Archives: Articles

Irish archives are a major source for Australians researching Irish convict ancestors.

Not all records from the Chief Secretary’s Office in Dublin Castle survive, however, especially from the period before 1836.

Penal transportation to Australia, and later to Bermuda and Gibraltar, covered the years 1791 until 1853, when the sentence of penal transportation was commuted to a prison sentence in Ireland.

The National Archives holds a wide range of records relating to the transportation of convicts from Ireland to Australia covering the period 1788 to 1868, which are available on a the Transportation database. In some cases, these include records of members of convicts’ families transported as free settlers. While the collection of convict petitions dates from the beginning of transportation from Ireland to Australia in 1791, all transportation registers compiled before 1836 were destroyed in 1922. Therefore, if the person you are researching was convicted before 1836, but was not the subject of a petition, he or she will not appear on this database as the records from which the transportation database was compiled are incomplete. A successful search in the records may produce not just a bald official summary, but perhaps one of the thousands of petitions submitted by, or on behalf, of prisoners. The records relating to transported convicts comprise:

• Transportation Registers, 1836–1857;
• Prisoners’ Petitions and Cases, 1788–1836;
• State Prisoners’ Petitions, 1798–1799;
• Convict Reference Files, 1836–1856 : 1865–1868;
• Free Settlers’ Papers, 1828–1852; (f) Male Convict Register, 1842–1847;
• Register of Convicts on Convict Ships, 1851–1853.

The database index of transportation records is designed to be searched by surname, but may also be searched under place of trial, crime or date. Microfilms containing full copies of the records are available in the Reading Room and the index and microfilms are also available in state libraries in Australia. If the search of the transportation database and the microfilms has been successful there may be enough information to pursue the search in other National Archives’ sources, including the Chief Secretary’s Office Registered Papers, which includes Outrage Reports, or in newspapers held in the National Library of Ireland.

What was the transportation system and when did it commence?

The exact origin of the use of transportation as a punishment for crime is obscure, but it seems to have developed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries from a need to avoid what were considered the destabilising influences of particular groups within society. When, during the course of the eighteenth century, the death penalty came to be regarded as too severe for certain capital offences, transportation to North America became popular as a means of mitigating the sentence. Except for very serious crimes, transportation came to largely replace capital punishment. After the American War of Independence, New South Wales replaced North America as a penal colony and capital punishment was largely replaced by a sentence of transportation.

Does the National Archives hold records relating to the transportation of Irish convicts to other destinations?

The surviving transportation records in the National Archives document the transportation of Irish convicts mainly to penal colonies in Australia and Tasmania, and to the West Indies in the final years of the operation of the convict transportation system. However, one small series of documents, State Prisoners’ Petitions, includes documents relating to persons who were transported or exiled to North America, or who opted to join foreign armies in Europe following their implication for involvement in events surrounding the Rebellion of 1798.

When did the transportation of convicts from Ireland to Australia begin and for how long did the system of transporting convicts last?

The transportation of convicts from Ireland to Australia began when the first shipload of convicts left Ireland for New South Wales at the beginning of April 1791. Before this, convicts were transported to North America, but transportation to that destination ceased after the American War of Independence. The transportation of convicts from Ireland to Australia ceased in 1853, due largely to growing opposition of colonists, who regarded the continued use of Australia as a penal colony as a disincentive to the immigration of free settlers. The exception to this was the transportation of people involved in the Fenian Rising of 1867.

How can I get further information on my convict ancestor’s trial and conviction?

Trial records for the periods covered by our transportation records were largely destroyed by fire and explosion in the Public Record Office of Ireland during the Irish Civil War in 1922. Some trials were reported in local newspapers, however, and many of these can be found in the collections of the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. The National Archives does not hold copies of newspapers in its collections.

Are there any police reports relating to the crime committed by my ancestor?

The archives of the Chief Secretary’s Office includes crime reports, some of which might document a convict’s crime. However, locating information on a particular convict can require a level of research that the National Archives cannot undertake on behalf of correspondents and any research in these records must be undertaken personally or by a professional researcher commissioned to perform the work on your behalf.

How can I get further information on my convict ancestor’s imprisonment?

Registers of local prisons, convict depots and convict prisons will contain details of convicts, varying in the level of detail recorded. For example, the register of Grangegorman female convict depot covering the period 11 July 1840 to 22 December 1853, contains some 3,500 entries. Registers of local prisons will include, among details of all prisoners, information relating to those sentenced to transportation. However, locating information on a particular convict can require a level of research that the National Archives cannot undertake on behalf of correspondents and any research in these records must be undertaken personally or by a professional researcher commissioned to perform the work on your behalf.

How can I find out the name of the ship on which my convict ancestor was transported?

