Ireland Church Records: Difference between revisions

Church records are an excellent source of names, dates, relationships, and places. In fact, church records are the primary source for pre-civil registration (pre-1864) Irish research.  

'''Key Historical Dates'''  

1534 Henry VIII of England enacts the Act of Supremacy enabling him to become the head of the Church of England.  

1536 Irish Parliament declares Henry VIII head of the Church of Ireland and recognizes it as the State Church in Ireland.  

1617 Early attempt to require the registration of baptisms, marriages and burials. Efforts are widely ignored by 1620.  

1634 46th Canon of the Irish Church required the recording of “Christenings, Weddings, and Burials.” Copies of the records are to be returned to the Bishop of each Diocese.  

1660 Restoration to the English Crown of Charles II. Conditions ease for Catholics.  

1661 Reconstitution of Episcopal State Church – A separate commission also investigates Irish land ownership.  

1807 pro forma registers instituted. The first are published by William Watson of Capel Street, Dublin. Registers were further improved in the 1820's. These standardized the recording of the information for births, marriages, and deaths.<br>1832 Irish Tithe Composition Act – provided for tithes to be paid to the State Church, the Church of Ireland.  

1869 Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland as the State Church. All churches are to be equally recognized by the government.  

1875 Act of Parliament proclaiming that the Church of Ireland parish registers are “public records” and as such must be deposited in the Public Records Office, Dublin. Parochial returns sent to the Bishops of each Diocese are also required to be deposited in the PRO, Dublin.  

1905 Parish Register Society of Dublin begins the printed publication of Church of Ireland parish registers. They complete sixteen (16) before the destruction of the records in 1922 and abandon the project thereafter.  

1922 Public Records Office burnt by fire and explosion 21 June. Registers of 1,006 parishes are destroyed. Surviving registers number 637 with copies of the destroyed registers made prior to deposit numbering 124 and the Public Record Office holding an additional 23 copies of registers. Only three of the parochial returns survive.  

1939 Representative Church Body Library (RCBL) begins receiving Church of Ireland parish registers for preservation. As of 1992, the library held 250 original parish registers in the Republic of Ireland, 100 of which are prior to Ireland’s civil registration.  

IRELAND - CHURCH RECORDS<br>

IRELAND, [COUNTY], [PARISH] - CHURCH RECORDS  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

=== Burials ===

These records give the name of the deceased, date of burial and sometimes an occupation or residence (townland). Later years often include the age at death and for children at least one of the names of the parents, usually the father. Burials were restricted for the Catholic clergy and many are to be found in the Church of Ireland. Others are scattered throughout the countryside and may require the Ordinance Survey maps to identify. Prior to 1880, only 214 Irish Catholic parishes recorded burials compared to 1042 that recorded records of baptisms.  

=== Other Catholic Church Records ===

'''Payment of Parish Dues'''  

Some parishes will record the payment of parish dues among its parishioners. Sometimes included are receipts for a particular fund-raising effort, usually that of buildings within the parish.  

'''Entry of Converts'''  

These records generally relate to the baptisms of adults and some of the better examples give the date of birth or age of the adult so baptized.<br>'''Diocesean Archival Materials'''  

The archive materials&nbsp;contain a certain amount of parish miscellany, usually to do with petitions from parishioners to the dioceses requesting favors. Many of these usually center around the retaining or removal of a particular parish priest. These materials are generally located in the diocesan archives library.  

'''Priests or Nuns'''  

Records relating to the lives of priests and/or nuns in the Catholic church are to be found primarily in two sources. The Irish Catholic Directory (published annually since 1836) and the published list Maynooth Students &amp; Ordinations Index 1795-1982 by Patrick J. Hamell (Maynooth: no date) covering the first 100 years of those who entered the seminary at Maynooth.  

Grenham, John. ''Tracing Your Irish Ancestors: The Complete Guide''. Dublin, Ireland: Gill and Macmillan, 1992. (FHL book Ref 941.5 D27gj.)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'''Key Historical Dates'''  

1559 John Knox brings to Scotland the teachings of the Protestant Reformation started by Martin Luther and developed by John Calvin.<br>1600 Presbyterian ministers are required to swear an oath to the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of Ireland. Refusal can result in being refused the right to minister.<br>1608- Plantation of Ulster. As a result of religious persecution in Scotland, <br>1610 Scottish emigration to Ireland begins with the settlement of the newly planted counties in Ulster.<br>1643 Presbyterian Covenant to establish and defend Presbyterianism.<br>1691 Presbyterian ministers are to have a degree to be ordained to the ministry. Most are educated at the universities in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland.<br>1660 Over 100,000 Presbyterians have settled in Ireland.<br>1690’s The Synod of Ulster and the Synod of Munster are formed near the end of the 17thC.<br>1708 130 Presbyterian congregations are established throughout Ireland, but predominately in Counties Antrim and Down. Internal disagreements in the Presbyterian Church lead to the establishment of the... <br>1726 “Non-subscribing” Presbyterians. The Southern Association is formed.<br>1740’s Emigration to North America by Scots-Irish is significant.<br>1740’s Major division in the Presbyterian Church resulting in the formation of the “Seceders.” They form their own ecclesiastical council – the Secession Synod.<br>1744 First Church of Seceders opens near Templepatrick, County Down, Ireland.<br>1750’s Seceders divide into Burgers and Anti-burghers over the issue of the Burgess Oath in Scotland that would allow them to sit on town councils, but the issue has little relevance in Ireland.<br>1760’s Reformed Presbyterians or Covenanters split off due to their strict interpretation to uphold the Covenant of 1643. Split leads to “First” and “Second” Presbyterian churches in some areas.<br>1770’s Another wave of emigration to North America by the Scots-Irish.<br>1782 Marriages performed by Presbyterian ministers are legalized.<br>1798 Presbyterians take an active role in the rebellion to free themselves from British control.<br>1814 Establishment of the Belfast Academical Institute. Most Presbyterian ministers in Ireland are now educated here.<br>1819 Presbyterian ministers are required to keep a register of baptisms and marriages.<br>1840 The Synod of Ulster, which was the main governing assembly in Ireland joins the Secession Synod. Together, they form the “General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.”<br>1844 Marriage Act of 1844 (effective April 1845) legalizes marriages between a member of the Church of Ireland and a Presbyterian. The effect is the start of a formation of a “Protestant alliance.” All Presbyterian marriages are registered in the General Register Office with those of the Church of Ireland.<br>1850’s Presbyterians in Ireland number 650,000 with 433 congregations.  

IRELAND, [COUNTY], [PARISH], [TOWN] - CHURCH RECORDS