Free searches can be made of the indexes at the 1911 census website, available on computers at Cambridgeshire libraries.

To view transcriptions or images of the original pages, users will need to buy ‘credits’ online using their credit card.

The census has been released early (normally only after 100 years) but some minor parts of the information have been deleted due to their sensitive nature. All the information family historians need to help with their research are there, such as names, ages, gender, occupation, and address.

This is the first census for which we have the original returns as completed by households, with their original handwriting.

The release will enable a lot of people to research ancestors from within their living memory, and for people to research house histories of Edwardian houses built 1901 – 1911.

Public access computers at Cambridgeshire libraries can be booked in advance.