Census reveals politicians' links

Cameron and Brown share Scottish roots

Chancellor Gordon Brown and Tory leader David Cameron are descendants of farming families who lived 150 miles apart, the 1841 census shows.

Mr Brown's paternal great-grandparents lived in Aberdeen, while Mr Cameron's worked the land in Inverness-shire.

While the Brown ancestors continued to be labourers and stonemasons, Mr Cameron's gained financial success.

They are among 24 million names in seven Scottish censuses which are now available online from ancestry.co.uk.

Mr Cameron's great-great grandfather was Sir Ewen Cameron, a former chairman of the HSBC bank.

Mr Cameron is also linked to William IV through his father's maternal grandmother.

Ancestry.co.uk spokesman Simon Harper said: "The 1841 Scotland Census entries for Brown and Cameron's ancestors highlight the modern relevance of historical records and in this case may further motivate Mr Brown to ensure his family's upward political mobility by keeping blue-blooded Cameron at bay."

Social change

In 1841, the top three forms of employment were agricultural labourer, servant and independent worker.

By 1901, the most common occupation was scholar, while servant remained second and farmer third.

The website said this change reflected post-Industrial Revolution investment in education and a stream of people continuing to become servants in cities following the Highland Clearances.

The censuses also contains the details of Labour party founder James Keir Hardie in the 1871 census when he worked as a coal miner in the pits of Lanarkshire.

Scottish author and MP John Buchan is in the 1891 census, aged 16 and living in Cathcart, Renfrewshire.