BEWARE THE 1841 SCOTLAND CENSUS...

I found my notes from Genealogist Fenwick in Scotland from July, 2005 when he cautioned me about the 1841 Census: "First the method of listing ages in the 1841 Census was not rigid. A few (census takers) listed the correct ages. Most (census takers) rounded ages from 15 onward to the nearest 5 years. For instance, 17 (actual) would be listed as 15 and 18 (actual) would be listed as 20." I had forgotten this information and it may help to explain some of our issues. He also noted that the census was recorded with pencils in this period and did not always leave a clear record. It's also worth noting his comments that "until the mid to late Victorian period, the celebration of birthdays, like Christmas, was of little consequence. In fact it was not until the advent of national insurance (equivalent of Social Security in US) that the recording of precise birthdays was to become an essential factor".