The aim of this project was to investigate the working population of Downham, an agricultural fen parish in north Cambridgeshire, using information derived from the census enumerators' books for 1851 and 1891. This project originated as part of the course of study for Open University Course DA301 (Studying family and community history: nineteenth and twentieth centuries). The data consist of a partial transcription of the 1851 and 1891 census enumerators' books for Downham, Cambridgeshire. The variables are: enumeration district; folio number; schedule number; address; surname; relationship to head of household; marital status; gender; age; occupation; employment status (1891 only); place of birth; birth county or country; disabilities (1891 only). Please note: this study does not include information on named individuals and would therefore not be useful for personal family history research.