Eneclann

Eneclann Newsletter 6 May 2012

Vicky — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:14:05 +0000

Eneclann Newsletter

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In this issue:

New Publications
NCAD New Exhibition
CIRCLE: a calendar of Irish chancery letters

County Focus: Cavan and Monaghan

Dear Eneclann customer,

New Publications

Dail Eireann: The Minutes of Proceedings of the First Parliament of the Republic of Ireland, 1919-1921 (Official Record)
(Download)
This fascinating and extremely valuable historical document, presented in Irish and English and extending to 292 printed pages, is an historical record of the initial hopes and aspirations of the founders of the first Dail.
I.O. (C J C Street), The Administration of Ireland 1920, 1921.
Having access to all the security and intelligence information gathered in Dublin Castle, this is a thorough account of the Irish War of Independence written by a participant and observer of events from a British stand point.
M W Spotswood Green, The Wrecks of the Spanish Armada on the Coast of Ireland, from the Geographical Journal, May 1906
(Download)
This is an exceptional resource for the study and location of the doomed Armada ships off the Irish coast.
John Smith, Irish Diamonds, 1847
(Download)
John Smith’s Irish Diamonds; or, a theory of Irish Wit & Blunders: Combined with other kindred subjects. Containing some 194 printed pages John Smith’s publication is less offensive and more amusing to a contemporary readership than it would initially appear.
There are also four new British titles in this newsletter:� Kelly’s Directory of Kent, 1903; Little Saxham Parish Registers 1559-1850, 1901; Andrew Lang and John Lang (with illustrations by Hugh Thompson), Highways and Byways in the Border, 1913 and James Edmund Vincent (with illustrations by Federick L Griggs) Highways and Byways in Berkshire, 1906.
View the full range of new titles

New Exhibition at the National College of Art and Design

The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) has launched a new exhibition, Document!�

� A curated selection of visual arts documentation from the National Visual Arts Library (NIVAL) which runs until May 26th. This exhibition contains a selection of works from the collections, including the Irish Exhibition of Living Art (IELA) which is even more poignant since the recent death of artist Louis Le Brocquy. Eneclann archived the documents attached to the Irish Exhibition of Living Art, which are now held in the National Visual Arts Library.�

Image: Irish Exhibition of Living Art Scrapbook, 1943-1957. Collection National Irish Visual Arts Library, 2001

CIRCLE: A calendar of Irish chancery letters

Eneclann provided advice on the database for the website CIRCLE: a calendar of Irish chancery letters, c. 1244-1509.� CIRCLE offers users an accessible and accurate summary in English of letters that were issued under the great seal of Ireland and enrolled in the Irish chancery rolls between the reigns of Henry III and Henry VII. The original rolls of the Irish chancery were destroyed in 1922 so this website is an invaluable source for historians. The official launch is May 10 in Trinity College Dublin. You can read more about the launch and the project by following the project on Facebook or by visiting the website.

County Focus: Cavan and Monaghan

We have two counties for you this newsletter!

Both Cavan and Monaghan are covered by Pigot’s, Slater’s and Henderson’s Ulster Provincial Directories, going back as far as 1824. Bailieborough Poor Law Union in County Cavan is included inthe Agricultural Labourer Part 3and Castleblayney and Clones Poor Law Unions in County Monaghan are documented in Part 1.� These publications provide vital insight into the social and economic conditions of the country as it approached the 20th century.

Cavan is also one of the counties surveyed by the Royal Dublin Society in 1802.� The Statistical Survey of Cavancontains a lot of local information, with a particular emphasis on agricultural issues.

Wherever your ancestors come from in Ireland, Counties in Timeis an excellent resource. The CD introduces a sample of the records held in the National Archives of Ireland. The records chosen exist, in nearly all cases, for the 32 counties of Ireland (including Cavan and Monaghan), and cover the period from the late sixteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.

View our full range of Cavan titlesand Monaghan titles.

