Not stricly correct!
The first national census was in 1841 - and wasn't up to much. There had been earlier local censuses in some areas, but most were little more than polling lists and were of little use.
Parish by parish registers of births, marriages and deaths had been compulsory since 1553, but in most parishes, owing to a lack of enthusiasm by the parish/session clerks, these were either poorly kept, not kept up to date, or even dispensed with until the mid-1700s. There are however, a number of parishes - especially in the older inner cities, with superb parish records going back into the c.16th.
Civil registration i.e. central/official registration of births/marriages/deaths came into being in 1837 (England/Wales) and 1855 (Scotland). Although Scotland was later off of the mark, Scottish certificates even today carry far more information than their English/Welsh counterparts have ever done. Another huge benefit for the genealogist with Scottish origins is that in Scotland, you have a concession (not right) of access to the actual registers, or microfilmed copies, whereas in England/Wales you must actuallt order a copy certificate to get full details from it. I have spent many an interesting hour scouring the registers both in local archive offices and in New Register house in Edinburgh.
For those of you with European roots - I'm thinking of our US members here - many European countries have superb records - Germany and Poland for example, and it is amazing how few were lost duirng WW1/WW2 - even Jewish records largely survive intact!
for those of you who do not know - genealogy is a major part of the Mormon religion, and as a result, the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints have copied and microfilmed regords from all over the world. I have found their family history centres located within their reigous buildings to be most useful, and I have never been put under any religous pressure from their very helpful and knowledgeable staff. Local libraries often have mormon microfilms availble for use.