For some years different members of the Group have been involved in transcribing the census records for Spencers Wood and other local villages. This is not a straightforward undertaking as historically part of the village lay in the Parish of Shinfield and part in Swallowfield. To make the task more difficult, as those who have read our book, More from Our Village of Spencers Wood will know, until 1844 parts of both parishes were included in the County of Wiltshire, not Berkshire. Finally the boundary between the two Parishes has changed over time, so that at one time the boundary was almost as far North as the junction of Hyde End Road and Basingstoke Road. All this means that it is necessary to study the records of several different enumeration districts to be sure of covering the Village as a whole.
Although every care has been taken to provide an accurate transcription mistakes are inevitable. If you find one please contact us by email so that we can make corrections.
1841 Census
The 1841 census has been transcribed as a single excel spreadsheet containing separate sheets for (i) Shinfield, Berks, (ii) Shinfield, Wilts and (iii) Swallowfield, Wilts as well as (iv) Hartley Dummer, a separate “Liberty” within the Parish of Shinfield covering Great Lee and Grazeley.
1901 Census
The 1901 census has been transcribed as separate excel spreadsheets for (i) Shinfield East, (ii) Shinfield West and (iii) Swallowfield, with each page in the census reproduced as a separate sheet. The spreadsheet for Swallowfield contains only those pages from the census that relate to Spencers Wood – pages relating to Swallowfield, Riseley and Farley Hill have not been transcribed.