home / research /

The archives of the Office of Public Works and their value as a source for local history by Rena Lohan

Introduction | Historical background | Using the archives | The archives

3 Using the archives

For ease of reference, the bulk of the collection has been divided into sections numbered OPW 1 - OPW 9.

3.1 OPW 1

OPW 1 contains records on all subjects emanating from what was termed the Secretarial Branch of the organisation for most of the nineteenth century, consisting entirely of bound volumes in the form of reports, minute books and letter books of outgoing correspondence. It has been further sub-divided into 17 sections, OPW 1/1-OPW 1/17, each of which, with the exception of OPW 1/1, relates to a specific aspect of the Board's activities. Subjects covered in OPW 1/1 include public buildings, piers and harbours, navigation, drainage, railways and the appointment of County Surveyors. The number of volumes in each section can vary from one to several hundred. Most sections include the records of bodies taken over by the Board in 1831. In many cases series of records remained unbroken despite the change in administration. The sections are as follows:

OPW	1/1	General (1800-1906)
OPW	1/2	Coastguard Stations (1847-1873)
OPW	1/3	Public Works Loans (1849-1877)
OPW	1/4	Issue of money from Consolidated Fund (1824-827)
OPW	1/5	Inland Navigation (1800-1884)
OPW	1/6	Fisheries (1819-1873)
OPW	1/7	Roads and Bridges (1825-1877)
OPW	1/8	Piers and Harbours (1807-1877)
OPW	1/9	Linen and Yarn Hall Committee (1828-1887)
OPW	1/10	Railways (1836-1868)
OPW	1/11	Drainage (1842-1862)
OPW	1/12	Lunatic Asylums (1835-1853)
OPW	1/13	Queen's Colleges (1845-1853)
OPW	1/14	Maynooth College (1845-1871)
OPW	1/15	National Schools (1856-1881)
OPW	1/16	Labourers Dwellings (1866-1869)
OPW	1/17	Glebe Loans (1870-1881)

A full list of the above material, by volume, along with explanatory notes
where appropriate, is available at the National Archives.

3.2 OPW 2

OPW 2 contains records of the Accountant's Branch, consisting entirely of bound volumes in the form of ledgers, journals and miscellaneous account books. As in OPW 1, most sections include the records of bodies taken over by the Board in 1831. OPW 2 is subdivided into 22 sections, OPW 2/1-OPW 2/22, each of which, with the exception of OPW 2/1, relates to a specific subject. The sections are as follows:

OPW 2/1	General (1802-1932)
OPW 2/2	Public Buildings and Phoenix Park (1802-1911)
OPW 2/3	Public Works Loans and Grants (1831-1934)
OPW 2/4	Issue of money from Consolidated Fund (1817-1847)
OPW 2/5	Inland Navigation (1730-1924)
OPW 2/6	Fisheries (1820-1888)
OPW 2/7	Roads and Bridges (1831-1871)
OPW 2/8	Piers and Harbours (1807-1884)
OPW 2/9	Linen and Yarn Hall Committee (1828-1873)
OPW 2/10	Railways (1836-1895)
OPW 2/11	Drainage (1842-1931)
OPW 2/12	Lunatic Asylums (1835-1900)
OPW 2/13	Maynooth College (1845-1847)
OPW 2/14	Employment of the Labouring Poor (1846-1921)
OPW 2/15	Land improvement (1847-1937)
OPW 2/16	National Schools, training colleges and dispensaries (1902-1919)
OPW 2/17	Land Act Loans (1874-1934)
OPW 2/18	Irish Reproductive Loan Fund (1875-1890)
OPW 2/19	Church Fund Loans (1880-1930)
OPW 2/20	Seed Loans (1890-1919)
OPW 2/21	Saorst�t Local Loans (1928-1936)
OPW 2/22	Commissioners for Relief of Trade (1820-1826)

A full list of the above material, by volume, along with explanatory notes where appropriate, is available at the National Archives.

3.3 OPW 3

OPW 3 contains records of the Engineer's Branch. Apart from two surveys of the Bog of Allen, one by William Larkin in 1809 and another by Richard Griffith in 1810 (OPW 3/1/1), it consists of 97 reports by engineers on proposed arterial drainage schemes between 1843 and 1880 (OPW 3/1/2) and a series of Shannon Commission engineering minute books for the period 1841-1847 (OPW 3/1/3).

