THE CENSUS 1891

The 1891 census gave a revealing insight into the languages spoken by the UK population. The Welsh schedule had an extra column for speakers of English, Welsh and both. The census found that 759,416 people spoke only English; 508,036 spoke only Welsh; and 402,253 spoke both languages. However, this is certainly an underestimate because some Welsh-speaking communities in South Denbighshire, Radnorshire and Montgomeryshire were administered as parts of English registration districts. As a result they did not receive schedules that included questions about the Welsh language.

It is impossible to ascertain how fluent anyone was with a language

There was no standard laid down as to the proficiency in language required for