WIREDGOV

Thousands of people across England and Wales will soon get the opportunity to delve into their family history online for free.

The National Archives, in collaboration with UK-based family history website findmypast.com, is providing seven archives and libraries around England and Wales with free access to the recently completed online records of the 1911 census.

The census, available at 1911census.co.uk, provides a snapshot of life in the early 20th century, showing the name, age, place of birth, marital status and occupation of every resident in every home, as well as their relationship to the head of the household.

Oliver Morley, Director of Customer and Business Development at The National Archives, said: 'The 1911 census has been hugely popular and we are excited to be able to help family historians across the country benefit from this fantastic resource.

'Digitising records allows a far greater audience to access them, and that is especially important with records like the census, which are extremely important for genealogists,' he added.

The seven institutions soon to launch free access to the census records are:

• Birmingham Archives & Heritage 
• Devon Record Office (Exeter)
• The National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth)
• Manchester Archives and Local Studies and Greater Manchester County Record Office
• Norfolk Record Office
• Nottinghamshire Archives
• Tyne and Wear Archives

Before planning a trip, visitors are urged to contact the relevant institution to find out the when the service will be available.