Public Records Office Of Northern Ireland (PRONI)

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) is located in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland in a purpose-built archive. It is overlooked by Samson and Goliath, the two iconic, yellow-painted gantry cranes of the Harland and Wolff shipyard where the doomed Titanic was built.

Following the partition of Ireland, PRONI was established on 22 June 1923 and 2023 saw celebrations to mark its centenary. These included unveiling a ‘treasure trove of documents spanning more than 800 years’ that showcased Northern Ireland’s ‘historical, social and cultural’ history.

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland.

One of the records showcased in this treasure trove is the oldest document currently held by PRONI – a Papal Bull by Pope Honorious III dating back to 1219. The item is dated 12 June 1219, and is one of four 13th century medieval documents within the Abercorn Papers. The document is only four years younger than Magna Carta and predates the Black Death, the Battle of Agincourt and the War of the Roses. The Bull originates from Scotland and was brought to Ireland by the Hamilton family, future Dukes of Abercorn, in the 17th century. The Bull grants a priory and convent in Paisley to the churches of Katkert (Cathcart) in Scotland.

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History of PRONI

PRONI was established by the Public Records Act (Northern Ireland), 1923. The new body opened to the public on Monday 3 March 1924 on the fourth floor of a former linen warehouse in central Belfast (at Murray Street). The immediate challenge was to identify and preserve surrogates of records lost in Dublin during the Four Courts fire on 30 June 1922. The first Deputy Keeper, Dr. David A. Chart successfully replaced many of these records by approaching solicitors, business people, politicians, churches and the landed aristocracy.

However, it was not until 1965, that the Ministry of Finance would approve an actual purpose built repository. This new building, opened in 1972, at Balmoral Avenue and was the first new record office to be built in the UK since the Public Record Office in London was erected in 1838.

Between 1924 and 1982 PRONI was part of the Ministry (later Department) of Finance. The functions were then transferred to the Department of the Environment (DOE), and in 1995, PRONI became an executive agency within the DOE. With the restoration of devolved government in 1999, PRONI became an agency within the new Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL). As part of the implementation of the Review of Public Administration, PRONI ceased to be an agency in 2006 and became a division within the core department. On 9 May 2016, PRONI became a division within the Engaged Communities Group as part of the newly created Department for Communities (DfC). In March 2011, PRONI reopened in new purpose-built premises at 2 Titanic Boulevard, BT3 9HQ, in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast, approximately one mile from the city centre. The £29 million new headquarters includes a larger public search room, a reading room with seats for 78 users (most of which have access to power for laptops), a café, microfilm readers, self-service digital cameras for digital copying, electronic information points, public art integrated into the fabric of the building, lecture theatre facilities, and dedicated exhibition space.

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Collections for Family History Research

PRONI holds many valuable sources for family history research. It provides a number of online archives, regional history and professional information. The online catalogue contains details of over 1.5 million PRONI records. You can download several very useful guidance leaflets specific to Northern Ireland genealogy and local history research. PRONI also holds extensive private collections.

Church Records

Among the main collections for family history research are church records, particularly the registers of baptisms, marriages and burials. These were kept by most of the main religious denominations in Ireland and, as this Guide indicates, many of those for the nine counties of Ulster and indeed elsewhere in Ireland have been copied by PRONI or, in some cases, are deposited in PRONI. Civil registration of births and deaths and of Roman Catholic marriages began in 1864 in Ireland, though Protestant marriages were registered from 1845. Church records are therefore of particular importance before these dates, and most of the copying undertaken by PRONI has concentrated on the pre-civil registration period.

For example, PRONI holds the church records for most places of worship in the six counties of Northern Ireland and a substantial number for the remaining three counties of Ulster (Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan). Church records from counties Clare, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath and Wexford are also available at PRONI. However, these are mostly for Protestant denomination churches.

The Ulster Covenant

The Ulster Covenant was a response to the latest Home Rule Bill to be proposed in Westminster to sort out the long running ‘Irish Question’ by giving Ireland a limited measure of local autonomy. Home Rule was opposed by Unionists, especially those based in Ulster. Sir Edward Carson (Leader of the Irish Unionist Party) and James Craig (the Unionist MP for East Down) appreciated the importance of maintaining order and discipline among their followers. A solemn and binding oath to resist Home Rule that could be signed by the men of Ulster was one means by which Carson and Craig believed they could maintain cohesion in their organisation. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered on 28 September 1912 to show their opposition to Home Rule in Ireland. Men signed the “Solemn Covenant”, and women signed a “Declaration” in their support. The majority of signatories were resident in what is now Northern Ireland, but some came from elsewhere in Ulster or Ireland, as well as abroad in Britain and throughout the Empire.