The transportation register frequently records the name of the ship on which a convict was transported and where such information is not recorded, determining the name of the ship can involve research in other sources. A good starting point for such research is a publication, The Convict Ships, by Charles Bateson (Glasgow, 1969), which lists ships departing from Great Britain and Ireland and records such information as dates of arrival in Australia and Tasmania.

Were children transported?

There is evidence that children as young as 12 years were, on conviction, sentenced to a term of transportation. In addition, the children of female convicts were generally allowed to accompany their mothers as free settlers, and there are instances where the children of a male convict were also allowed to accompany him. Although there seems to have been no clear policy with respect to allowing children to accompany a convict parent, it is possible that the lack of any defined official policy may have been due to the fact that it was in the interest of the authorities to have as many children as possible sent with their convict parents in order to avoid their becoming a burden on the poor law. The main preoccupation of the authorities was to dispose of children in the cheapest way, whether on board ship or otherwise.

Did any convict transportation ships sink during the voyage?

The Convict Ships by Charles Bateson (Glasgow, 1969), provides a comprehensive description of the voyages, including dates of departure and arrival of the convict transportation ships that sailed from Great Britain and Ireland.

From other sources, I can identify my ancestor’s native county. How can I get further information on my ancestor and his/her family?

For further information please see  Researching Family History.

Where can I find other information on the Irish convict transportation system?

An overview of the system of transportation and descriptions of surviving archival sources that document the operation of the system and the transportation of individual convicts can be found in the articles listed below:

‘Sources in the National Archives for research into the transportation of Irish convicts to Australia (1791-1853)’ by Rena Lohan.

‘The Registered Papers of the Chief Secretary’s Office’ by Tom Quinlan.

The Poor Law was an attempt to come to terms with some of the problems arising out of widespread poverty in Ireland in the early 19th century by providing institutional relief for the destitute.

The Irish Poor Law Act of 1838, heavily influenced by an English Act of 1834, divided the country initially into one hundred and thirty poor law unions each with a workhouse at its centre.

Each union was administered by a board of poor law guardians, some of whom were elected and some appointed from the local magistracy. The system was originally designed to accommodate 1% of the population or 80,000 people but, by March 1851, famine had driven almost 4% of the population into the workhouses. As the 19th century progressed the poor law unions were given many additional functions, particularly in relation to health, housing and sanitation.

Under the Local Government Act, 1898, the poor law unions lost some of their housing and sanitation functions to newly established rural district councils, but remained responsible for poor relief. The early 1920s saw the abolition of poor law unions in the south of Ireland (with the exception of Dublin) and the closure of workhouses to reduce costs. Some workhouses were burned during the War of Independence and Civil War while others were converted into county homes or district hospitals.

There was hardly a facet of Irish life at local level upon which the poor law did not impinge and the records are one of the most important primary sources into life in Ireland from the early 19th to the early 20th centuries.

In general, the minute books of poor law unions have a reasonably good survival rate, but it is unusual for other records to survive in quantity. However, some of the poor law collections held by the National Archives are remarkable for the range of records which they contain. The National Archives holds several very complete collections of workhouse records relating to the North Dublin Union, South Dublin Union, and Rathdown Union (part of counties Dublin and Wicklow). As well as minute books, these collections include indoor registers which give the names and personal details of those entering the workhouse, as well as a wide variety of other records.

The National Archives also holds smaller collections relating to Balrothery Union (part of county Dublin), Bawnboy Union (part of county Cavan), and Dromore West Union (part of county Sligo; on microfilm only). The National Archives also holds orders made by Poor Law Commissioners and Local Government Board (1839–1921) and files of the Dáil Éireann Department of Local Government (1919–1923).

The following guide draws on the archives of the Office of Public Works (OPW) held in the National Archives.

Establishment

The Office of Public Works, or Board of Works, was established as a department of state by legislation passed in 1831 entitled An Act for the Extension and Promotion of Public Works in Ireland (1 & 2 Will. IV, c.33).

It immediately took over functions previously performed by the Directors General of Inland Navigation, the Fisheries Commissioners, the Postmaster General and the Civil Buildings Commissioners.

As well as having at its disposal a large expenditure of public funds to carry out these functions, the OPW also operated as a lending agency with the power to give loans for the establishment, extension or improvement of any existing or proposed public works, provided the project was considered feasible.

Development of Responsibilities

Inland Navigation

The early responsibilities of the OPW with regard to inland navigation were the upper Shannon, Lough Ree and Lough Derg, and the Tyrone, Maigue and Boyne navigations. Other projects were added as the century progressed, as well as the continuing extensive works on the Shannon with respect to both navigation and drainage. Extensive arterial drainage schemes were sanctioned and supervised by the OPW after 1842 with the granting of drainage loans to encourage land drainage.

