Records From Ireland

PARISH
An ecclesiastical unit of territory which was early adopted as a civil administrative area. Boundaries of civil and ecclesiastical parishes came to vary from each other over time.

POOR LAW UNIONS
These were the areas of administration for poor relief established under the Poor Relief (Ireland) Act, 1838. Because these areas centered on large market towns to a radius of approx. 10 miles, they often tended to cross county boundaries. They became Superintendant Registrars' Districts at the end of the 19th Century.

Tithes started out as a tax on the agricultural yield of the land (crops and livestock) that was paid to the established church. The original concept was the biblical one that one tenth (the literal meaning of tithe) was paid. A rectory typically received the tithe in kind for the use of the church and it's rector in that parish. However, church politics being what they were, the desire for centralisation of power was great, and the monasteries and religious orders throughout mediaeval times 'impropriated' the tithes. This means that they established a legal right to receive them centrally rather than the rector locally.

When Henry VIII disestablished the monasteries in 1537, these impropriated tithes were effectively sold to the highest bidder and most of them passed into the hands of wealthy, and often absentee, landlords. This system was found throughout England, Wales and Ireland. Tithes were payable in Ireland regardless of a land occupier's religious affiliations, to a mixture therefore of the Church of Ireland and lay impropriators. Not unnaturally Catholic land occupiers resented supporting the Church of Ireland, as did Nonconformists in England and Wales the Church of England. The problems this posed were more acute in Ireland where the Tithe Composition Act of 1823 allowed tithes to be paid in cash instead of kind. The same process happened in England and Wales in 1836 with the passage of the Tithe Commutation Act

The value of these Acts of Parliament to the genealogist is that they often provide a record of who farmed what land, where, what kind of farming went on, and what the yield of the land was worth. The Tithe Applotment books of the 1830s are the source for these. Just because someone is recorded as the Impropriator for Tithes does *not* mean that they owned the land (although they could do), just that they had acquired the right to those taxes on it. The books are ordered by Diocese, by Parish, by Townland. Land areas in Tithe Applotment Books are in units of A. R. P. or Acres, Rods and Perches. The arithmetic means 40 perches to a rod and 4 rods to an acre. Similarly land values are in pounds, shillings and pence; 12 pence to a shilling, 20 shillings to a pound.
Maps of Peoples Homes in Ireland in 1855
This are available from the Irish Government if you know where your interested in. In the book "Oceans of Consolation" there are maps showing ownership of land and land boundaries for the Normile family mentioned in the book. I'll put it on here if I ever find a scanner

The original records go into greater details, showing where each man was stationed, where he had relatives, whether he got married, and if so the date, illnesses, conduct, promotions, cause of death if died in the force; pensioned or retired; as well as a physical description. The index shows the name of each man, a year or birth or an age on enlistment; a county of birth or a country; whether single or married, comments such as died, emigrated, etc., and the reference film number and page for fuller details. This index is an important source for Irish research, even if your ancestor didn't appear to have been in the RIC. He may have enlisted for a few days or weeks and signed out. His details are still on record. This index is a work in progress. This latest update adds another 11,074 records to the previous 58,433 records.

The RIC was disbanded on 31 August 1922 and replaced in the Irish Free State by the Garda Siochana (formed on 21 February 1922) and replaced in Northern Ireland by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (formed on 1 June 1922).
I have copied the records for this English mercenary force that some of our ancestors somehow got involved with.I've been told that one of the Normiles from Glin who was in the RIC during the 1920s went to New York for a time as the IRA were assanating the RIC men. He returned after the south of Ireland gained independence. I know another Normile from Glin was stationed at Birr where they lived for several generations. Quit a few of the Normiles in Glin had government jobs under the English. RIC Post Office, Customs. Some of them moved to Northern Ireland to continue the tradition after the English were booted out of the south. They are still at it in Belfast

Below is a list I found on internet. I have also seen copies of the original documents. These had listed various #s which weren't explained. Also the occupations of their parents I believe.(I've misplaced what I had copied). The fact that they are mostlly fro Limerick tells me they were the family from Glin mostly. Those in Tippery and Cork are most likely family from Glin who had moved when the parents had joined the force. They wre often relocated after joining.