Details of new digitised church records at PRONI

This Friday sees a significant event in Belfast at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) with the formal launch event for a newly digitised series of church records at the archive. First, here are the details of the launch event, and how to register:

PRONI will highlight the availability of church records that it has digitised at an event at 12:30pm on Friday 22nd September. Digitised records dating from 1642 from 15 churches are now available to view onsite in PRONI. The itinerary for the day is as follows:

12:30pm – 12:45pm: Welcome address by Dr Michael Willis, PRONI Director

12:45 – 1:00pm: How to Search for Digitised Church Records on the PRONI Catalogue, demonstration by Lorraine Bourke, PRONI

1:00 – 1:15pm: Rev Robin Roddie, Archivist, Methodist Historical Society of Ireland, ‘A History of the Methodist Historical Society of Ireland’.

1:15 – 1:30pm: Dr Susan Hood, Librarian and Archivist, Representative Church Body, Dublin.

1:30pm: tea/coffee

If you are available to attend the event, please email Avril Loughlin (avril.loughlin@communities-ni.gov.uk) or register through Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/launch-of-digitised-church-records-at-proni-tickets-37691207416

I am unfortunately unable to attend this event, being currently tied up in Crete on a family matter, and so I emailed the archive to ask for details of the church records in question. Most are new sets of records, with some a re-scan of registers that in the past were very poorly photographed in black and white. Many are from Belfast based churches, but there are others from across the north - they are noted here, with their call numbers immediately after the name:

Church Records Available as Digital Copies in PRONI

Church of Ireland Records

St. Columb’s Cathedral, Londonderry CR1/113
Baptisms 1642 – 1983 (records from 1905 – 1983 are closed)
Marriages 1826 – 1830, 1843 – 1904
Burials 1829 – 1955 (records from 1874 – 1955 are closed)
Vestry Books 1741 – 1793
Vestry Minutes 1823 – 1935

Derryloran Parish, Co. Tyrone CR1/114
Baptisms 1797 – 1995 (records from 1913 – 1995 are closed)
Marriages 1832 – 2000 (records from 1930 – 2000 are closed)
Burials 1855 – 1878

St. Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, Co. Antrim CR1/115
Baptisms 1745 – 1911
Marriages 1745 – 1914
Burials 1745 – 1809

Drumcree Parish Church, Portadown, Co. Armagh CR1/116
Baptisms 1784 – 1930 (records from 1906 – 1930 are closed)
Marriages 1784 – 1930 (records from 1926 – 1930 are closed)
Burials 1784 – 2013

St. Andrew’s Parish Church, Hope Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim CR1/117
Baptisms 1886 – 1933 (records from 1903 – 1933 are closed)
Marriages 1870 – 1889

St. Mary Magdalene Parish Church, Donegall Pass, Belfast, Co. Antrim CR1/118
Baptisms 1847 – 1872
Marriages 1862 – 1872
Burials Not Received
Register of Vestrymen 1870 – 1932
Select Vestry Minutes 1900 – 1911

Dromore Cathedral, Dromore, Co. Down CR1/119
Baptisms 1784 – 1846
Marriages 1784 – 1845
Burials 1784 – 1853

St. Luke’s Parish Church, Mullaglass, Co. Armagh CR1/120
Baptisms 1852 – 1865
Marriages 1845 – 1880
Burials 1853 – 1865
Preachers 1860 – 1865
Vestry Minutes 1870 – 1911
Register of Vestrymen 1890 – 1902
Roll of Subscribers 1877 – 1913

St. George’s Parish Church, High Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim CR1/121
Baptisms 1817 – 1870
Marriages 1817 – 1875
Burials Not Received
Minutes of Congregational Committee 1837 - 1840
Rector’s Notebook 1837 – 1843

St. Patrick’s Parish Church, Ballymacarret, Belfast, Co. Down CR1/122
Baptisms 1827 – 1883
Marriages 1827 – 1874
Burials Not Received
Minutes of general Vestry Meetings 1850 – 1980 (Closed)
Select Vestry Minutes 1891 – 1913


Methodist Church Records

Ballymacarrett Methodist Church (later known as Newtownards Road Methodist Church and now East Belfast Mission) CR6/18
Stewards Book 1871 – 1884

Hyde Park Methodist Church, Parish of Grange, Mallusk, Co. Antrim CR6/19
Marriages 1840 – 1931

Ligoniel Methodist Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim CR6/20
Baptisms 1870 – 1908

Frederick Street Methodist Church, Belfast, Co. Antrim CR6/21
Baptisms 1841 – 1877
Marriages 1840 – 1873

Salem Methodist New Connexion Church, York Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim CR6/22
Baptisms 1829 – 1904
Marriages 1836 - 1844


COMMENT: No doubt there will be something in here for some of you, but I am personally over the moon that the records of St Anne's have been rescanned - the original microfilms were virtually illegible and impossible to use. These records cannot be consulted from home, but must be consulted at the archive itself. But when they are hosted at the best archive across Britain and Ireland, that's not such a chore. Another trip to PRONI beckons soon then - well done team...! :)

(With grateful thanks to Lorraine Bourke and Gavin McMahon at PRONI)

Chris

My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course commences Sept 11th 2017 - details at www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.