Fisheries

While initially the OPW’s responsibilities with respect to fisheries were the collection of debts from fishermen and the completion of unfinished piers along the coast, from 1842 it was given considerable powers and responsibilities in the development and organisation of the fisheries and from 1883 it had the power to give grants and loans for the whole or partial cost of the construction or improvement of fishery piers and harbours.

Roads and harbours

Functions taken over from the Postmaster General and the Directors General of Inland Navigation were in relation to the maintenance of hundreds of miles of public roads. The OPW also took over responsibility for the completion of Dunleary Harbour, then newly named Kingstown, Dunmore Harbour, and in 1836 Howth Harbour. The other Royal Harbours of Donaghadee and Ardglass were taken over by the Board in 1838.

Civil buildings

In 1831 the Board took over the responsibilities of the Commissioners of Civil Buildings, which involved it initially in the maintenance of the Law Courts, the official residences of the Lord Lieutenant and the officers of Government in Dublin and the Phoenix Park.

Over the course of the following years, the OPW took charge of the buildings occupied by the Irish Constabulary at Dublin Castle, the Nisi Prius and Rolls Courts and the Law Library at the Four Courts, the Law Library, the Royal Constabulary Depot and the Royal Hibernian Military School at the Phoenix Park, the Royal Hospital at Kilmainham, St. Patrick’s College Maynooth, and the Queen’s Colleges at Belfast, Cork and Galway, the Royal University (later University College Dublin) at Earlsfort Terrace, The Royal College of Science (later Government Buildings) in Merrion Street, the General Post Office in Dublin, the National Museum and National Library, as well as district lunatic asylums, post offices, custom houses and inland revenue buildings, coastguard buildings, schools, constabulary barracks, glebe houses, schoolteachers’ residences, training colleges, dispensaries and employment exchanges.

Disused churches

Under the Irish Church Act of 1869 the OPW was entrusted with the care of disused churches deemed to be National Monuments, and in 1882 it was constituted the authority for the preservation of National Monuments.

Railways

From 1851, the OPW arbitrated between railway companies and landowners over land acquisition under railway legislation passed in 1851, 1860 and 1864. Under the tramways legislation passed in the early 1860’s, the OPW supervised the financial arrangements made by the promoters where a railway company was formed especially for the purposes of the undertaking.

Further legislation in 1889 provided for state assistance by grant or loan to railway companies with a line open for traffic, which meant that the OPW had to make advances out of money at their disposal for local loans. Further legislation in 1896 allowed the OPW, with the sanction of the Treasury, to construct or contract for the construction of a railway in a congested district county.

Using the archives of the OPW

The archives of the Office of Public Works comprise the surviving papers (files, bound volumes, maps and plans) which the OPW accumulated in the carrying out of its business, as described briefly above, since its formation in 1831 and, in some cases, the inherited papers of the bodies whose functions it took over. These papers are held here at the National Archives because of the passing of the National Archives Act, 1986, which provides for the transfer of all government records to the National Archives when they are more than thirty years old. The collection contains upwards of two thousand bound volumes and several hundred thousand documents.

Arrangement of Finding Aids

The archival lists of the Office of Public Works have been arranged according to the functions which that body has performed since its inception in 1831 according to the following scheme:

1. Buildings
2. Piers and Harbours
3. Railways
4. Roads
5. National Monuments
6. Inland Navigation
7. Drainage

The collection is arranged according to the following series reference codes. The OPW collection, with the exception of the OPW/5HC/ series of architectural drawings, is not currently searchable in the online catalogue. Hardcopy finding aids are available in the Reading Room.

OPW/1: Minute Books and Letter Books (held in off-site storage)

OPW/2: Financial Account Books (held in off-site

OPW/3: Engineering Reports

OPW/4: Bound Volumes on all subjects

OPW/5: Pre-1935 Registered Papers

OPW/5/HC: Architectural and engineering drawings

OPW 5HC/1: Dublin public buildings

OPW 5HC/2: Phoenix Park buildings

OPW 5HC/3: Royal Hospital Kilmainham

OPW 5HC/4: Other buildings under the OPW’s remit

OPW 5HC/6: Roads, Bridges, Canals, Drainage and Navigation

OPW/6: Property compensation claims

OPW/7: Unregistered papers on all subjects

OPW/8: Material relating to maritime structures (OPW 8 / KIN (Kingstown sub-series of OPW 8 ) is consulted using a card index in the Reading Room of the National Archives)

OPW/9: Post-1935 Registered Files on all subjects

OPW/10: Records of the Grand Canal Company

OPW/1 and OPW/2 series are held in off-site storage and will not be available until the following working day if requested in person, or three working days if requested by email. Further information is available in Ordering Archives in Advance.and must be ordered in advance.