3.4 OPW 4

OPW 4 consists of several sets of bound volumes, including minute books, letter books, as well as site, lease and deed books, relating to the various properties held by the Board in the nineteenth century. There are also annual estimates (OPW 4/8), contracts registers (OPW 4/9), and buildings registers (OPW 4/10). The most comprehensive set is OPW 4/7 which contains minute and letter books of the Shannon Commission and Shannon navigation from 1839 to 1876.

A comprehensive list of all records in OPW 3 and OPW 4 is available at the National Archives.

3.5 OPW 5

3.5.1 Introduction of registration system (1848)

Unlike OPW 1, OPW 2, OPW 3 and OPW 4, this series contains both volumes and papers or files. The volumes, or registers, in OPW 5 act as a catalogue or finding aid to the thousands of files accumulated by the Board between 1850 and 1935 when the system was modernised. In order to use these it is necessary to understand the way in which incoming correspondence was dealt with and the method of registration used. Adapted from the system used in the Treasury, registration was first introduced to the Board in 1848 and was established by 1850. Unlike modern filing systems which identify material from the reference or title, this system was based on registration. This meant the entering, in numerical order, of details of all individual items of incoming correspondence in a series of registers designed specifically for the purpose. The concept of opening and registering an original named file, in which all relevant material simply accumulated over time, was not yet envisaged. Instead each item (or paper as it was termed) was treated independently and number-stamped. Accumulations of papers, or files, were simply formed in the various sections or Divisions within the administration by connecting or jacketing papers relevant to the same subject.

Once established, a file travelled under the number of the latest paper attached. The earliest paper was attached to the next paper, that to the next and so on, according as they were placed on the file. The Registry did not usually see a paper, or the file to which it had been attached, until the subject to which it referred was considered closed. It was then closed and put away. The interval between registration of the first paper and the eventual closing of a file could extend over a period of several years. When attempting to locate a file it is necessary to consult two separate sets of registers, numerical and subject.

3.5.2 Numerical Registers

On arrival at the offices of the Board, each piece of correspondence was allocated the next available number in the numerical register. Registers were replaced annually and a new number sequence commenced. In 1867, for instance, the total number of papers registered between 1 January and 31 December was 21,069. (This increased as the century progressed, especially following the passing of relief legislation, at times reaching up to 100,000.) Other details entered alongside the new number were the date of receipt, subject, and an abbreviation of the division to which it was assigned, such as NS for national schools, PH for piers and harbours or CG for coastguard. Also entered was the title of the office of the person to whom the paper was assigned, such as the Architect, Accountant or Cashier. Details entered later included the number of the next paper to which the original was subsequently added.

The researcher must then locate the new number, and continue in this way until no further follow-on number appears, indicating that the subject was considered closed and the accumulated papers filed away. The letter F usually indicated this. The researcher may then apply for the file under the number entered alongside this final entry. Before the ultimate destination of a paper was reached, several numerical registers may have been investigated.

Although registration began in 1850, there are no surviving numerical registers covering the years 1850-1866. Those for the years 1882, 1883, 1884 and 1934 are also missing. The index volumes listed below for the years 1887-1892 cover the period when an alternative method of registration was tried involving the use of single index volumes to cover all divisions of the Board's activities instead of the series of subject registers discussed below.

The increase in paperwork brought about by the Relief of Distress (Ireland) Act, 1880 (43 Vict. c.4) accounts for the three volumes covering that year and two covering 1881. Volumes have a prefix OPW 5/1 and are as follows:

