FindMyPast Friday - New newspaper, Police and Australia BMD

NOTE from DearMYRTLE: The following was just received from our friends at FindMyPast.com. Please address all inquires to that organization.

This week’s Findmypast Friday marks the release of a fascinating assortment of Royal Irish Constabulary and Irish Revenue Police records. Also available to search this week are indexes of births, marriages and deaths from Western Australia and new additions to our collection of historic British newspapers.

British Newspapers

Over 2.3 million new articles and 12 brand new titles have been added to our collection of historic British Newspapers Articles. Substantial updates have also been made to 31 existing publications.

The 12 new publications included in this update come cover towns and cities across England, Scotland and Wales.  Amongst these new titles is the Illustrated Weekly News. Covering the years 1861-1869, the IWN provides you with a rare graphic insight into Victorian Britain before the widespread use of photography.

Irish Revenue Police, 1830-1857

Ireland, Irish Revenue Police 1830-1857 contains over 37,000 records that list the details of men who served with the Irish Revenue police between 1830 and 1857. The Irish Revenue Police were formed to work with the Customs and Excise Service to prohibit illegal distillation or liquors and spirits or poteen (poitín) making. 

Each record consists of a transcript and a scanned image of the original document held at National Archives in Kew. Transcripts will include a combination of your ancestors name, station or address and the date the records was taken. Images will provide further particulars about your ancestor. There are various types of documents available to view such as lists of new appointments, which will give you the date of your ancestor’s appointment, which corps he was assigned to and who appointed him. Minutes of appointments, which recorded transfers of privates between stations or parties and dismissal records are also included. 

Royal Irish Constabulary pensions 1873-1925

Royal Irish Constabulary pensions 1873-1925 contains over 112,000 records.  The R.I.C was the armed police force of the United Kingdom in Ireland from the early nineteenth century until 1922. The force was responsible for keeping the peace through the detection and prevention of crime and suppressing rebellions and agrarian disturbances. They enforced laws related to food, drugs and fishery and took over the duties of the Irish Revenue Police, which had previously enforced the laws against whiskey production. In areas that lacked a fire brigade, they were also called upon to stop the spread of fires.

This unique collection comes from The National Archives in Kew and consists of the records for pensions and allowances given to officers, men and staff of the RIC and their widows and children. The collection includes registers of pensions along with registers of deceased pensioners and pensions paid when the RIC was disbanded in August 1922. Many of the records show whether the individual paid into the Constabulary Force Fund. This fund, which was formerly called the Reward Fund, was used to reward RIC members monetarily after acts of achievement and/or bravery. For example, in July 1875, Constable John Daly was awarded £6 for gathering evidence by visiting infected houses and families. The evidence gathered was sufficient to arrest a swindler doctor.

Royal Irish Constabulary History & Directories

Royal Irish Constabulary History & Directories contains over 1,670 pages from 6 different publications printed between 1871 and 1920 that provide further insight into the daily operations of the police force and the history of the organisation. Included is a history of the force, lists and directories for 1889, 1915, 1918 and 1920 and The Royal Irish Constabulary Guide to the Discharge of Police Duties.

Western Australia Birth index

The Western Australia Birth index contains over 106,000 transcripts. Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths in Western Australia started 1 September 1841. Prior to this, churches had the responsibility to record all baptisms, marriages, and burials. Each records consists of a transcript of the original birth register entry. Each record will list your ancestor’s name, birth year, birth place and registration number. Once you have located the relevant birth transcript within our record set, you can order the birth certificate itself from the Western Australian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages.

Western Australia Marriage index

The Western Australia Marriage index contains over 527,000 records. Marriage records can provide you with useful information in your family history research. Each records consists of a transcript of the original birth register entry. Transcripts will reveal when, where and to whom your ancestor was married as well as the marriages registration number. 

Western Australia Death index

The Western Australia Death index contains over 450,000 transcripts. Death records can be vital in your family history research. These death records can be particularly useful as they will sometimes provide parents’ name. This allows you to link your ancestor back to a previous generation. Each records consists of a transcript of the original document. The amount of available information provided varies from transcript to transcript, but most will include your ancestors name, birth year, death year, place of death, registration number and the names of their parents including mother’s maiden names.

Don’t forget to regularly check our dedicated Findmypast Friday page to keep up to date with all the latest additions.