 

Additional Online Resources

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

‘Sources in the National Archives for researching the Great Famine’, by Marianne Cosgrave, Rena Lohan and Tom Quinlan (parts 1 and 2).

Commissioners for National Education

The Commissioners for National Education (National Education Board) were established in 1831 for the purpose of administering a fund of £30,000 placed at the disposal of the Lord Lieutenant for the education of the poor in Ireland. Their powers were based on a set of instructions drawn up by Chief Secretary Stanley and were not defined in any enactment.

Granted a charter in 1845, the Commissioners were empowered to make grants to existing schools for the payment of teachers and the provision of equipment and also to provide for the building of new schools, to appoint and pay inspectors and to establish a model school for the training of teachers.

Only one model school was first contemplated, a central model school in Dublin which was established in 1833. From 1845 onwards, local model schools began to be established; managed by the local inspectors, their teachers were directly appointed by the Board. The Royal Commission on Education (1868–1870) found that the model schools were an unduly expensive method of training teachers and their use for this purpose ceased from about 1883 onwards, the schools continuing to function as ordinary schools.

The Board was brought to an end in 1922 when its functions were taken over by the Minister for Education, whose department was established by the Ministers and Secretaries Act of 1924.

The published reports of the Commissioners can be consulted online at the Enhanced British Parliamentary Papers on Ireland or in hardcopy in the National Library of Ireland.

The complete ‘List of Teachers Employed by the Commissioners of National Education on 31 March 1905‘ can be viewed here.

Record series

When researching a particular school and the records we hold about it, you will need to consult the index cards in our public Reading Room, in the first instance. They break down what materials there are per school, broken down into the following ED-series. After that, you will consult the finding aids for the relevant series, in order to decide which record(s) you wish to see. All records are stored onsite; some are only given access to on microfilm.

ED/1: Applications for grants, 1832–c.1890

These are applications made to the Commissioners for grants for the building of schools, payment of teachers and provision of equipment. They sometimes include correspondence. Applications are made on printed forms and were originally bound in volumes arranged by county. As many of the volumes were in extremely poor physical condition, they have been disbound and the application files within each volume have been put into individual archival folders. The records are undergoing conservation on an ongoing basis, so some files may be temporarily withdrawn from public use from time to time.

ED/2: Registers, 1832–1963

These are primarily minute books of all proceedings taken in connection with each school. Each school is given a folio number, and at the head of each folio are particulars of the school, as follows: roll number, location, relation if any to religious house, date of establishment, date when taken into connection by the Board, particulars of lease, patrons, controlling committee if any, number and dimensions of schoolrooms, and various particulars relating to the financing of the school. In addition to minutes, the registers may also contain material relating to school finances, attendance, and abstracts of reports by inspectors. Registers for the period 1832–c.1900 are accessible. Those for the period thereafter are inaccessible.

ED/3: Registers, District Model Schools, 1845–1881

As for ED/2

ED/4: Salary Books, 1834–1960’s

These volumes contain details of payments to National School teachers.

ED/5: Salary Books, District Model Schools, 1862–1919

As for ED/4

ED/6: Salary Books, Model Schools, 1862–1919

As for ED/5

ED/7: Newspaper cuttings, 1854–1923

Bound volumes of contemporary newspaper cuttings relating to matters of educational interest. Most of the volumes are indexed.

ED/8: Miscellaneous records (1861–1912 – not available)

ED/9: Files, 1877–1924

These are case files relating to individual schools, dealing with a wide range of subject matter, from routine maintenance to disputes between teachers and managers.

ED/11: Records relating to teacher training colleges and Irish colleges, 1906–1922

These records relate to the administration of teacher training colleges and the recognition, inspection and administration of Irish colleges.

Registered files of the Department of Education, 1922–

This series is a continuation of ED/9 above. The files are listed in date order.

National School registers and roll books

The National Archives has accessioned a small number of registers and roll books from individual schools. The registers are a particularly valuable source of information, giving details of the pupils’ home addresses, parents’ occupations and an account of pupils’ academic progress and attendance record. Lists of roll books and registers –  arranged by county – can be consulted in our Reading Room.

1. Rollbooks and registers received from the Department of Education
2. Rollbooks and registers received by private accession

Registers

The registers provide details of the pupil’s name, date of birth, religious affiliation, residence, occupation of parent or guardian and also details of the last national school attended.

Daily Report Books 

The daily report books provide details on attendance at the school – class by class and day by day. These note the discrepancies between the numbers listed on the rolls and the numbers in actual attendance. They also list grants made to the school.

