The Registry of Deeds - Visiting the Archive
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How to find your way to treasure in this archive in person
The Registry started off life within the walls of Dublin Castle before later moving north of the River Liffey and finally lodging in its current impressive home in the historic Kings Inns building (read this blog piece about the architectural history.) The site is accessible from both Henrietta St. and Constitution Hill - check local buses and tram services for public transport links.
I've enjoyed a couple of visits as previously reported on my Kindred Ancestry blog. If you do visit in person, the Genealogy Room on the top floor of the building is an amazing place where you can literally rummage through history, thumbing (carefully!) through 200+ year old index books to find the references you will need to locate memorials in the transcript books held next door (whimsically nick-named "tombstones" - ledgers so big and heavy that if one of them falls on you from a high shelf, you're going to see stars!)
The Townlands Index Room down the corridor feels a bit like stepping into a Hobbit library - all low ceilings and mezzanine floors, with dark cubby holes for consulting more huge tomes with tiny writing - seriously, bring a magnifying glass.
Rules
The Registry of Deeds is part of the modern Property Registration Authority of Ireland (PRAI) and as such there is not much on the website to specifically address the needs of the genealogist versus say current-day land-owners, property developers etc. There are some rudimentary notes on their Registry of Deeds Services page but personally, I don't think these are very illuminating. However, be sure to scrutinise it very carefully as there are some hyperlinks to other important pages very well hidden in the text. For example, currently (NOV 2021), there are some quite stringent rules on visiting in person and I advise you to study this page on changes to onsite access. There is also one hugely misleading statement to the fact that memorials prior to 1930 have not been microfilmed ... not by the PRAI maybe, but the LDS church DID microfilm a lot! See my Registry of Deeds - Online Access page for more information.
There is also a short video on YouTube entitled "Document Handling in the Registry of Deeds" which you ought to view as a courtesy before any planned visit. At the very least you will be able to see how big the books are!
Once you are safely in the building then you will need to use the finding aids to locate your deed transcript. The practicalities of doing this are addressed in more detail in the following pages;
The Registry started off life within the walls of Dublin Castle before later moving north of the River Liffey and finally lodging in its current impressive home in the historic Kings Inns building (read this blog piece about the architectural history.) The site is accessible from both Henrietta St. and Constitution Hill - check local buses and tram services for public transport links.
I've enjoyed a couple of visits as previously reported on my Kindred Ancestry blog. If you do visit in person, the Genealogy Room on the top floor of the building is an amazing place where you can literally rummage through history, thumbing (carefully!) through 200+ year old index books to find the references you will need to locate memorials in the transcript books held next door (whimsically nick-named "tombstones" - ledgers so big and heavy that if one of them falls on you from a high shelf, you're going to see stars!)
The Townlands Index Room down the corridor feels a bit like stepping into a Hobbit library - all low ceilings and mezzanine floors, with dark cubby holes for consulting more huge tomes with tiny writing - seriously, bring a magnifying glass.
Rules
The Registry of Deeds is part of the modern Property Registration Authority of Ireland (PRAI) and as such there is not much on the website to specifically address the needs of the genealogist versus say current-day land-owners, property developers etc. There are some rudimentary notes on their Registry of Deeds Services page but personally, I don't think these are very illuminating. However, be sure to scrutinise it very carefully as there are some hyperlinks to other important pages very well hidden in the text. For example, currently (NOV 2021), there are some quite stringent rules on visiting in person and I advise you to study this page on changes to onsite access. There is also one hugely misleading statement to the fact that memorials prior to 1930 have not been microfilmed ... not by the PRAI maybe, but the LDS church DID microfilm a lot! See my Registry of Deeds - Online Access page for more information.
There is also a short video on YouTube entitled "Document Handling in the Registry of Deeds" which you ought to view as a courtesy before any planned visit. At the very least you will be able to see how big the books are!
Once you are safely in the building then you will need to use the finding aids to locate your deed transcript. The practicalities of doing this are addressed in more detail in the following pages;
My 4xGGF, John Jones signing his son's marriage settlement in 1805
Taking photographs and obtaining copies
The PRAI recently announced a welcome change to their photography policy in that it is now permitted to photograph memorial transcripts for personal use as long as they are over 100 years old. This is currently free of charge but you are required to fill in an application form.
You can of course transcribe the deed in situ, but some of them may run to many pages. For significant deeds, I would recommend shelling out whatever the current charge is for a copy of the actual deed. I was able to order this when I visited and it was posted to my home. Unfortunately it is not clear from the website whether you can do this remotely for anything before 1930 - probably best to email them and hope they reply.
My understanding is that copies are made from the original memorial lodged in the basement of the building not the Transcript Book and as such it is likely to be larger and possibly clearer to read. It is also likely to contain more expansive information than the transcript book, where the clerks were very fond of abbreviating commonly used words and phrases, or even names. For example, this was how I found out my 4x great grandfather was actually called Joshua, not Joseph or James as I had previously guessed from the scrawled "Jos." or was it "Jas." in the transcript book.
The other major advantage of owning a copy of the original deed is that it will have your ancestors signatures and seals. How lovely is that?!
The PRAI recently announced a welcome change to their photography policy in that it is now permitted to photograph memorial transcripts for personal use as long as they are over 100 years old. This is currently free of charge but you are required to fill in an application form.
You can of course transcribe the deed in situ, but some of them may run to many pages. For significant deeds, I would recommend shelling out whatever the current charge is for a copy of the actual deed. I was able to order this when I visited and it was posted to my home. Unfortunately it is not clear from the website whether you can do this remotely for anything before 1930 - probably best to email them and hope they reply.
My understanding is that copies are made from the original memorial lodged in the basement of the building not the Transcript Book and as such it is likely to be larger and possibly clearer to read. It is also likely to contain more expansive information than the transcript book, where the clerks were very fond of abbreviating commonly used words and phrases, or even names. For example, this was how I found out my 4x great grandfather was actually called Joshua, not Joseph or James as I had previously guessed from the scrawled "Jos." or was it "Jas." in the transcript book.
The other major advantage of owning a copy of the original deed is that it will have your ancestors signatures and seals. How lovely is that?!
Read On ... The Registry of Deeds - Online Access
(c) Irish Geneaography - 2022
