What happened to Ely's 1861 Census?

One of the most frustrating things about researching 19th century family history in Cambridgeshire, is that most of the 1861 census for Ely is missing. The reason that it is missing is due to flooding which irreparably damaged the census folios before they were able to be microfilmed or digitally scanned.

Where else is the 1861 census missing from?

The Ely census Piece lost was 1039, which covers the Ely wards of Holy Trinity, Ely College, and St. Mary. This also includes the census covering the neighbouring villages of Stuntney and Chettisham.

Many other parishes in England, Wales & Scotland are missing too. FindMyPast have collated quite a comprehensive list.

How can I find my Ely ancestors between 1851 and 1871?

If you're very lucky, you can find a few bits of the 1861 census for those that lived right on the fringe areas of Ely (e.g the Prickwillow area), but you'll mostly have to rely on parish registers, certificates, newspapers, and directories to help you fill the gap left by this valuable source.