Roll books 

The roll books list the attendance of named pupils. They contain the date of birth of the pupil, the date when entering the relevant class, the number of the pupil within the school and within the relevant class.

While these are the most commonly donated record classes, other record classes also exist:

• District Inspectors’ Observation Books
• Organisers’ Observation Books
• Corporal Punishment Books
• Religious Instruction Certificates (for members of the Church of Ireland)
• Special Roll Books

Copying

ED/1, ED/2, ED/3, ED/4, ED/5 and the National School registers and roll books cannot be photocopied, due to the fragility and size of the volumes. Photographs of these records may be taken by readers in consultation with the Duty Archivist.

 

In 1919, Herbert Wood, Assistant Deputy Keeper of Public Records, published a comprehensive guide to records deposited in the Public Record Office of Ireland (PROI). This Guide plays a central role for academic researchers in not only establishing what records existed prior to the destruction of the PROI during the Civil War in 1922, but also what records survived.

The Guide has been digitised and can be downloaded here:

Wood’s Guide, part I

Wood’s Guide, part II

What Church of Ireland parish registers are held in the National Archives?

Parochial records (baptisms, marriages and burials) of the Church of Ireland (Anglican Church) pre-1870 are public records and may be held on microfilm in the National Archives.

For records post-1870, it will be necessary to contact the Representative Church Body Library (RCB Library), which holds the archives of the Church of Ireland.

There are microfilm or other copies in the National Archives of the surviving Church of Ireland registers for the dioceses of Ferns, Glendalough, Kildare and Meath, as well as many from other parts of the country and a list of the parish registers on microfilm and their respective microfilm numbers held in the National Archives can be searched online.

Why do you not hold records post-1880? 

Generally, the parochial registers held in the National Archives (original, copy or microfilm) do not post-date 1880 though some range into the 20th century. This is because the records were no longer viewed as public records and there was no longer an obligation to transfer them to the Public Record Office of Ireland, now the National Archives.

What registers are held in Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast?

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), located in Belfast, holds copies of all surviving Church of Ireland registers for the dioceses of Armagh, Clogher, Connor, Derry, Dromore, Down, Kilmore and Raphoe. The northern dioceses include the six counties of Northern Ireland as well as counties Cavan, Donegal, Louth, Monaghan and part of county Leitrim. Copies of those registers from within the Republic that were microfilmed by PRONI, are held by the RCB Library.

How do I know what registers survive?

In 2017, the RCB Library launched an updated list of all Church of Ireland parish registers indicating whether they survive and where they may be held. The names and addresses of the clergy are given in the annual Church of Ireland Directory. A list and a card index of registers in the National Archives as well as lists of transcripts and abstracts may also be consulted in the Reading Room.

What are marriage licences?

Records of marriage licences provide information concerning some Church of Ireland marriages before 1845. People wishing to obtain a licence to marry without having banns called were required to enter into a bond with the bishop of the diocese. The licences and bonds do not survive in the majority of cases, but the indexes to the bonds lodged in each Diocesan Court and the Prerogative Court are available in the Reading Room. Betham’s abstracts of Prerogative and Dublin Diocesan marriage licences give further details while other records of marriage licences are indexed in the testamentary card index, available to consult in the Reading Room.

For the period before 1864, church records provide the only record of most baptisms, marriages and burials. The best general introduction to church records are by James G Ryan (ed), Irish Church Records (Dublin, 1992) and by Steven C ffeary-Smyrl’s Dictionary of Dublin Dissent: Dublin’s Protestant dissenting meeting houses, 1660–1920 (Dublin, 2009).

Most parochial registers (regardless of denomination) for the northern counties of Ireland are available on microfilm in PRONI and the best guide is An Irish Genealogical Source: Guide to Church Records (PRONI, 1994).

Alternative research sources

What are searches in Church of Ireland parochial returns?

Supplementary to the registers themselves, alternative research sources include thirteen volumes of searches in Church of Ireland parochial returns (generally baptisms but sometimes also marriages).

Why were they carried out?

The searches were requested in order to ascertain whether the applicant in the period c.1908–1922 but mainly c.1915–1922, was entitled to an Old Age Pension based on evidence abstracted from the parochial returns then in existence in the Public Record Office of Ireland. The Old Age Pension was introduced in 1908 for people 70 years or over. These individuals had been born prior to the introduction of civil registration in 1864 and had to use alternative sources to prove their age.

Positive searches provide valuable genealogical data though they are not copies of church records and cannot be used to recreate lost registers. There is a comprehensive finding aid in the National Archives to all parishes covered by those searches and it is also available to search online.