Year	Volume	Year	Volume
1867	OPW5/1/1	1897-8	OPW/5/1/39

1868	OPW5/1/2	1899	OPW5/1/40
1869	OPW5/1/3	1900	OPW5/1/41
1870	OPW5/1/4	1901	0PW5/1/42
1871	OPW5/1/5	1902	0PW5/1/43
1872	OPW5/1/6	1903	0PW5/1/44
1873	OPW5/1/7	1904	0PW5/1/45
1874	OPW5/1/8	1905	0PW5/1/46
1875	OPW5/1/9	1906	0PW5/1/47
1876	OPW5/1/10	1907	0PW5/1/48
1877	OPW5/1/11	1908	0PW5/1/49
1878	OPW5/1/12	1909	OPW5/1/50
1879	OPW5/1/13	1910	OPW5/1/51
1880	OPW5/1/14 (Vol 1)	1911	0PW5/1/52
1880	OPW5/1/15 (Vol 2)	1912	0PW5/1/53
1880	OPW5/1/16 (Vol 3)	1913	0PW5/1/54
1881	OPW5/1/17 (Vol 1)	1914	0PW5/1/55
1881	OPW5/1/18 (Vol 2)	1915	0PW5/1/56
1885	OPW5/1/19 (Index volume)	1916	OPW5/1/57
1885	OPW5/1/20	1917	0PW5/1/58
1886	OPW5/1/21(Index volume)	1918	0PW5/1/59
1886	0PW5/1/22	1919	OPW5/1/60
1887	0PW5/1/23 (Index volume)	1920	OPW5/1/61
1887	0PW5/1/24	1921	0PW5/1/62
1888	0PW5/1/25 (Index volume)	1922	0PW5/1/63
1888	0PW5/1/26	1923	0PW5/1/64
1889	0PW5/1/27 (Index volume)	1924	0PW5/1/65
1889	0PW5/1/28	1925	0PW5/1/66
1890	0PW5/1/29 (Index volume)	1926	0PW5/1/67
1890	OPW5/1/30	1927	0PW5/1/68
1891	OPW5/1/31 (Index volume)	1928	0PW5/1/69
1891	0PW5/1/32	1929	OPW5/1/70
1892	0PW5/1/33 (Index volume)	1930	OPW5/1/71
1892	0PW5/1/34	1931	0PW5/1/72
1893	0PW5/1/35	1932	0PW5/1/73
1894	0PW5/1/36	1933	0PW5/1/74
1895	0PW5/1/37	1935	0PW5/1/75
1896	0PW5/1/38

3.5.3 Subject Registers

Although the particulars of each paper were first allocated a number in the numerical register, the first set of registers to be consulted by the researcher are the indexed subject registers. There is a separate series for each division within the administration (see OPW 5/2-OPW 5/10 below). Details entered were date of paper, date of registration, number (from numerical register), name of writer and a short one-line synopsis of the subject matter. Registers were replaced annually and contain both a name and subject index. When details of the relevant paper have been located in the subject register and the number noted, the OPW
researcher then looks for the number in the corresponding numerical register for that year. The movement of the papers can then be traced in the manner outlined above. The reference given by the researcher when applying for the file will contain a number followed by a two digit abbreviation of the relevant year, e.g. OPW 12186/52 (for 1852). In the case of very large projects there may be several files running concurrently on a similar topic. It must be borne in mind that not all papers for which there are register entries have survived. Nonetheless the level of detail entered often proves a useful substitute for missing documents. The series are as follows:

OPW 5/2 - Government (1850-1884)

These record details of official communications from Government Departments (Treasury, Admiralty, Home Office, Exchequer Office, Privy Council Office, Ordnance Office, Audit Office and War Office) on a variety of subjects. They cover in an unbroken series the years 1850-1869 with three extra registers covering 1882, 1883 and 1884.
OPW 5/3 - Roads and Public Buildings (1850-1935)

This is the main set of registers dealing with public buildings. Until 1855 there are separate Roads registers interspersed with the series. Until the mid-1870s this series also covered Railways and Miscellaneous items. After this time both Roads and Railways were incorporated into the Miscellaneous series. National Monuments are covered in these.

OPW 5/4 - Harbours, Navigations and Fisheries (1850-1935)

This series also covers fishery piers and harbours and arterial drainage. The subjects covered vary until 1900 when volume titles are standardised as Piers and Harbours, Navigations and Arterial Drainage. All navigations are included from 1855. The names of the navigations, such as Shannon, Boyne and Maigue appear in the relevant index listings.

OPW 5/5 - Miscellaneous and Loans (1850-1935)

To deal with the new responsibilities taken on by the Board in the 1860s and 1870s, it was decided to start a Miscellaneous Division. Beginning in 1872 it dealt with arterial drainage, glebe loans and land legislation (under the 1870 Landlord and Tenant (Ireland) Act. By 1877 subjects covered included railway arbitrations and public health and housing legislation. By the early 1880s it covered tramway and light railway legislation, reformatory schools and, by the mid-1890s, housing of the working classes.

