Griffith’s Valuation & Valuation Revision Books
Griffith’s Valuation & Valuation Revision Books
Land records are an extremely important part of genealogical research in Ireland due to the destruction of the majority of nineteenth-century census records. We will look at Griffith’s Valuation, the first truly comprehensive survey of property in Ireland, which covers the period 1848 to 1864, as well as the subsequent Valuation Revision (or Cancelled) Books
Tithe applotment books, freeholders’ registers
Tithe applotment books, freeholders’ registers
The earliest comprehensive nineteenth-century ‘census substitutes’ are the tithe applotment books from the 1820s and 1830s. We will look at these records, the companion tithe defaulters’ lists, and the freeholders’ registers which list those entitled to vote.
The Registry of Deeds
The Registry of Deeds
In 1708 the Registry of Deeds was established in Dublin as a repository for all kinds of documents relating to the transfer of title to land, including leases from landlord to tenant. This talk will explain how to maximise your research time in this important, but often overlooked archive.
Workhouse & local government records
Workhouse & local government records
The poor and destitute in Ireland can be the most difficult groups to trace because they rarely leave a paper trail. The records of the Board of Guardians, i.e. those tasked with administering the Poor Law in Ireland are hugely valuable, especially given the impact of the Great Famine on the period. Through the records such as minute books, outdoor relief registers, indoor registers and vaccination registers, we see glimpses of those admitted to the workhouse, how they were treated, and sometimes giving details on assisted emigration schemes. The session will also explore local government records in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, including records of the grand juries, town commissioners, corporation records and county council records. For example, the grand jury was one of the most important forms of local government of the period, and a greatly underused source for family history.
Graveyards & gravestone inscriptions
Graveyards & gravestone inscriptions
Researchers will be well aware of the value of gravestone inscriptions in their research into the history of their family. This talk will provide an overview of graveyards in Ireland and will highlight the main places to look for recordings of gravestone inscriptions.
Pre-1800 census substitutes
Pre-1800 census substitutes
This presentation highlights census substitutes and other lesser known sources for the early nineteenth and eighteenth century, including: Old Age Pensions search forms, the agricultural censuses of 1803, the 1796 flaxgrowers’ list, 1775 dissenter petitions, the convert rolls, the 1766 and other religious ‘census’ returns, the 1740 ‘Protestant Householders’ List and other miscellaneous material for the period which can provide invaluable information on families.
The Ulster Plantation
The Ulster Plantation
The Ulster Plantation of the early seventeenth century is widely accepted as a period of critical importance in the shaping of modern Ulster. This talk will explore the impact of the Plantation and will discuss sources that can be used to study the families affected by it.
Occupation and business records
Occupation and business records
This talk will explore the range of material that exists for those wishing to research an ancestor who followed a particular occupation. It will also highlight the usefulness of business records for the researcher, identifying where these records can be accessed.
Printed sources – newspapers, street directories, etc
Printed sources – newspapers, street directories, etc
Printed sources are essential for those researching Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors. We will look at a wide range of printed sources including newspapers, street directories and Ordnance Survey Memoirs; as well as identifying how to access this material.
School registers & education records
School registers & education records
The records of the National Education system, introduced in 1831, can be a most useful collection of records for tracing families, especially in the period 1860–1920, and where the records survive back to the 1850s and 40s. As well as providing information on school children the records offer information on teachers, and the establishment of schools and how they were run. They can give details of family movements within Britain and Ireland, and indeed emigration to America, Canada and Australasia. Prior to this period some records also exist for private schools, schools supported by various religious bodies, and schools established to educate the children of the poor. The session will explore the value of these records for family history research.
Law and order records
Law and order records
This talk will cover topics such as the Rebellion Papers in the National Archives of Ireland, the best single source for studying the tumultuous 1790s in Ireland. The talk will also explore records relating to the police, local courts and the prison system in Ireland.