Sometimes only one search, against a specific individual, has been recorded from a given parish. Multiple searches against various individuals in city parishes have been recorded in volume thirteen, listed in ‘Parish Registers and related Material’, which is available in the Reading Room.

What is the Religious Census of 1766?

Another source for research is the religious census of 1766, authorised by the Irish House of Lords in March of that year ‘to return a list of the several families in their parishes to this House on the first Monday after the Recess, distinguishing which are Protestants and which are Papists, as also a list of the several reputed Popish priests and friars residing in their parishes’. For more information see Guide to the Religious Census, 1766.

Genealogical Abstracts of Church of Ireland parish registers

An additional source of research is the transcripts of parish registers made for genealogical purposes. While much of the abstracted data is relevant to a given surname only, the wealth of material transcribed can lead to partial reconstruction of registers. Among the best of these genealogical transcripts must be mentioned the parish searches undertaken by Gertrude Thrift (mainly for Dublin), by James Grove White (mainly for Cork), by Tenison Groves and by TU Sadlier. Some collections are indexed according to surname, of which the Thift Abstracts are the best example, otherwise the listing is according to parish. Parish registers searched for genealogical purposes will be found listed in the M [miscellaneous] finding aids in the National Archives or listed by the surname of the researcher, for example in the Thrift card index.

Is there a list of surviving Church of Ireland parish registers?

Copies of parish registers still extant that have been microfilmed or copied will be found listed in the Church of Ireland card index in the National Archives. Copies of vestry minutes and preachers’ books etc. will also be found enumerated and indexed under the name of the parish.

In the 1950’s and again in the 1980’s, a systematic programme of microfilming of Church of Ireland parish registers was undertaken, with the most comprehensive filming being done in the eastern part of the country. There is a card index to all filmed parish registers for the 1950’s filming, arranged under the name of the parish. There are bound finding aids to the later filming, bound by diocese and then arranged according to union and then by parish. The microfilms of Church of Ireland parish registers are freely available to the public.

How do I find information about Church of Ireland parish registers that may not survive?

Further information on Church of Ireland records, their survival or otherwise, is available on the website of the RCB Library.

Transcripts (and some digitised images) of Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland parochial registers of baptisms, marriages and burials for the pre-1900 period are available free of charge on www.irishgenealogy.ie, which is hosted by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Where do I find Church Records not held in the National Archives?

Roman Catholic parish registers

The National Archives does not hold any registers for Roman Catholic parishes. Some registers that had been held on microfilm in the National Library of Ireland have now been digitised and are available free online at www.registers.nli.ie. These include registers for most Roman Catholic parishes up to 1880, and in a small number of cases up to 1900. Original parochial records (baptisms, marriages and burials) of the Roman Catholic Church remain with the relevant parishes. Please consult the website of the National Library of Ireland for more information.

Records not organised on a parochial basis

Jewish Community

Records of the Jewish community in Ireland, including birth records, may be held in the Irish Jewish Museum at 3 Walworth Road, Dublin 8.

Methodist Church 

Records of the Methodist Church in Ireland include registers of baptisms and marriages of the Irish Methodist circuits and chapels. Many are held by the Wesley Historical Society in Ireland in Belfast (which also has a small archive collection in Dublin). Many Methodist records have been microfilmed by PRONI and researchers should consult Steven C ffeary-Smyrl’s Irish Methodists – where do I start? (Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations, Dublin, 2000) for a guide to Irish Methodist records.

Presbyterian Church in Ireland

Records of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland comprise registers of baptisms and marriages. Many are held by the Presbyterian Historical Society in Belfast. Most Ulster Presbyterian records have been microfilmed by PRONI.

Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

Records of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Ireland contain transcript registers of births, marriages and deaths from the 17th century onwards. These are held by the Religious Society of Friends Historical Library in Dublin or the Religious Society of Friends, Ulster Quarterly Meeting in Lisburn.

Landed estate records provide one of the richest sources of archival material available to local historians.

Although not all estate records survive, or are publicly accessible, these collections often provide details of individuals that may not appear in any other official form of record.

Landed estate collections are private archives and access is at the discretion of the owner, unless the collection has been deposited with, or purchased by, an archival repository.

Landed estate collections contain various types of archives:

Leases

Leases are the legal documents that regulate the duration of a tenant’s holding of lands, usually for a period of years or for a number of lives. They also include details of the amount of land held, the rent to be paid each year and any other conditions relating to the leasing of property. Maps or sketch plans of the property to be let are sometimes attached to the lease, and in order for the lease to be valid, the signatures or witnessed marks of all participants must be on the documents with seals attached.

Rentals or Rent Rolls

Rentals or rent rolls provide details of the regular accounts of the rent owed or paid by the tenants on the estate. They also include the conditions of any rent to be paid.

