Record

AAW - Archives of the Archbishop of Westminster
- DOW - Diocese of Westminster
  - AP - Archbishops' Papers
    - 5 - Archbishop Herbert Vaughan

Repository	Archives of the Archbishop of Westminster
Ref No	AAW/DOW/AP/5/13
Title	Diocese of Westminster Census
Date	1893
Level	Sub series
Description	The Diocese of Westminster Census - or Westminster Catholic Census as it is also known - was instituted by the Herbert Vaughan when he first took up the post of Archbishop of Westminster. The Census found that there were fewer Catholics in the Diocese than previously estimated. Based on the number of Catholic baptisms carried out, it was assumed that the figure would be near 200,000. In fact, only 130, 817 Catholics were recorded in the Census, with 24, 262 failing to attend Mass, and 27,863 failing to attend Easter duties. According to the Census returns, this meant that fewer than half the number of those who had been baptised Catholics were actively practising their faith. TIn terms of information, the Census returns record the name of the Mission (parish), the address and the name of the Census Taker, as well as the name, age, address and occupation of each person listed. Every person recorded was asked whether they attended Mass, Easter Duties, and Confirmation, whether they were married or not, and if that marriage was 'mixed' (ie if the spouse was a non-Catholic). The remaining questions on the form asked if any children listed attended a Catholic or Non-Catholic Day School, whether the child's faith was in danger, and whether the child was "in imminent danger of joining the Criminal Classes?" The final column on the Census returns allowed the Census Taker to make their own remarks about the individuals listed. These are often highly personal comments and provide useful context and information about the people concerned and their family background. Although it is clear from the original numbering system that all the Diocesan parishes must have been included in the Census, only 43 parishes are contained in this collection. It is not known what happened to the census returns for the remaining parishes. All the records from the Diocese of Westminster Census 1893 have been digitised and made available online by the genealogy subscription service, Find My Past.
Format	Manuscript
Language	English

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