Census – lost in transcription

In the chair

Sir, – John FitzGerald (“How the census can help us to fight climate change”, Opinion & Analysis, June 16th) raises interesting issues on the analysis of the 2022 census, including reference to the personal messages left for future generations. He also referred back to some revelations in the 1901 and 1911 censuses.

Readers researching family history often come across unintended, yet amusing, errors of transcription from the original to the typed version. In 1911, a relative of mine in Cootehall, Co Roscommon, had two boarders, both described as “Chairmen of the Ordnance Survey”. I was somewhat surprised to note the largesse of that office, until I found that the original manuscript census form actually described them as “Chainmen”, who measured terrain using chains for the Ordnance Survey, on an away from home allowance of about one shilling a day at that time. –Yours, etc,

PATRICK JUDGE,

Dún Laoghaire,

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Co Dublin.