Lease books

Where rentals do not include details of the terms under which tenants held their land, the information may be available in lease-books or collections of original leases.

Correspondence

Correspondence, especially correspondence between a landlord and his agent, can provide insights into problems of estate management, landlord-tenant relations and into economic and social conditions generally. From time to time, either an agent or a specially-commissioned expert drew up a report on the condition of a particular estate, with suggestions for improvement.

Estate maps 

Estate collections frequently include manuscript estate maps that often pre-date the civil mapping of the country by the Ordnance Survey, which did not begin until the early 19^th century. In some cases, these estate maps contain very detailed information on land-holding and land-usage, and may include the names of fields and the name of tenants renting those fields in addition to tenants in adjoining lots. The maps may also include specific details on the demesne and on the demesne house, with indications of tree and flower/shrub plantings.

The National Archives holds a number of significant estate collections. Many more are held in the National Library of Ireland and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast.

Among the most significant estate collections held by the National Archives are:

• Ball estate, Ballsgrove, Drogheda, County Louth  (accession 2000/20)
• Bellew, Barmeath Castle, county Louth, dating from the 11th to the 19th centuries (accession 1121)
• Blake of Ballyglunion, county Galway, dated 1652-1900 (accession M 6931-6)
• Bodkin Family (accession 1155)
• Cahir Estate Company, County Tipperary, dated 1826-1966 (accession 976)
• Colclough of Tintern Abbey, county Wexford, dated 1551-1937 (accessions 1131/7, 1177)
• Congreve of Mount Congreve, county Waterford, dated 1609-1935 (accession 1079)
• Coote, especially of Ballyfin, county Laois and county Limerick, dated 1628-1932 (accessions 999/404, 1025/1/19-26, 1025/3/10, 1025/4/4, 1025/5/1-3, 1147/6, also MFA 37)
• Esmonde of Ballynastragh, county Wexford, dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries (accession 981)
• Franks and Carter Estate Office, Mountrath, County Laois, dating from the 17th to 20th centuries (accessions 1025/1/52-55 & 130-49, 1025/3/19, 1025/3/47, 1025/3/48, 1025/4/10: 1025/5/24)
• King Harman, especially of counties Longford and Roscommon, dated 1604-1893 (accessions 1/211,/270, 1/393, 1/582, 90, 1151)
• Middleton Estate Office, County Cork, dated 1750-1953 (accession 978)
• Palmer of Kenure, county Dublin, dated 1670-1954 (accession 1174)
• Papers of HC Gregory (accession 2001/108)
• Papers of George Gavan Duffy (accession 1125)
• Papers of Brian J Cantwell (accession 1182)
• Papers of William Monsell (accession 1075)
• Pembroke Estate which covers the development of Dublin city and county, dated c.1240-1968 (accessions 1011, 2011, 97/46)
• Pike Fortescue, Ravensdale, county Louth, dated 1626-1949 (accession 1004)
• Richardson Family papers (accession 1197)
• Taylor of Ardgillan, county Dublin, dated 1663-1914 (accession M 7069)
• Vandeleur of Kilrush, county Clare, dated 1785-1929 (accessions 1074/2, 99/13)
• Vigors of Burgage, county Carlow and Holloden, county Carlow, dating 1611-1970 (accessions 1096 and 1140)
• The papers of John Woulfe Flanagan  (accession 1189) and the Woulfe Flanagan Family (accession 1192)
• Private Accessions, 1961-1988 (accession 1025)
• Private Sources 1980-2002
• Private Accessions 1997-2002  (accession 97/13-2002/102)
• Small Private Accessions (accession 97/13-2002/102)
• Family and Estate Papers (accession 99/56)

How to begin research using estate collections

It is necessary to know the area in which an individual or family held a tenancy to begin using estate collections.

Not all estate collections survive or they may still be held by members of a landed family or a legal representative, such as a solicitor or land agent. These archives are private collections and access may not necessarily be given to researchers.

Estate collections held by the National Archives that have been catalogued are accessible to researchers in the Reading Room. Occasionally, a depositor may stipulate as part of the deposit agreement that part of the collection, possibly recent correspondence, is to be closed for a specified period. Any access restrictions will be noted on the front page of the finding aid.

How do I know what estate my ancestors lived on?

In some areas of the county, multiple landed estates existed. Larger estates may have been sub-divided over time as part of marriage settlements, while some estates were sold, particularly in the mid to late 19^th century. In order to trace any surviving estate papers, it is necessary to discover the names of as many local landowners as possible.

