The records from the 1921 census were in fact digitised a decade ago alongside the 1911 census, but have been indexed over the last year by Queen’s University in Belfast. Whilst the Scottish census was carried out on the same day as its equivalent south of the border (19 June 1921), there are some differences with what was recorded, and in how it has been presented online.
The post-war world
The 1921 Scottish census was the first to be recorded after the carnage of the First World War and the loss of life arising from the Spanish Flu pandemic. From the war alone there had been some 74,000 Scots estimated to have died, and over 150,000 injured.
Economic unrest
Since the war’s conclusion in November 1918, Britain had been undergoing immense industrial unrest, as it sought to adjust to life after, with unemployment a growing issue, as well as improvements sought for pay and conditions. By 1920 the worldwide demand for coal had collapsed, leading to many disputes with miners and subsequent lockouts. Although a national strike was averted in April 1921, when transport and railway workers decided against striking in support of miners, the Scottish Union of Dock Labourers did down tools on May 7th, as did workers at ports across the country for the next month. Due to the ongoing uncertainty, the census across the UK was in fact postponed for two months from the date that the legislation had prepared for, April 14th, until June 19th, at the start of summer. A consequence of this to bear in mind when looking for
