Findmypast celebrates the upcoming release of the 1921 Census

January 6th 2022 will see Findmypast publish the 1921 Census of England & Wales in association with The National Archives. For the first time, the details of 38 million people captured in over 18 million colour images will be made available to all, only at Findmypast, enabling the public to access the previously unseen archival material to discover where, how and with whom their ancestors were living 100 years ago.

Since winning the competitive tender to digitize the census in 2019, a team of hundreds of Findmypast conservators, technicians and transcribers have spent the last three years conserving, transcribing and digitising more than 30,000 bound volumes of original documents stored on a mile of shelving. Findmypast have also invested heavily in cutting edge technology to create a product experience that instantly and seamlessly unearths the fascinating stories hidden among the pages of the census, helping everyone who uses it find new family links in the past and present.

This highly anticipated launch is likely to be the last significant census release for England and Wales in many people’s lifetime. Taken once a decade, the census remains secret for 100 years before being opened to the public. However, as the 1931 Census was destroyed in a fire at the Office for Works in 1942, and the 1941 Census was never captured owing to the outbreak of the Second World War, the 1921 Census will fill a huge gap for historians.

Sam Otter, Chief Revenue Officer of Findmypast, said “Given the major national and historical significance of the 1921 Census, we believe its release will create a period of collective curiosity about the past, generating a national moment of reflection. The launch of the Census on January 6th offers millions of unique opportunities to discover family stories that have remained hidden for 100 years, stories that have the power to not only transform your understanding of the past, but also shape your present and future. Our core belief that such discoveries can offer a strong sense of rejuvenation and new-found self-discovery is what underpins the whole concept of our new advert.”

Geoff Gower, Creative Partner at Favour The Brave said; “I’m so proud of this latest execution in our ongoing ‘inspired by’ campaign. Comedy is tough to do, but thanks to the brilliant Dempseys and a fantastically game cast it was great fun to make, and as is often the case, that makes it great fun to watch.”

Directors Ben and Joe Dempsey added "This campaign has been a delight to work on. Strong, simple, witty ideas that push the boundaries leapt off the page the moment we read them. The scripts have provided a great foundation for us to creatively develop the films and bring a level of craft to how the ideas are put across. They’ve been a lot fun.”