The 1921 census has now been published online, capturing the lives of more than 38 million people in post-First World War Britain.

Whether you're interested in looking up a famous person from history or want to take a deep dive into the lives of your own ancestors, here is everything you need to know about how to access the records.

A team of hundreds of technicians, transcribers and conservators have worked tirelessly for three years to digitise more than 30,000 bound volumes of the original documents.

The digital copies are now available online at FindMyPast, but there are limits on what you can see before being asked to pay out.

You can search the database for free - if you're interested in a particular name or profession, these will be available in a basic list.

However, to actually view the individual records and verify identities, there is a charge of £2.50 for every transcript and £3.50 for every original image.

Despite monthly subscriptions being available for FindMyPast, even subscribers have to pay the add-on charges - although there is a 10% discount for 12-month subscribers.

For example, you could see a very basic list of everyone by the name of 'John Smith' in Kent at that time.

To view further information on each person would cost £2.50 - a expense if you're investigating a distant relative with limited information.

However, with a quick trip to London, these records become free to view.

The digital images are accessible at the National Archives at Kew in London, as well as Manchester Central Library and the National Library of Wales.

FindMyPast is also free to visitors in these locations, making it an easy option for those hoping to trace their history from 100 years ago.

The basic search option on FindMyPast is a great starting place, but an advanced search offers more the 30 fields to narrow results.

This includes options to enter previously known information about occupation codes, orphanhood and sub-districts.

Enumerators were dispatched to every corner of England and Wales to collect the data on June 19, 1921.

The documents had previously been withheld under The Census Act 1920, which makes it an offence to disclose personal information until 100 years after the date they were conducted.

This census offers more detail than ever before as individuals were asked for extra information in addition to their age, birth place, occupation and residence.

They were asked to submit their place of work, employer details, and the records gave ‘divorced’ as an option for marital status for the first time.

Some images released by the National Archives show examples of the digital records.

The records show signs of hardship in post-First World War Britain and ironic fears about a flu virus (Spanish Flu), with some pages stained with disinfectant.

Now accessible to the public for the very first time, it provides valuable opportunities to uncover the lives of our ancestors and the history of our communities.