Findmypast.ie have announced a remarkable new genealogy resource for Irish Family History Research  with 3.5 million entries from Irish Prison Registers 1790-1920

Today, findmypast.ie launched online for the first time the Irish Prison Registers 1790-1920, one of the greatest untapped resources for those tracing their Irish roots.

The original Prison Registers, held at the National Archives of Ireland, cover all types of custodial institutions, from bridewells, to county prisons, to sanatoriums for alcoholics. They contain over 3.5 million entries, spread over 130,000 pages, with most records giving comprehensive details of the prisoner, including: name, address, place of birth, occupation, religion, education, age, physical description, name and address of next of kin, crime committed, sentence, dates of committal and release/decease.

• Launch of exclusive access to the Irish Prison Registers 1790-1920
• · Over 3.5 million entries across 130,000 pages
• · Drunkenness the most common offence – accounting for 25% of cases

The registers offer a real insight into 18^th-19^th century Ireland. They present evidence of a society of rebellion and social confrontation, where rioting and assault of police officers were everyday occurrences, and of rampant poverty and destitution, with the theft of everything from handkerchiefs to turnips.

The reasons for incarceration cover all types of crime but unsurprisingly perhaps the most common offence was drunkenness, which accounted for over 30% of all crimes reported and over 25% of incarcerations. The top five offences recorded in the registers are:

1. Drunkenness – 25%

2. Theft – 16%

3. Assault – 12%

4. Vagrancy – 8%

5. Rioting – 4%

The nature of these crimes was significantly different from those recorded in the UK. The rate of conviction for drunkenness and tax evasion was three times greater, and the rate of both destruction of property and prostitution were double what they were in the UK for the same time period.¹

The records are full of individuals who were arrested for very minor offences, for example a record from the Cork City Gaol Court Book lists an arrest for Giles O’Sullivan (26), with no education and no previous convictions, on the 30^th of March 1848 for being “a dangerous and suspicious character”. Other examples of the heavy hand of the law can be seen in the case of John Cunningham from Finglas (21) who was arrested for “Washing a car on a thoroughfare” and young Christopher Doyle (14) arrested “for being an idle, disorderly rogue and vagabond”.

The Irish population averaged 4.08 million over this time period² and with over 3.5 million names listed in the prison records, it is clear to see how almost every family in Ireland was affected somehow.

Brian Donovan, Director of findmypast.ie, comments: “These records provide an invaluable resource for anyone tracing their Irish ancestors, as during the period covered almost every household in Ireland had a convict in their family. These records provide such a wealth of information that they are sure to shock and surprise almost anyone looking for the missing links in their Irish family tree.”

ABOUT findmypast.ie

Findmypast.ie is the world’s most comprehensive Irish family history website, providing easy-to-search, online access to some of the most significant Irish records that have ever been made available. This new site is a joint venture between two experts in the field: findmypast.co.uk, one of the leading family history websites and part of the brightsolid family, while Eneclann is an award-winning Trinity College Campus Company specialising in genealogical and historical research and the publication of historical records.

Based in Dublin, findmypast.ie has a dedicated team committed to providing the best experience possible when researching Irish family history.

www.findmypast.ie

Technorati Tags: family history, findmypast, findmypast.ie, genealogy

Family History News

From Monday 14 November 2011 there will be changes to weekday openings at LMA.

LMA will close on Fridays, but there will be an extra late night opening on Wednesdays (as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays) until 7.30 pm.

The new opening times are:-

Monday  9:30am – 4:45pm
Tuesday 9:30am – 7:30pm
Wednesday       9:30am – 7:30pm
Thursday        9:30am – 7:30pm
Friday CLOSED

For Saturday openings  and information about visiting the London Metropolitan Archives

please check the LMA website

Technorati Tags: family history, Family History News, genealogy

One million 20^th century Merchant Navy Seamen records are going online for family historians for the first time ever, as Britain approaches Merchant Navy Day on Saturday 3^rd September. But when asked what the Merchant Navy was, 54% of the British population couldn’t answer correctly, even though almost 90% have heard of them. This is a sad fact considering the Merchant Navy was integral to putting Britain on the trade and industry world map and were named by Churchill as Britain’s ‘fourth service’. The revelation comes as findmypast.co.uk, a leading UK family history website, publishes these fascinating records online in partnership with The National Archives.

For the first time, you may be able to see what your ancestors looked like! Click Here to start start searching for free…

Snapshots of mariners

Today’s launch sees records of crew members of UK merchant ships from 1918 to 1941 made available online, including rarely seen photos of the mariners. This is the first time that many relatives will be able to see what their seafaring ancestor looked like and also learn more about the people who made up Churchill’s ‘fourth service’.

