Histpop's view of Britain's past.

Byline: Laura Smith

Histpop's view of Britain's past

Apartnership between the National Archives, UK Data Archive at Essex University and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) has made available a previously hidden gem detailing British life in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Online Historical Populations Reports project or Histpop, offers free online access to 200,000 pages of census reports for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, between 1801 and 1937, offering in-depth insights into the economy, society and medicine during a period of immense change. The enormous range of information on offer includes the population's age breakdown, marital and employment status, numbers in the armed forces and how many families occupied each household.

The way the information was recorded offers further insights into more subtle aspects of life, such as class distinctions, medical attitudes and religious and racial prejudices.

Also included is a range of related documents intended to complement the collection, including the registrar general's reports from the period, thousands of pages of documentation about the administration of the census and specially commissioned essays that put the material into context.

The website's homepage is not particularly inviting. With a slightly old-fashioned colour scheme and a block of text explaining what the site contains, it looks rather like a school textbook, which could put some users off. But the site is well organised and the sections clearly labelled, and things improve when you click the browse tab along the top of the page.