Hi Kay, As I understand it, census return sheets are as rare as hens teeth - I have a copy of one found in the 1851 Southern Warwickshire census by Gordon Beavington - who kindly gave me permission to put it on the web You can see a scan of the back part (data page) on http://www.hunimex.com/warwick/census/1851_return.html with the front (address and instructions) on http://www.hunimex.com/warwick/census/1851_inst.html If anyone can supply me with any additional examples, I would be very grateful - any county will do. The instructions make it clear that the forms were left at the house, and were to be filled in with information relevant to the census night (in 1851 it was 30 March), with the form being collected on 31st March. I believe that the collector was supposed to check that the data was complete when he collected it, if not, was to fill in the data from verbal information. The census books were completed by the enumerator transcribing each return form, thus are already at least secondary data !! There are examples of instructions to the enumerator on my website too Happy Hunting Pickard Trepess Nagykanizsa, Hungary ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kay DONALD CLARK" <grannykay@tiscali.co.uk> > Do we actually know that forms were left at the household for the occupier > to complete? > > I was led to believe at my family history class that the earlier censuses or > censi (?) were completed "on the doorstep" by the enumerator himself. He > "interviewed" each household. > > Do any examples of completed or blank self-fill forms exist? > > Kay