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Best wishes,
The Eneclann Team

Fiona Fitzsimons at TCD-UCD Innovation Academy

Vicky — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:18:04 +0000

Fiona Fitzsimons, Research Director at Eneclann, was a guest speaker at the TCD-UCD Innovation Academy on Thursday 26 April 2012.

In a paper entitled ‘Protecting your Intellectual Property’, Fiona presented a business case study of Eneclann.

In her presentation Fiona introduced core issues and actions associated with quality, early identification and protection of intellectual property.

Key issues addressed were:

A description of an individual’s legal rights concerning novelty and intellectual property both with reference to their own specific research and in relation to their wider interests.
An explanation of ownership and commercialisation issues arising out of intellectual property along with associated costs of protection, sources of funding and obligations to stakeholders.
A clear articulation of what rights of use they themselves have for intellectual property legally owned by others.

Dr. Paddy Waldron lecture to the Clare Association

Vicky — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:46:33 +0000

Dr. Paddy Waldron, one of Eneclann’s Directors, will be giving a talk to the Clare Association on “From the Talty Farthing to the Talty Millions: tracing a Clare family to Dublin and beyond”. This talk is taking place in Wynn’s … Continue reading →

Eneclann Newsletter 22 April 2012

Vicky — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:05:41 +0000

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In this issue:

Bram Stoker’s family tree

History Festival of Ireland

County Focus: Leitrim

Dear Eneclann customer,

Eneclann uncovers new research on Bram Stoker’s family tree

“I myself am of an old family…” Count Dracula is one of the most terrifying figures in popular culture. He first appeared in 1897, as the title character in Bram Stoker’s book. Since then the name ‘Dracula’ has become shorthand for all vampires.Our research has proven links between the writer’s family, the oldest living Irish manuscript in existence and one of the greatest treasures held in the National Museum of Ireland.Intriguingly, Bram Stoker himself knew of these family connections, and was probably influenced by them when he wrote his best known novel.Read more about our exciting research

The History Festival of Ireland

The History Festival of Ireland is taking place at Lisnavagh House, Rathvilly, County Carlow onSaturday 9th and Sunday 10th June. The festival will discuss history in a lively and engaging manner through events in its History Festival Marquee and Lisnavagh Library Talks.Eneclann’s Research Director, Fiona Fitzsimons, will be chairing the presentation on ‘Unsung Heroines’ on Sunday 10th. Further details and tickets are available through the festival’s website.

County Focus: Leitrim

The Statistical Survey of County Leitrim surveyed the county’s manufacturing and rural economy.

In practice it contains a lot of pre-Famine local detail that is incredibly useful in providing context for family history investigations. In the case of Leitrim, a very grim picture has been painted as to the suffering of its inhabitants. The Agricultural Labourer Part I continues with this theme in the post-Famine period, looking at the social conditions in parts of Leitrim, as well as other Irish counties.

If you’re interested in landed gentry, The Crofton Memoirs describes the genealogy of the Crofton and related families in Connaught, including Leitrim. It is also a good account of Tudor period landholding and governance in Ireland.

Finally, County Leitrim is covered by a number of Slater’s Directories Connaught section. Eneclann have published the directories for 1824, 1846, 1870, 1881 and 1894.

View our full range of titles for County Leitrim or visit the Eneclann shop to see what we have for your county.

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Best wishes,
The Eneclann Team

Research on Bram Stoker’s family tree offers new insights into how he created the vampire Count Dracula.

Vicky — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:00:58 +0000

Count Dracula is one of the most terrifying figures in popular culture. He first appeared in print in 1897, as the title character in Bram Stoker’s book. Since then the name ‘Dracula’ has become shorthand for all vampires.

Our research has proven links between the writer’s family, the oldest surviving Irish manuscript in existence, and one of the greatest treasures held in the National Museum of Ireland.

Intriguingly, Bram Stoker himself knew of these family connections, and was probably influenced by them when he wrote his best known novel.

