Researching Strongs in Britain and Ireland

IRISH STRONG DATABASE

This webpage is further to a "working discussion" between various researchers concerning the data found below.
Go to the:
Register of Deeds and Other Instruments, Unknown Counties only, Irish Strong Database.
Listing of Wills & Probates only, Irish Strong Database.
Register of Deeds only, Irish Strong Database.
See further Discussion of Possible Research Uses
following the data below:

Data Fields shown are:
County, Date, Record#, Name, Variant (names, etc), Event, Remarks
There are 287 records in this version of the database.

The years covered by the various volumes and LDS Film numbers are as follows:
1708-1729: Film #100266-1
1730-1745: Film #100266-2
1746-1758: Film #100266-3
1758-1768: Film #100266-4
1768-1776: Film #100267
1777-1785: Film #100267
1785-1793: Film #100272
1794-1799: Film #100273
1800-1809: Film #100282
1810-1834: (I didn't review the films, even though they exist; however Dale G. Strong reviewed certain of the actual recorded instruments from the years listed here:
1810-1812: Film #100282 ???)
1835-1839: Film #100304
1840-1849: Film #100316

Next, I reviewed the actual instruments after ordering the documents per the LDS Film #s indicated in each Index "remarks" record shown in the data. I then entered a further record in the database showing what I found on review of the actual instrument. Problematically, some of the handwritten entries were very difficult to read, especially on microfilm... and further, the work was done early on in my learning curve about research in Ireland. There may have been things that would have been obvious to me now which I missed at the time. I can make no guarantees about the accuracy of all of the data as reflected here in the Database.

Unfortunately, I didn't persue research of the Indices to the Irish Registrar of Deeds and the recorded instruments any further than the year 1849. I am sure additional films with further copies of the indices and recorded instruments exist. If anyone can supply additional references and information to add to the list here, please Email: David B. Strong

One interesting thing about the recordings is that occasionally a will would be recorded. Even though most of the wills were lost in the Four Courts Fire, the terms of those that were recorded in the Registrar of Deeds survive. Also, Agreements relative to Marriage Settlements were sometimes recorded... these would be pre-nuptial agreements providing for settlement of properties in dower for the prospective bride, etc. Looking through the Index, it seems likely that many of the deeds recorded in the same time frame as a particular Will or Marriage Settlement Agreement would in fact carry out the terms as provided therein, transferring properties to and from the respective parties.

Now, we are usually talking about a class of people who were either upper class members of the Ascendency, or at least upper Middle Class propertied people. As a rule, leases to tenants or yeoman were not recorded. It strikes me that concentrating a little research effort on the actual terms of various of the deeds, wills, and marriage settlements recorded in the Registrar's records could be quite fruitful. When one thinks about the role of the clergy in the social hierarchy of 18th and 19th century Ireland and Britain, eg., often becoming a cleric was either 1) a way to provide a sinecure for a younger child (the oldest one succeeding to lands under the rules of primogeniture), or 2) a means of moving upwards from relative poverty to acquisition of position, lands, and/or wealth, it seems members of the ministry from might well appear in relevant documents.

Also, I understand that much of the land in County Cavan was actually OWNED by what might be characterized as upper Middle Class farmers. This is as opposed to merely being middlemen lessee/lessors under land-owning aristocrats. Apparently, this phenomenon grew out of the allocation of lands in Cavan to the Commonwealth soldiers who had followed Oliver Cromwell. They held their lands in "fee simple" as opposed to "lease-holds". Again, land transfers between these fee simple holders would be recorded in the Registrar of Deeds. There probably are nuances on this phenomenon in other counties as well.... I would imagine that not all of the land in the various other counties was held by aristocratic overlords. Some of the land may well have been held by lesser folk of middle class stature, and we should be alert to this possibility.

Turning to the Irish Strong Database, I have set up a query for the records I created for the Index to the Registrar of Deeds. As it happens, in many instances I was unable to identify the County in which the transaction was taking place ... so many of the records have heretofore appearred in the "Unknown County = ?" page on the website. Nor was I able to identify the parties in all cases. In a few instances where names were quite recognizable, such as Sir James M. Stronge, obviously of Tynan Abbey, I was able to make connections to particular lineages. Initially, I set up the query so it was limited to the records found under the "Unknown County = ?" list. Then I realized that I had actually identified many of the records by county, and I was leaving out a great many of them. When I removed the limitation, I found that I was including over 500 records! Unfortunately, that number of records makes the HTML version of the web page far too large, and consequently slow to load.

Consequently, I have now redefined the query so as to limit the records first as to Deeds only, and secondly as to Wills only, resulting in two additional web pages. Both of the new pages are rather large in and of themselves. For now, I am opting to retain this page as a "main" page for the discussion of the Register of Deeds and related will and probate records, and as a vehicle for focusing occasionally only on the records for which I have been unable to identify the relevant county. I am trying to keep the present discussion on only one web page, with the other, newer, web pages referring over to this one for the discussion content. I may make further revisions as we proceed. For now, with reference to each of the three webpages in question, I have constructed the query so that the relevant Volume and Page number for each indexed recording or instument appears in the "Remarks" field for each record. Thus, there is available reference guidance for any researcher who wants to persue a particular record. Go, if you wish to the List of Web pages below.

Once you have the name of a Townland, or a Parish, you might try checking it through the IreAtlas Townland Search website. It is a really GOOD research tool....

A townland is a traditionally located parcel of land of widely varying area and shape, perhaps a thousand years old; described irregularly by metes and bounds along stone fence lines, creek beds, mountain tops, religious monuments and sites, geological features, etc., originally known to locals, and probably modernly surveyed out. In the established cities and towns they may have been swallowed up and overtaken by buildings, streets, etc, and only a neighborhood name remains. But, if you go back in history thru the IreAtlas website, you will probably find the townland name and original area still exists in that database.

The website is easy to use.... but a tip: If you enter JUST a parish name in the parish window in the TOWNLAND search form, leaving the townland window blank, you will get a screen printout of ALL of the townlands in that parish, which you can then cut and paste to a more permanent record. It can be quite useful when you are searching for a townland name. Particularly so when you don't have the exact spelling the way it is stored in the IreAtlas database.... And, often, when you don't know whether a location is a townland or a parish, it can help sort that out for you. Sometimes you even discover the name is used for BOTH a townland and a parish(!)

Also, there is a separate PARISH search form in the website. You identify the county and let the search engine spit out ALL of the parishes located in that county. Again, it can be quite useful.

Does anyone have the particulars of any of the deeds indicated as indexed at the Registrar of Deeds which have not been included here or in the related pages? If so, please forward info to me to supplement the Database relevant to the recording in question. Please check through the "on-line" Index for any likely deeds, wills, or marriage settlements which might be of interest to you. If you are able to research the particulars of any such instrument, again, please advise me of the particulars so the Database can be supplemented. I am particularly looking for identification of the relevant COUNTY, TOWNLAND, PARISH, and ANYTHING WHICH WILL IDENTIFY THE PARTIES WITH A PARTICULAR IRISH STRONG LINEAGE.... and of course, need to tie it back to the record# which indexes the instrument by VOLUME, PAGE, ETC. In effect, please forward names of ALL of the PARTIES to the instrument, and the "Legal Description", e.g., the property being conveyed described as "_____ townland, ________ parish, county of ______".

Thanks,
Dave Strong

Created Friday, November 16, 2001 - 10:52:27 AM-
Last Updated: Friday, November 16, 2001 - 8:58:47 PM

Copyright © 2001, David B. Strong

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