& how many people will be able to search for their own records in the 1921 census?

The 1921 Census Returns will be made public on January 6^th 2022 – almost 101 years after they were recorded and including 38 million lives. This Census was the first to record divorce and also the first to record detailed employment information; significantly it is the last time that most of us will be alive to see the publication of a new census – the next one will be the 1951 census in 2051/2; the 1931 Census was destroyed by fire and there was no Census in 1941 because it was war-time; thank goodness for the 1939 Register.

(Here’s a challenge: we’d like to hear from any mathematicians/epidemiologists who can work out what percentage of the population alive on January 6th 2022 will still be alive to see the next census published in 2051!)

The 1920 Census Act decreed that 100 years must elapse before census records can be opened up, although they are available for authorised research purposes via the ONS (Office National Statistics) until that time elapses. The point of waiting 100 years is to minimise the misuse of sensitive private information; however, when the 1921 Census Returns are published there will be just over 15,000 people over the age of 100 – the majority of these will be able to search for their own records in the Census Returns (in 2011 there were approx. 11,800 centenarians).

NOTE: The cost of digitising the 1921 Census Returns is being recouped through fees for downloading records; whilst this has been controversial, it is hoped that eventually access will become ‘free-to-view’ (although via subscription to the usual family history websites) – when the 1939 Register was made public on November 2^nd 2015 access was more expensive than this time and fees remained in place until February 2016.

Please take a look at our Census page which includes the history and timeline of Census Records and links to further info: https://www.hicklingnottslocalhistory.com/census-records/

National Archives: 20sPeople: The 1921 Census (nationalarchives.gov.uk)

New information added to the following pages: The Manor, The Marshall family & Hunting.

It’s December – you’re allowed to start Christmas shopping now! Have you bought your animals & wildlife calendar, yet? Full colour images and lots of space to write in; Hickling photos old & new – calendar pages can all be viewed – follow this link.

Thank you to everyone who submitted photographs – sadly, we couldn’t include them all in the finished calendar but they can all be viewed; we hope that you enjoy them all!

We look forward to seeing you at The Plough Inn from 6pm onwards for their first history night! – displays and info, website & slideshows, Chris will be hosting a short quiz and we’ll be raising money for Alzheimer’s research – not to mention a drink at the bar!!

New photographs of the Listed Wharf building on Hickling basin have been added to the Grantham Canal page; including recently received images inside the building (with giant nest) in 2008. Also, the story of Min the black cat’s fishing exploits in 1939.

All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween), All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day (together known as Hallowtide) – how much do you know?

Folklore tells us that on All Hallow’s Eve the worlds of the living and the dead are at their closest – a time when ghostly and magical things are most likely to happen. As centuries pass, ceremonies and rituals and traditions evolve and change; Halloween is a great example of this – trick’o’treating, parties, pumpkins, costumes; is it fun? commercialised? serious? scary? a time for reflection?

Like all old villages Hickling has its ghost stories and tales of the unexpected; if you have stories that you would like to share with us, please get in touch! (Remember; we have privacy and time-bar policies – if you are happy to share your story but don’t want it published on the website or social media, please let us know).

• Hallowtide; consists of three consecutive days – All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween) followed by All Hallow’s Day (All Saint’s Day) and then All Soul’s Day where the souls of all the departed are remembered.
• bbc.co.uk – All Hallow’s Eve
• bbc.co.uk – All Saint’s day and All Soul’s day
• Hallowe’en by Robert Burns: first published in 1786, Burns was a reliable source of the folklore of his time and he added notes explaining sections of his poem (see Steve Roud, below and click here to read Burns’ poem).
• Steve Roud: Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland. “Halloween is probably the most misrepresented and misunderstood festival in the traditional calendar …” (Click here to read the rest of his article with history and extracts).
  • Games, tricks and practical jokes are linked to Halloween from at least the 1700s
  • Folklore tells us that Halloween is a good time for fortune-telling and ‘love divination’; ‘Girls used to veil mirrors and hope to see the face of a future husband when the veil was removed at midnight’.
  • “The following story is true. A young girl hired at a farm in the Hesket District was persuaded to try ‘evening the weights’, ie to go at midnight into a barn where the doors faced east and west, and to make a true or swinging balance on a weighing machine. Upon her return, she was asked by her mistress (who had been instrumental in her trying the charm), if she ‘saw owt’. / ‘Nobbut t’maister,’ was the lassie’s reply, ‘He come in a yeh door and out at t’udder’. / ‘Be gud ta ma bairns, then,’ said her mistress. Not long afterwards the mistress died, and the master eventually married the girl, who kept her promise and treated her step-children the same as her own.” (Cumberland Folk Lore 1929)
• Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase & Fable: “31st October, which in the old Celtic calendar was the last day of the year, its night being the time when witches and warlocks were abroad. On the introduction of Christianity it was taken over as the Eve of All Hallows or All Saints.”
• ‘Hallowed’; 1. ADJECTIVE [ADJECTIVE noun]; Hallowed is used to describe something that is respected and admired, usually because it is old, important, or has a good reputation. (‘Every cricketer wants to prove his worth on the hallowed turf of Lord’s.’ and ‘…one of opera’s most hallowed halls, the Teatro alla Scala, in Milan’.) 2. ADJECTIVE [ADJECTIVE noun]; Hallowed is used to describe something that is considered to be holy. (‘…hallowed ground’ and ‘hallowed be Thy name’). (Collins Dictionary)
• There are many great stories to read but here are a couple of recommendations:
  • Charles Dickens, the Signalman
  • Hauntings by Susan Price; a collection of short stories for young adults but great for everyone; particularly the story of Davy, the shepherd boy.
  • A third, more light-hearted, recommendation is to explore the world of Terry Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters novels – funny and clever, wonderful characters (Esme Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg – brilliant!).
  • Do you have any spooky favourites?

The Census records for 1921 will be released by the National Archives on January 6th 2022; they will be available via Find My Past. For more information, have a look at our Census Records page.

Photos and info now posted for this year’s Scarecrow Weekend.

We are very grateful to have been given access to the Deeds for Old Mill Cottage (opposite the Wharf) – these documents open up all kinds of fascinating new information into changes in the village and the families who lived here.

We have added to the Outhwaite family page; sadly, Mr Outhwaite committed suicide in 1909 and all we had was a simple statement of this fact – this didn’t feel right and so we have found a bit more information about him and his family which helps them to feel more real to us. The strongest message seems to have been the family’s love of music and entertainments – his son (Walter Thomas Outhwaite) later became a professional singer and performer.