Leading family history website findmypast.com.au has expanded its Irish Petty Sessions Court Registers 1828-1912 record set by more than 2.5 million extra records.
This new batch features records from 52 new courts in 15 counties around Ireland. In addition, seven courts already on the database have been supplemented with records from additional years. This brings the total Petty Sessions Court Registers available on findmypast.com.au to over 15 million.
The Irish Petty Sessions Court Registers 1828-1912 give a colourful picture of Ireland’s miscreants and misdemeanours in this period, including runaway servants, trespassing livestock and – as the stereotypes would have it – shebeens (unlicensed drinking establishments).
Vicki Dawson, General Manager of findmypast.com.au, said: “Locating any criminal activity committed by an ancestor has proven to be of very high interest to Australians. Given this and the nation’s strong heritage ties to Ireland, our Petty Session Court Register is one of the most popular collections on the website… It is always interesting to find out what your forefathers did to find themselves in front of a magistrate!”
Notable additions this time include a significant expansion to the records available for Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath and Limerick. Donegal also benefits from the addition of four new courts dating from as early as 1851, which should prove a real boon to family historians with ancestors from that county.
New courts have been added to the following counties: Galway (9), Roscommon (8), Westmeath (7), Limerick (7), Donegal (4), Waterford (4), Tipperary (2), Cork (2), Carlow (2), Kilkenny (2), Mayo (1), Meath (1), Sligo (1), Wexford (1) and Wicklow (1).
Search for yourself at www.findmypast.com.au.
Useful links:
- Irish Petty Sessions Court Registers 1828-1912 – click to view
- Eneclann information on Irish Petty Sessions Court Registers – click to view
- Guide to the National Archives of Ireland: Courts and Probate – click to view
Source: findmypast.com.au press release, 5 September 2013.