The archive of the Ulster Unionist Council, held by PRONI, has just under half a million original signatures and addresses of the men and women who signed the Ulster Covenant or corresponding women's declaration. The Ulster Covenant can be searched through the PRONI website.

Valuation Books and Maps

PRONI holds records relating to the valuation of property in Northern Ireland from the 1830s to 1993. Following the valuations in the 1830s and 1860s, re-valuations were done in 1935, 1956, 1975 and 1993. The original purpose was, and still remains, the assessment of every building and every piece of land and an estimation of its financial value. The valuation is, in theory, the amount that an owner would expect to receive if they hired out their property for one year. The valuation of a property is subsequently used in assessing the rates to be paid. Each book usually provides details such as the name of the occupier, the person from whom the property was leased, and a description of the property. The corresponding maps can help you find a property.

Tithe Applotment Books

Tithe was a tax payable to the Established Church (Church of Ireland). There will be a Tithe Applotment Book for almost every parish and townland in Northern Ireland from 1823 to 1837. In some cases, there is no information recorded because the land was of such poor quality that no tithe could be levied, the land was owned outright by the Church and therefore free from tithe, the land was outside the jurisdiction of the Church. The Tithe Applotment Books can also be consulted for free through the National Archives of Ireland website.

Estate Records

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) holds the largest collection of estate records in Northern Ireland. Some estates are better documented than others. In general, it can be said that the larger the estate the more likely it is that extensive and continuous records have survived.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the majority of the population lived on large estates. The administration of these estates produced a large quantity of records, including maps, rentals, and account books.  Rent rolls, leases and maps listing the tenants on the estate, may be the only source available for the period before 1830. The collections in PRONI record details on landholding, tenants, farming, towns, transport, emigration, politics and local administration, as well as the building of schools and churches.

School Records

The records of over 1,600 national (later known as public elementary or primary) schools in Northern Ireland, mainly from the 1860s to the 1940s, are accessible at PRONI. The records may include the names, ages and addresses of pupils enrolled, details of the parents’ occupation and the name of the previous school attended by newly enrolled pupils.

Board of Guardians Records

Before 1858, wills were proved and letters of administration were issued by the Church of Ireland courts.  Unfortunately, these records were lost when the Public Record Office of Ireland (Dublin) was destroyed in 1922.  An index to pre-1858 wills and administrations survived and PRONI holds those for dioceses in Northern Ireland.  Copies of some pre-1858 wills have been uncovered in privately deposited archives held by PRONI and an index to these is available if you ask. From 1858, wills began to be proved by the Supreme Court of Judicature (the High Court).  Only copies of wills have survived for the period 1858-1900.

A fully searchable index to the will calendar entries for the three District Probate Registries of Armagh, Belfast and Londonderry, for 1885-1943 is available on the PRONI website. PRONI holds the original wills and grants of letters of administration for deceased people in Northern Ireland from 1900 to 2004.

Court Records

The earliest criminal files together with the crown books summarising each case and recording the sentence, are to be found in the records of the Crown and Peace Courts for each county in Northern Ireland. Some criminal records date back to 1822, with the majority dating from the 1880s and 1890s.

The order books of the Petty Sessions’ courts, which record minor misdemeanours, and Grand Jury Presentments, which are the chief records of the county administration before 1898, contain valuable information.

PRONI also holds the records of many conflict related court cases for the period of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. However, access to these records is limited to specific circumstances.

Wills and Testamentary Papers

Before 1858, wills were proved and letters of administration were issued by the Church of Ireland courts.  Unfortunately, these records were lost when the Public Record Office of Ireland (Dublin) was destroyed in 1922. An index to pre-1858 wills and administrations survived and PRONI holds those for dioceses in Northern Ireland. Copies of some pre-1858 wills have been uncovered in privately deposited archives held by PRONI and an index to these is available if you ask. From 1858, wills began to be proved by the Supreme Court of Judicature (the High Court). Only copies of wills for the period 1858-1900 have survived.

A fully searchable index to the will calendar entries for the three District Probate Registries of Armagh, Belfast and Londonderry, for 1885-1943 is available on the PRONI website. PRONI holds original wills and grants of letters of administration for deceased people in Northern Ireland from 1900 to 2004.

See also

• Northern Ireland
• Irish genealogy
• Archives in Ireland

Explore more about the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)

• Northern Ireland - Collection Catalog at MyHeritage
• Irish ancestors – Top 5 websites you need to know about webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
• Who were the Scots-Irish? webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars

References

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