The records provide fascinating details about each individual mariner. The most complete records have extremely detailed descriptions, including hair and eye colour, height, and distinguishing marks such as tattoos. In one case, Ordinary Seaman Henry Duncan Abbot from Dundee was listed as having a Chinese death head tattoo with the inscription “Death is Glory” on his right forearm – perhaps not so ordinary after all.

The shocking gap in Britain’s general knowledge is highest amongst the younger generation – just 26% of those aged under 35 know what the Merchant Navy is, compared to a wiser 64% of over 55s. Many will therefore be surprised to learn that the Merchant Navy consists of all seagoing UK vessels with commercial interests and their crews.

So it may be a shock to many that at various points in the last millennium, Britain had the largest merchant fleet in the world. The workforce on these vessels was a casual, ‘jobbing workforce’ so in any one year as many as 1.5 million people could be employed in the Merchant Navy, meaning many people are likely to find ancestors in these records. In the popular BBC programme Who Do You Think You Are?, David Suchet and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen both discovered ancestors who had been in the Merchant Navy.

Debra Chatfield, Marketing Manager at findmypast.co.uk, comments: “This is the first time the UK Merchant Navy Seamen records, with their fascinating images of the mariners, have been made available online. Many people aren’t sure what the Merchant Navy is, even though a large proportion of the UK population will have Merchant Navy seamen in their ancestry. Hopefully these records will help fill the gaps and people will enjoy learning about what life was like for the brave, seafaring merchants who helped the island nation of Britain prosper.”

A floating United Nations

The Merchant Navy Seamen records reveal the diverse crews that manned vessels ranging from cargo liners to passenger ferries to luxury cruise ships, working in a variety of professions and industries through some of the most vital moments in British history.

The term ‘floating United Nations’ has often been linked to the Merchant Navy and these records go further to support this idea. As high as 70% of ships’ crews were made up of international seamen from countries such as the West Indies, Scandinavia and Japan. These records hold details, and in many cases photographs, of these multi-national mariners.

Ship shape and women’s fashion

The Merchant Navy has been in existence for a significant period of British history, owing much of its growth to British imperial expansion. One of the most notable observations from the records is that women were prevalent on the ships. One example is Doris Abbey from Liverpool, a 5’4” Manicurist with hazel eyes, brown hair and a medium complexion – perhaps she joined the Merchant Navy to make sure the mariners’ nails were kept ship shape!

Janet Dempsey, Marine and Maritime Record Specialist at The National Archives comments: “The Merchant Navy Seamen records cover a very significant era in nautical history commencing at the very peak of the popularity of ocean travel, in the time of the great ocean liners, when overseas tourism meant taking to the seas. The years that followed saw the end of this period of prosperity, and the start of the Great Depression. For mariners this was a time when work on board was hard to get, and many men were forced to take other work between voyages to make ends meet.  These newly digitised records make a fascinating social record as well as a valuable family history resource.”

Young hands on deck

At this time, many young mariners were operational at sea and a number of them can be found in the records. One young seaman, Allison Robinson Saville, was a 14 year old boy who was born in Hull in 1904. As Cabin Boy, the lowest ranking male employee, his role would have been to wait on the officers and passengers of the ship, and run errands for the ship’s Captain.

Remembering

Though these records do not cover the war time period, the Merchant Navy supported the Royal Navy during times of conflict, including WW1 and WW2. During these wars the Merchant Navy suffered heavy losses from German U-boat attacks. Official recognition of the sacrifices made by merchant seamen throughout history has taken place every 3^rd September, with the Annual Merchant Navy Parade and Reunion taking place in Trinity Gardens, Tower Bridge on the closest Sunday, this year Sunday 4^th September.

The Merchant Navy Seamen records are the only set of their kind available online and have been published in association with The National Archives. The records show that the seamen who made up the Merchant Navy not only came from the UK, but from every continent, with large numbers from across English-speaking world (notably the Maritime provinces of Canada), from the West Indies and Sierra Leone, and from Scandinavia, Somaliland, China and Japan. There are even some seamen from landlocked Switzerland.

Technorati Tags: family history, findmypast.co.uk, genealogy, merchant navy

I

“Digging Up Your Roots” Series 7

Transmission Dates: January 8th – February 26th 2012

The popular genealogy series ‘Digging up Your Roots’ returns to BBC Radio Scotland in the new year.

