Churches & Religion in Other Britain & Ireland

Churches and religion are interwoven at all points in the history of Ireland. The Catholic Church in Ireland was a very influential organisation and played a part in everyday life in the country.

Included in this category is the Irish Catholic Church directory, which lists all members of the clergy and parishes in Ireland for the years 1836 and 1837, as well as much of the Catholic hierarchy throughout the world. More than 5,000 Irish Catholic clergymen for this period are included in these two volumes.

The most valuable section of these registries from which most of names in this record set is drawn, is the Ecclesiastical Register of Ireland. This is a diocese by diocese tour of the country detailing the priests and curates for each parish. This information is especially important for family history researchers trying to determine what parish registers may have survived, as it gives an indication of which parishes were operational during this time period.

The Catholic Church in Ireland is organised into four ecclesiastical provinces: Tuam, Dublin, Cashel, and Armagh, which are led by four archbishops. There are 26 dioceses, each led by a bishop, and 1,087 parishes.

There are over 1,420 records in these two record sets: the Wrightington Confirmations 1813 – 1876 and Wrightington First Communicants 1851 – 1889. If your ancestors made their First Communion or Confirmation in Wrightington in the 19th century, chances are you’ll find them here.

There are over 4,540 church records in our United States & Canada category. They include church records from Ontario, Canada, and Canadian clergy records, as well as vital records from Massachusetts.

There are more than 40,500 Australian and New Zealand church records, including The Australia Lutheran 1913-1966 records, which provide information on specific events and people in Australian churches in the form of notices, including many marriages, deaths and obituaries. The Sydney Diocesan Directory 1881-1920 contains lists of the Anglican clergy within all states, and significant biographical information of those who held office in the Sydney Diocese, as well as information on the cathedrals, committees, societies and schools. The Queensland Freeman 1881-1888 was a monthly journal aiming to unite the Baptist community in Queensland and keep its members throughout the state informed about church activities. Furthermore, the Truth and Progress records aimed at providing channels of communication with the churches, and recording important works in the church, including conversions, baptisms, and Sunday School.