The Quagmire of Administrative Districts

Vicky — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:13:10 +0000

Successful research hinges on being able to access records that are relevant to your ancestors. But there are no such things as purely ‘genealogical’ records, with a few notable exceptions (In Ireland we have the Gaelic genealogies, and from the 16^th Century when the Ulster King of Arms was first appointed, pedigrees prepared by a herald). Instead, researchers have to create their own patch-work of evidence, drawn from records which were made and kept, because they served the administrative purpose of the civil or church authority, or of an individual (usually a landlord). In this instance, by civil government we mean central and local government. Church authority encompasses both the Established Church which was an arm of central government up to 1869, but also the individual denominational churches and congregations.

Consequently, to be able to identify what records are relevant to your research, you need to know how, why and when different records sets were made, revised, and stored down to the present day. You will also need to know the basic unit of survey for any records source that you use.

But even the experienced researcher can get bogged down in trying to identify a particular place-name or locality, because territorial frameworks and administrative districts have developed in Ireland during two millennia. Consequently smaller territorial units such as townlands and civil parishes, don’t fit neatly within the boundaries of baronies or counties, as all of these defined geographic areas came into being at different times in our history.

When using the Irish records, you need to know the difference between a townland, civil parish, barony and county, and also to know what records correspond to each of these different geographic/ administrative areas.

In the 18^th, 19^th and 20^th Centuries, administrative districts in Ireland were frequently revised. The researcher needs to understand where and when this happened, to avoid searching for their ancestors in the wrong place.

Townlands– The townland is the smallest administrative division used. Many historians think that the origin of townland names is topographical, and that many of the names originated from between the 2^nd and the 8^th/9^th Century. The name ‘townland’ comes from the Saxon ‘toon’ the basic farmed unit. In Ireland, a farmstead, usually with a rath in the middle. These were known in Irish as ‘baile’s. The Irish townlands were first comprehensively recorded between 1824 and 1842 by the Ordnance Survey to facilitate a uniform valuation for local taxation.

Civil parish – derived from the pre-Reformation church parishes. Following the Reformation, the Anglican Church of Ireland was the Established Church supported by tithes. As such it had basic civic responsibilities including poor relief, until its dis-establishment ca. 1869. Civil parishes rarely follow county or barony borders, in part because they often predate both. Likewise civil parish boundaries rarely if ever correspond to RC parish boundaries, as RC parish boundaries were redrawn in the 17^th and 19^th Centuries. There are 2,508 civil parishes.

Barony – A territorial division of a county composed of a number of townlands. The origin of the term, and of its boundaries are obscure, although the barony as an administrative district, was in use by the 16^th Century. Some historians have argued that the barony was the territorial division of former Gaelic lordships. In the 19^th Century, baronies were used as administrative units for taxation, law enforcement and general administration, until the local government acts of the mid century made them largely redundant. The 1891 census was the last to be taken on a barony basis. There are approximately 270 baronies in Ireland.

Grand Jury records refer to the county-at-large or the barony.

County – Counties are the most important unit of local government in Ireland. The county or shire system was implemented in Ireland between the 12^th Century and 1606. The process of shiring involved the crown’s appointment of a sheriff in whom legal, military and administrative authority for the county was vested. However as late as the 17^thcentury, some regions of Ireland were independent of crown authority, either as independent liberties recognized by the common law system, or as autonomous Gaelic lordships. The flight of the earls in 1604 enabled the crown government to shire Ulster, and Wicklow county was established in 1606. County identities were reinforced in 1846 by mapping county boundaries. In 1898 the Local Government Act first established County Councils. Prior to partition, there were 32 counties in Ireland. Partition saw the creation of Northern Ireland, from 6 of the 9 former counties of Ulster. In 1993 the county of Fingal was created as an administrative district, from land formerly in north county Dublin.

Poor Law Unions – In 1838 the English parliament passed an act to create the legal framework to establish a system of poor relief across the island of Ireland (1838 Act ‘for the more effectual relief of the destitute poor in Ireland’). Poor relief, which had previously been the responsibility of the Established Church, would from this point forward be delivered through a ‘work-house’ system. These workhouses were organised within administrative districts known as Poor Law Unions.