BBC Radio Scotland are keen to hear from people who are researching their family history and who may have a question about the life of one a family member, or a great tale to tell.

Contact via mail at: Digging Up Your Roots, BBC Radio Scotland, Beechgrove Terrace, Aberdeen, AB15 5ZT or email at <mailto:diggingupyourroots@bbc.co.uk> diggingupyourroots@bbc.co.uk

BBC Scotland, Beechgrove Terrace, ABERDEEN, AB15 5ZT

Technorati Tags: family history, genealogy

In commemoration of its 100th Anniversary the Society of Genealogists has been awarded the Julian Bickersteth Memorial Medal by the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies. The award is made to persons or organisations who have made notable and exemplary contributions to genealogy and  family history studies in the judgement of and at the discretion of the Institute’s Trustees .

Society Chairman Colin Allen received the award on behalf of the Society  from Dr Richard Baker (Principal of the IHGS) and the Rt. Hon. The Earl of Lytton (President of the IHGS) at a ceremony in Canterbury on 23 July.

Kenneth Julian Faithful Bickersteth was born at Ripon on the 5th July 1885, the third son of the late Dr Samuel Bickersteth. Educated at Rugby, Christchurch, Oxford and Wells Theological College, Julian was ordained in 1909. He came to Canterbury as Archdeacon of Maidstone in 1943, having had a long career in education, both in England and Australia. He died on 16th October 1962, having spent his life “doing good just by being what he was….”, as was said by one well qualified to judge.

Julian Bickersteth’s interest in education and the young never waned and it was from these very real promptings that his idea for The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies arose as a means of investigating the history and structure of family life, which he rightly looked upon as forming the foundation of Christian civilisation. He left the realisation of his aims to Cecil Humphery-Smith, his godson, whom he had invited to form a school for family history studies in 1957. An exhibition of artefacts of family life was brought to Canterbury in 1960 and Julian lived to see the foundation of the Institute in Northgate in February 1961.  In 1964, the Institute was registered as an independent charitable Trust and Cecil Humphery- Smith provided funds so that the Trustees could make an appropriate annual award in memory of the man who was the inspiration and sponsor of the Institute, Julian Bickersteth,

The Medal, designed by the donor in the form of a medieval armorial seal, has the arms of Bickersteth flanked by the Institute’s heraldic badge on the face and an heroic garland of oak leaves surrounding the recipient’s name on the reverse. It is cast from the original die in gilded silver.

The Institute’s Trustees have awarded the Julian Bickersteth Memorial Medal to the following individuals at dinner or luncheon parties held in Canterbury, in London and elsewhere.

Sir Anthony Richard Wagner, KCB, KCVO
John Philip Brooke-Little, CVO
Dr Peter Laslett and Dr E.A. Wrigley
Professor Robert Cecil Gale
Frederick Humphery-Smith, MBE
Donald John Steel
Dr William Urry
Charles Wilfred Scott-Giles, OBE
The Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Francis W. Steer
Dr F.G. (Derick) Emmison, MBE
Sir Andrew Noble, Baronet, KCMG
Lieutenant Colonel Iain Spencer Swinnerton, TD
Leon Jéquier
Major Francis Jones, CVO
Peter C. Bartrum
Sir Colin Cole, KCB, KCVO
Sir Iain Moncrieffe of that Ilk, CVO, QC
Dr Mark Fitch, CBE
G.D. Squibb, MVO, QC
Jiri Louda
George Redmonds
The Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal, KG, GCVO, CB, CBE, MC, FSA    Cecil R.J. Humphery-Smith
Dr Bruno B. Heim, Archbishop of Xanthus
Roger Harmignies
Dr Arlene Eakle
The Hon. Sir George Bellew, KCB, KCVO
Michael Maclagan Esq., CVO
Terrick Fitzhugh
Szabolcs de Vajay
Dr Michael P. Siddons
Jeremy S.W. Gibson
Dr Jean-Claude Loutsch
The Genealogical Society of Utah
Brian Frith Esq., MBE
The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, CB, OBE, MC, FSA
Gerard Joseph Brault
Clifford Reginald Webb
John Archibald Goodall
GENUKI
Robert Douglas Watt OStJ., MA, FHSC, FHS
Professor David George Hey, MA, PhD
Baron Hervé Pinoteau
Dr Nick Barratt

biographical details of recipients of the award up to 2001 can be found on the GENUKI pages http://www.genuki.org.uk/org/awards/bickersteth/recipients.pdf

Technorati Tags: family history, Society of Genealogists Centenary