OPW 5/6 - Land Improvement and Drainage (1850-1884)
Information on this subject can also be found in the Harbours, Navigations and Fisheries registers (OPW 5/4) and Miscellaneous and Loans registers (OPW 5/5).

OPW 5/7 - National Schools (1859-1935)

OPW 5/8 - Coast Guard (1865-1935)

OPW 5/9 - Civic Guard and Garda Siochana Barracks (1923-1935)

OPW 5/10 - Relief of Distress (1880-1882)

This was a set of three registers opened in 1880 with the passing of the Relief of Distress (Ireland) Act (43 Vict. c.4).

3.6 OPW 5 Database

Despite the fact that the registers are an invaluable source for researchers, certain disadvantages attach to their use: they are heavy and cumbersome to handle, there are gaps in sequences, two separate sets must be consulted (numerical and subject) possibly extending over several years, and there is no guarantee that the files, once called up, will be there. A database has therefore been compiled of all surviving files in OPW 5 between 1850 and 1935.

3.7 Database of architectural drawings

There is also a database of all buildings for which architectural drawings exist, numbering over a thousand. It covers the large public buildings in Dublin, such as the National Museum, National Library, Royal College Science, Government Buildings, Four Courts, University College, Dublin and Leinster.

3.8 OPW 6

This series deals with the destruction of property and is made up of over 700 Property Compensation Files covering the period 1922-1923. The prefix is OPW 6/1 and details include name and address of claimant and date of claim. The vast bulk are Dublin claims and are in alphabetical order according to street name.

3.9 OPW 7

This series is a miscellaneous collection of material with no identifiable reference. Subjects covered in the series include the Congested Districts Board (OPW 7/7/6), Curragh of Kildare (OPW 7/8), Phoenix Park (OPW 7/21), War Graves (OPW 7/33). It is worth consulting before completing research on any topic.

A full list of all records in OPW 6 and OPW 7 is available at the National Archives.

3.10 OPW 8

Within the archives is a separate collection containing details of over 350 piers and harbours. This material does not form part of the main series of files covered by OPW 5. Much of the material dates from the beginning of the nineteenth century, when piers and harbours were under the direction of the Commissioners of Irish Fisheries. Most of the files contain between two and twenty items. There are, however, considerably larger accumulations for many of the locations, such as 67 items (including plans) for Claddagh, Co. Galway and 87 for Clonakilty, Co. Cork. The collection covers the famine years, when many applications were received for works under the Famine Relief Acts, making it an excellent source for the famine period. 'The collection also holds material for the Royal Harbours (Kingstown, Howth, Dunmore, Donaghadee and Ardglass), for which a much larger volume of material exists, including over 2,500 items for Kingstown Harbour and over 4,500 for Howth Harbour.

3.11 OPW9

An inquiry carried out in 1935 concluded that the separate numbering of each paper was unnecessary and inefficient. The large bound registers were deemed to be not only expensive but unwieldy and could only be operated by a small number of officers at one time. The entering of each letter in the service registers in the Divisions, as well as in the numerical registers in the Registry, involved duplication of work and the subsequent numerous follow-on or chain markings of papers from one to another involved a considerable amount of labour. In practice, papers relating to different aspects of a subject became incorporated in the one file with the result that in considering any particular point a large number of papers had to be examined.

A Central Registry was recommended, with a one file, one number system. The basis of numbering was to be the file. The consecutive numbering of each paper was to cease. Existing registers were to be discontinued and replaced by loose leaf index sheets which could be arranged in a variety of ways. New file covers were introduced with provision for the new referencing system and distinctive colouring for each Division. Tags were to replace the brass paper fasteners. The date fixed for the introduction of the new system was 1 January 1936. By then similar systems were already in operation in the Department of Finance and in a number of other departments. The new referencing system was alpha-numeric, containing up to four elements. The key to all the alpha-numeric codes is available at the National Archives along with listings of all files in each series on database. Maps and plans have been extracted from files and are stored and indexed separately.