Between 1838 and 1841 Ireland was divided into 130 Poor Law Unions – each union originally comprising an average of 15 electoral divisions (2,049 in total).

Each Poor Law Union was financed by the local taxes (known in Ireland as ‘rates’) based on the productive capacity of property held in the district. Between 1847 and 1864 a comprehensive land survey – Griffith’s Valuation – was carried out to calculate the precise amount of local taxes that each householder should pay towards the Poor Law system, regardless of whether they owned the land/ property.

Each Poor Law Union was administered by a local Board of Guardians, a mix of local magistrates sitting ex officio (usually the local big landowner or grandee), and others elected by the local rate-payers (usually representing the interests of strong farmers and merchants in the area). According to the 1838 Act, the Irish poor, unlike their English counterpart, did not have a legal right to assistance. Consequently, the Board of Guardians could literally hold the power of life or death in their districts.

Initially these local Boards of Guardians were responsible to the Poor Law Commissioners in England. In 1847 an amendment to the earlier (1838) act established Irish Poor Law Commissioners in Dublin.

In 1851 the Poor Law Unions were sub-divided into 6 or 7 smaller Dispensary Districts under the Medical Charities Act. There were approximately 798 Dispensary Districts in total.

C. 1850-51, in the wake of the Medical Charities Act and following the Famine – the worst natural disaster ever in Ireland – the Irish Poor Law Commissioners introduced boundary changes to the Poor Law Union system across Ireland. They created an additional 33 Poor Law Unions in Ireland – bringing the total to 163.

The territorial boundaries of the PLUs remained in place for the remainder of the 19^th Century, with a few exceptions. (The most comprehensive study of the geographical extent of the individual Poor Law Unions is George Handran’s Townlands in Poor Law Unions published by Archive CD Books Ireland).

In the later 19^th century the role of the local Boards of Guardians changed, as Poor Law Boards assumed greater responsibility for local government, particularly around issues of sanitation and public health. In 1872 the Poor Law Commission was abolished, and replaced by the newly established local Government Board. The Local government Board retained its authority even after the 1898 Local Government Act, although it could no longer levy local rates for poor relief.

In 1925 the Irish Free State formally abolished the Boards of Guardians, and replaced them with county boards of health and public assistance. The poor law remained operational in Northern Ireland until 1946.

Dispensary districts – In 1851 the Poor Law Unions were sub-divided into 6 or 7 smaller Dispensary Districts under the Medical Charities Act. The Dispensary District was headed by a medical officer paid for by the Poor Rates. There were approximately 798 Dispensary Districts in total.

Registrars’ Districts – Registrar’s Districts were first introduced into Ireland in 1844, and Superintendent Registrar’s Districts in 1863. Although they have survived in some form down to the present day, legislative changes introduced in 1863 and 1972 have significantly changed the extent of these administrative districts.

1844 to 1863 – Registration of civil births, marriages and deaths was only introduced into Ireland in January 1864, nearly a generation after the introduction of civil registration into England and Wales. The reason for this delay was not lack of interest, but because the government wanted to take into account the declared sensitivities of the catholic church in Ireland, which opposed the introduction of civil registration. The very fact that other churches did not voice the same level of opposition, allowed the English Parliament in 1844 to enact the Marriage Act. This 1844 Act provided the legal framework to appoint a body of Registrars to create a civil register of all non-Catholic marriages in their district.

On 1^st April 1845, civil registration of non-catholic marriages in Ireland began. Between 1844 and 1863, the existing Poor Law Unions were adopted as the boundaries for the Registrar’s Districts.

Between 1844 and 1851 there were 130 Registrar’s Districts in Ireland. In 1851 reforms introduced by the Irish Poor Law Commissioners, brought the total number of Registrar’s Districts in Ireland to 163.

