The webinar will be led by two experts on Census research: Jessamy Carlson, Family and Local History Engagement Lead at The National Archives and Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan, Professor of Design History and Theory and Associate Dean Research at the University of Portsmouth.

Jessamy Carlson will introduce you to the 1921 Census, and associated resources such as the general and county reports, and indexes. Using examples from her own research, Jessamy will explain the format of the 1921 Census, how it differs from previous iterations and how it could be used for a variety of types of research, from personal to family to institutional and community histories.

Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan will talk about her experience of using the 1921 Census - from research on individual people and family history to houses and streets. Using examples from her recent book Ideal Homes and BBC Two's A House Through Time, she will explain what the Census can tell us about people's domestic and working lives. She will focus especially on why the number of rooms occupied in a dwelling matters and what other information can be used to supplement the Census records.

Participants will be able to ask questions to our experts at the end.

About the speakers:

Jessamy Carlson is the Family and Local History Engagement Lead at The National Archives. Previously she developed public engagement partnerships in the Events & Exhibitions team, notably running the First World War 100 programme between 2015 and 2018, and worked on the 20-Year Rule Project in Archive Sector Development. She has worked at The National Archives since 2008.

Deborah Sugg Ryan is Professor of Design History and Theory and Associate Dean Research at the University of Portsmouth. She is author of the award-winning Ideal Homes: Uncovering the History and Design of the Interwar House (Manchester University Press). Her media credits as a presenter, writer and consultant include all 4 series of BBC Two's A House Through Time and BBC Radio Radio 4's Trading Spaces. She is founder and co-host of Twitter's #HouseHistoryHour on Thursdays at 19:00 GMT.

This event is part of the 20sPeople season from The National Archives - a season of exhibitions, activities and events to mark the release of the 1921 Census and connect the people of the 2020s with the people of the 1920s. Find out more at: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20s-people/