People tracing their family history can now access the 1911 census for free at local authority archive services across Wales. The census is a record of everyone living in Wales and England in 1911 and is a key resource for those exploring their past.
The 1911 census is only available online as part of the Findmypast package of family history resources. It is an important addition to the wealth of original historical documents held by Welsh archive services. These range from the archives of landed estates and families to local parish records. Archive services in Wales will now provide unrivalled free and local access to family history material.
The Minister for Heritage, Alun Ffred Jones, welcomed the launch of this free service, with grant funding from the Welsh Assembly Government:
“This is part of the Assembly Government’s commitment to provide local access to modern cultural services. With thousands of people tracing their family trees I encourage them to visit their local archive services and the National Library of Wales to discovery how their family lived in the past.
“This initiative is another example of our ongoing commitment to support museum, archive and library services throughout Wales. It follows my announcement last month of an investment package of over £4million to develop the work of libraries, museums and archives.“
There are 13 local authority archive services in Wales, operating through 15 locations. To find your nearest archive service and find out more about researching your family history in Wales visit the Archifau Cymru Archives Wales website.