1864 to 1971 – Registrar’s Districts and Superintendent Registrar’s Districts. In 1863 the English Parliament enacted a law to provide the legal framework to introduce civil registration of births, marriages and deaths into Ireland.

By this act, civil registration would be administered within the existing administrative framework of Poor Law Unions, and Dispensary Districts. However, the existing administrative framework had to be modified to accommodate the requirements of the new civil registration system.

Between 1844 and 1863 Registrars’ districts had corresponded to the Poor Law Unions. From 1864 onwards these administrative units were now re-named ‘Superintendent Registrar’s Districts.’

The ‘Dispensary Districts’ introduced in 1851, which had sub-divided each Poor Law Union into smaller administrative units, were now re-named ‘Registrar’s Districts.

The medical officer of the dispensary district now assumed the responsibility for civil registration in his catchment area.

After 1972 – The Births, Deaths & Marriages Act of 1972, changed the framework of local administration for civil registration.

Henceforward, officers appointed by the eight new Health Boards acted as Superintendent Registrars in the Republic of Ireland, for births, deaths and RC marriages. There are now 32 Superintendent Registrars in the Republic of Ireland

- each county has 1 Superintendent Registrar

- Donegal, Limerick, Tipperary & Waterford have 2 each, and

- Cork has 3.

Since 1972 registration of non-catholic marriages is not conducted by the Health Boards, but by one of 35 new districts, each of which has a Registrar.

Northern Ireland has maintained a civil register since 1 Jan. 1922.

Eneclann Newsletter 1 April 2012

Brian — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:59:25 +0000

Eneclann Newsletter

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In this issue:

Sale Update

Australian ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’

Project Focus: Deaf Heritage Centre

Research Q&A

County Focus: Derry/Londonderry

Dear Eneclann customer,

Sale Update!

The St. Patrick’s day sale was a great success! There has been a slight delay in dispatching ordered items, due to the volume of sales. We are currently processing orders and all orders will be dispatched by the middle of next week. Thank you for your patience and support.

Australian Who Do You Think You Are?

In case you missed it, series 4 of the Australian version of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ began on Tuesday on SBS. Eneclann researched the Irish family history for the show.

Project Focus: Deaf Heritage Centre

St. Joseph’s School for Deaf Boys, Cabra, Dublin was established in 1857. The school still functions today as a fully operational school for the deaf and is regarded as a flagship and model for the education of the deaf throughout the world. Eneclann archivists carried out an archive project on behalf of the Deaf Heritage Centre in June 2011. This project involved the digital imaging of a collection of photographic material.�

Read more about Eneclann’s work for the Deaf Heritage Centre.

Research Q&A

This newsletter Fiona Fitzsimons, Research Director at Eneclann, answers Betty Jane Chalfant’s question about tracing a family of colonial settlers. Read Fiona’s advice for� Betty Jane and have a look at our older Q&As

If you’ve got a question you’d like to ask Fiona, post it on our Facebook page or send it to us at marketing@eneclann.ie

County Focus: Derry/Londonderry

The Annals of Derry is a must-have for anyone interested in the history of Derry, it is a chronological account from the earliest times.� The Register of Derry Cathedral 1642-1703 might help break down a few brick walls if you’re looking for ancestors in the second half of the 17th Century.� Our range of Ulster directories that encompass Derry/Londonderry include Pigot’s and Slater’s and could assist in finding your family at a later date. If you’re looking for information about where your ancestors came from to provide excellent context to your research you can try the census reports. These contain detailed statistical information right down to townland level (they are not census returns that contain family details) and you can buy each census report individually as a download or on a CD as a whole.

View our full range of titles for Derry/Londonderry or visit the Eneclann shop to see what we have for your County.

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Best wishes,
The Eneclann Team

Eneclann research Irish family history for Australian WDYTYA?

Vicky — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:18:14 +0000

Eneclann researched the Irish family history for the fourth series of the Australian version of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’. The new series started on SBS on Tuesday 27th March with Shaun Micallef. Tonight (3rd April) the show tells the story of Kerry O’Brien’s (TV journalist) family who left Ireland for Australia, with the Irish research conducted by Eneclann. The series will continue on Tuesday evenings at 7:30pm on SBS. If you aren’t in Australia, or just want a taster of what’s to come, have a look at the sneak peeks below!

