <powys@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2012 12:02 PM Subject: [POWYS] Welsh in census returns. > I must say this is the first time I've encountered an example of a > householder responding in Welsh to a census question. Perhaps Georgina > could tell us whether the householder filled in the Welsh language version > of the census form? Has anyone else seen similar examples while studying > census returns? The National Archives publication "Census - The Expert Guide" points out that the 1911 schedule was made available not only in Welsh, but also in Yiddish (in areas with a high Jewish concentration) and also in German (p41). The census results eventually suggested that the country's monoglot Welsh population at that time was around 8.5% (down from 30% in 1891 and 15% in 1901 [p78]), and heads of any such households might be expected to respond in Welsh (p212). In fact a Welsh version of the schedule had been available from 1851 onwards for enumerators to give to those unable to understand English (p77). In Scotland the census had first asked about ability to speak Gaelic from 1881 onwards. AJ