Family Tree Magazine

December 2006

Hitchin, Hertfordshire
1851 Census
(HO107/1709-1710)

The 1851 Census for Hitchin, Hertfordshire (HO107/1709-1710) includes the records for Knebworth House, the 'stately home of rock', which has welcomed acts such as Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Queen.

The Lytton family have owned Knebworth House, which began life as a red brick tudor manor house, since 1490. The house was greatly altered by its most famous resident, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who added a heavy gothic element to the building.

Edward, who because an MP in 1831, was also a popular writer of his day, publishing novels such as Pelham, Godolphin, and The Last Days of Pompeii. He also had a talent for coining a memorable phrase, notably 'the pen is mightier than the sword' and 'in pursuit of the almighty dollar'. Edward succeeded to Knebworth in 1843, and often invited illustrious friends from literary and parliamentary circles to stay there, including Charles Dickens.

FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE CENSUS
1. Select the 'Census Records' jigsaw piece from the main menu.
2. Select a piece number - for instance HO107-1709.



3. Every 10th folio is bookmarked, so use the bookmarks to move around the census piece quickly. To get to folio 302, select the bookmark for folio 300-End and scroll forwards. (Right)

If you take a look at the 1851 Census for Hertfordshire, you can find E Bulwer Lytton listed as a baronet and proprietor of land employing 25 labourers. HO107/1709, folio 302 (page 533 of the Acrobat document).
Census sets are available on CD from British Data Archive (www.britishdataarchive.com).

Buy the 1851 Census for Hertfordshire on CD for £19.95 plus £2.50 UK p&p

Online name indexes are available from £5 at www.thegenealogist.co.uk.
(Please note that boundary areas change over time and may differ from county boundaries.)