0
edits
Ireland Church Records: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Church | The Church of Ireland was decreed the State Church in Ireland in 1536 by an Act of the Irish Parliament. While members of the Church of Ireland were very much a minority, this granted broad powers to primarily the English settlers to be the ruling class. Among this ruling class, numerous records were created to document the laws enacted and to legitimize the displacement of the Catholic citizens. From this point forward, those not of the State Church (also known as the Established Church) began to slowly regain their privileges. | ||
Church records include records of | The parishes of the Church of Ireland served as governmental centers for the administration of matters of probate and matrimonial jurisdiction. Its prelates and clergy became important officers of the state. Membership in the Church of Ireland was fundamental to persons serving in any government position or to owning land and being able to maintain the core of their family wealth. | ||
The church records created as a natural outcome of this process are an excellent source of names, dates, and places. In fact, church records are the primary source for pre-civil registration (pre-1864) Irish research. | |||
Church records include records of christenings, marriages, and burials, sometimes giving birth and death dates. These records were kept in bound registers, usually called parish registers. Church records may include other types of records such as religious census returns, emigration lists, and session or vestry minutes. | |||
The following book contains information about the history and records of many Irish religious denominations: | The following book contains information about the history and records of many Irish religious denominations: | ||
| Line 29: | Line 33: | ||
Couples were usually married in the bride's parish. Permission to marry was obtained in one of two ways: | Couples were usually married in the bride's parish. Permission to marry was obtained in one of two ways: | ||
**'''By banns'''. Couples were required by law to have the minister announce their intent to marry or post notice of their intent on the church door for three consecutive Sundays before the marriage could take place, unless a special license was obtained. This gave others time to object to the marriage. | **'''By banns'''. Couples were required by law to have the minister announce their intent to marry or post notice of their intent on the church door for three consecutive Sundays before the marriage could take place, unless a special license was obtained. This gave others time to object to the marriage. | ||
**'''By license'''. A couple applied to the proper church authority, usually the bishop of the diocese or the Archbishop of Armagh, for a license to marry. An allegation and a bond were drawn up. The allegation listed the names of the bride and groom, their ages, marital statuses, and intended place of marriage. The bond was made to insure that all the information given was valid. The license granted permission to marry. Most Irish allegations, bonds, and licenses have been destroyed. However, some abstracts and indexes of these records for various dioceses remain. The indexes include the names of the intended bride and groom and the year their license was issued. To find the marriage license indexes and abstracts available at the Family History Library, look in the Locality Search of the catalog under the following headings: | **'''By license'''. A couple applied to the proper church authority, usually the bishop of the diocese or the Archbishop of Armagh, for a license to marry. An allegation and a bond were drawn up. The allegation listed the names of the bride and groom, their ages, marital statuses, and intended place of marriage. The bond was made to insure that all the information given was valid. The license granted permission to marry. Most Irish allegations, bonds, and licenses have been destroyed. However, some abstracts and indexes of these records for various dioceses remain. The indexes include the names of the intended bride and groom and the year their license was issued. To find the marriage license indexes and abstracts available at the Family History Library, look in the Locality Search of the catalog under the following headings: | ||
| Line 35: | Line 38: | ||
IRELAND - CHURCH RECORDS | IRELAND - CHURCH RECORDS | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
=== Burials === | === Burials === | ||
| Line 57: | Line 60: | ||
'''Parish Deeds''' | '''Parish Deeds''' | ||
The parish deeds are to be found both in the parish and in the Registry of Deeds, Henrietta Street, Dublin, Ireland. These are particularly useful for the tracing of prominent families prior to the beginning of the parish registers themselves. They are less significant for the general lay member. In some instances, parish property was sublet to tenants and the deeds in some rare examples may identify the names of tenants.<br> | The parish deeds are to be found both in the parish and in the Registry of Deeds, Henrietta Street, Dublin, Ireland. These are particularly useful for the tracing of prominent families prior to the beginning of the parish registers themselves. They are less significant for the general lay member. In some instances, parish property was sublet to tenants and the deeds in some rare examples may identify the names of tenants.<br> | ||
=== Locating Church of Ireland Records === | === Locating Church of Ireland Records === | ||
| Line 249: | Line 252: | ||
As you or your agent search church records, use the following strategies: | As you or your agent search church records, use the following strategies: | ||
**Search all parish registers and other available church records of the appropriate locality for the time period you are researching. | **Search all parish registers and other available church records of the appropriate locality for the time period you are researching. | ||
**Search surrounding localities if you cannot find records in the expected locality. | **Search surrounding localities if you cannot find records in the expected locality. | ||