This can be done from commercial directories and other printed sources and from the Primary Valuation. Records held in Irish and non-Irish repositories will be indexed in Hayes’s Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation. It will also be necessary to check the ‘Miscellaneous’, ‘Pre-1708 Deeds’, and ‘Estate Maps and Rentals’ finding aids in the Reading Room of the National Archives to trace the most modern accessions. For material still in private hands, the best guide is the reports of the survey of documents in private keeping available in the National Library of Ireland, which are listed in Hayes’s Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation, which is available online at sources.nli.ie.

How do I search estate collections held in the National Archives?

There are a number of pdf lists to the larger estate collections available on the website of the National Archives. Finding aids to all other collections held by the National Archives are only available to researchers in the Reading Room and are not currently accessible online. In the past, estate collections received the prefixes D for Deed or M for Miscellaneous and at a later period, received the prefix 999 for smaller collections or 1000+ for larger collections. Since 1996, estate collections have received the prefix of the year in which the collection has been accessioned. Some smaller collections may contain only one or two items.

Other sources for estate collections

Although the National Archives holds a number of significant landed estate collections, the majority of surviving collections are held in other repositories, including the National Library of Ireland (www.nli.ie) and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni). The Landed Estates Database, hosted by NUI, Galway, can be useful for locating surviving archival collections or determining the name of the family (www.landedestates.ie).

It must also be remembered that many landed estates in Ireland were part of larger estates owned by absentee landlords. Many estate paper collections relating to Ireland are found in the private archives of aristocratic families in the United Kingdom. For further information about Irish sources in British archival repositories see www.irishhistoryonline.ie and www.nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Does the National Archives hold hospital collections?

The National Archives holds records from a number of hospitals, some of which are still in existence and some of which are now defunct. Please see the list below.

Is the National Archives legally obligated to collect hospital archives?

No. The National Archives Act, 1986 does not specifically refer to medical records and so the National Archives does not have any legal obligation at present to house these collections.

Why are some hospital collections held by the National Archives?

The National Archives recognises the historical significance of medical records to the social and medical history of Ireland. Although medical records are not specifically mentioned in the National Archives Act, 1986 the Act does permit the accessioning of private collections that warrant long-term preservation.

Can I visit the National Archives to view hospital collections?

No. Hospital collections are private collections, therefore access can only be granted by the donor. It is necessary for researchers to contact the institution directly to seek permission to access records held in the National Archives. Unless the National Archives receives written permission directly from the unit responsible for such requests in the institution in question, no access will be granted. Access will not be given if permission is not granted through the correct channels.

Why is access so restricted?

Hospital collections are private collections and do not fall under the same legal obligations of access as State papers held in the National Archives. They also often contain very private and personal information, the release of which may breach the patient’s right to privacy.

What collections are held in the National Archives?

The National Archives holds two types of hospital collections, those where the institution no longer exists and those where the institution or a third party manages access to the archives.

The National Archives is the data controller for the following hospital collections:

• House of Industry Hospital (PRIV/1267)
• Jervis Street Hosptial (PRIV/1268)
• Mercer’s Hospital (PRIV/1269)
• Baggot Street Hospital (Royal City of Dublin Hospital) (PRIV/1272)
• Queen’s Institute of District Nursing in Ireland (PRIV/1274)
• Rathdown Hospital and Dispensary/Monkstown Hospital (PRIV/1273)
• Dublin Corporation TB Scheme (PRIV/1275)
• Stella Maris Nursing Home, Pembroke Street, Dublin 2 (DUB/105)

Access to these collections is granted on a case by case basis. All queries relating to these hospital collections should be directed to The Keeper, Collection Care and Public Service or email [email protected].

What other hospital collections are held by the National Archives?

• Peamount Sanatorium, Dublin (PRIV/997/PS)
• Women’s National Health Association of Ireland (PRIV/1212)
• Meath Hospital (PRIV/1271)
• St Brendan’s Hospital, Grangegorman, Dublin (also known as Richmond Lunatic Asylum) (PRIV/1223)
• Rotunda Hospital (PRIV/1263)
• Coombe Lying-in Hospital (PRIV/1270)
• St Brigid’s Mental Hospital, Ballinasloe, County Galway (2011/20)
• St Columba’s Mental Hospital, Sligo (97/40)
• St John’s Hospital, Sligo (Sligo County Home) (PRIV/1184)
• St Brendan’s Hospital, Loughrea, County Galway (Galway County Home) (2010/78)

Access to these collections is restricted and will only be granted when permission is received directly from the institution in question. For details of who to direct access requests to please email [email protected].

For all other hospitals, and for a historical and current overview of hospitals and hospital records in Ireland, please see the Survey of Hospital Archives in Ireland (2015). This is organised by county, and at the end of each chapter there is a summary of institutions visited (holding their own records), and of other repositories such as ourselves.