Ireland, Church of Ireland Search Forms for Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1731-1870

Historical Context

The Church of Ireland was decreed the State Church in Ireland in 1536 by an Act of the Irish Parliament. After that date, the parishes of the Church of Ireland became an administration focal point for matters of probate and matrimonial jurisdiction.

Historically, each parish in Ireland kept its own records and, since the Church of Ireland was the established church, these parish records were considered state records. In 1876 a law was passed requiring that Church of Ireland parish registers be sent to the Public Record Office (now the National Archives) in Dublin for safekeeping. This law was amended in 1878 to allow parishes with good storage to retain their records, so not all parish records were sent to Dublin. In addition, some ministers made copies of their records before sending the originals away. Therefore, many Church of Ireland records remain, even though the registers sent to Dublin were lost in 1922 in the fire at the Public Record Office. However, prior to this date, there are surviving records of requests for searches carried out within the records and these are included in this collection.

Church of Ireland parish registers list christenings, marriages, and burials. The amount of information recorded varies from parish to parish and from minister to minister.

This Collection

This collection comprises details of searches carried out in Church of Ireland registers and provides details of the applicant and family members. Users may find the following details for individuals (where available):

• Name
• Baptism Date
• Birth Date
• Marriage Date
• Death Date
• Burial Date