Kerry O’Brien episode of Who Do You Think You Are? Australia sneak peek

WDYTYA Australia series 4 sneak peek

Eneclann Newsletter 17 March 2012

Brian — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:09:25 +0000

Eneclann Newsletter

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

In this issue:

St. Patricks Day Sale

New Publications

Petty Sessions Courts Records Online

Research Q&A

New PBS Show ‘Finding Your Roots’

Who Do You Think You Are? Live! 2012

Dear Eneclann customer,

St. Patrick’s Day Sale – 50% off!

Happy St. Patricks Day to our newsletter readers around the world! To celebrate, we’re running a 50% off sale on our titles from today until Sunday 25th March (please note that new releases and titles already on special offer are excluded from the sale).

Visit the Eneclann online shop now

New Publications

We have three new Irish titles for you this newsletter:

Alexander M Sullivan (and James Luby) The Story of Ireland, A Narrative of Irish History, from the earliest ages to the Insurrection of 1867 (1884).

This is the extended American edition of The Story of Ireland, by Alexander Martin Sullivan, an Irish politician, lawyer and journalist, editor and owner of The Nation. This important publication covers more than 650 pages and contains many pen and ink sketches.�

Rev. Francis Burke, Loch Ce and its Annals. North Roscommon and the Diocese of Elphin in Times of Old, 1895.

Burke’s history is well illustrated and very detailed for the history of the church and religious� foundations. It is also an important source for this region of Roscommon.

Reminisinces of Sir Charles Cameron, C.B., 1913.

Cameron’s Reminiscences are recorded in just under two-hundred printed pages but cover a range of events, experiences and stories about the upper echelons of society and what they got up to. More importantly, they detail the lives and conditions of the working poor in Dublin.�

We also have three new British titles: Post Office Glasgow Directory 1866, 1867; William White History Gazetteer and Directory of Lincolnshire 1882 and Kellys Directory of Cambridgeshire, 1883.

� �

View all our new titles

Petty Sessions Courts Records Released Online

Findmypast.ie has launched 1.2 million cases from the Petty Sessions Court records online, with a further 15 million cases to follow throughout 2012.

Read about what is contained in the Petty Sessions Court records and how they can be of use in your research

Research Q&A

This newsletter Fiona Fitzsimons, Research Director at Eneclann, answers Bev Young’s question about her ancestor who emigrated to Australia under the Irish Orphan Scheme. Read Fiona’s advice for Bev and have a look at our older Q&As

If you’ve got a question you’d like to ask Fiona, post it on our Facebook page or send it to us at marketing@eneclann.ie

Eneclann provides Irish research for new PBS show ‘Finding Your Roots’

Eneclann researched the Irish family history for the upcoming PBS show ‘Finding Your Roots’.�

This show, hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., airs on PBS on Sunday March 25.

Read more about ‘Finding Your Roots‘

Who Do You Think You Are? Live! 2012

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Eneclann stand at this� Who Do You Think You Are? Live! We hope to see you again next year. In the meantime, or if you couldn’t make it this year, take a look at some of the photos from the show

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Best wishes,
The Eneclann Team

Finding Your Roots on PBS

Vicky — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:00:26 +0000

Eneclann did the Irish research for the upcoming PBS show ‘Finding Your Roots’. ‘Finding Your Roots’ is hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., well-known from his role on ‘Faces of America‘, a programme on which Eneclann were also Irish family history researchers. Eneclann traced the Irish ancestry of Harry Connick Jr. and Linda Chavez, just two of the celebrities featured on the show.

‘Finding Your Roots’ is a ten part series, starting on PBS (U.S.A.) on Sunday March 25.

In the meantime, you can watch a preview and find out more about the show at the ‘Finding Your Roots’ website.