Registry of Deeds

Hermy

Last year through a brief collaboration with someone who had a shared interest in lands at Newcastle, Co. Dublin I was introduced to the Registry of Deeds. Since then, and particularly with Family Search having uploaded their collection of images from the Registry, I’ve been busy transcribing memorials in the hope of filling in some of the gaps in my research into my Moore ancestors, particularly pre-1800 which is still a quite broken path.

The information contained in the memorials can be hit and miss but when it’s good it’s really good, particularly as so much from this time period has been lost. However, one is often left frustrated by the incomplete picture provided. For example, a memorial tells me that the second party to a deed is, as I suspect, the wife of the first party, but then fails to mention that what her relationship is to the third party. My hope is that despite the incomplete picture provided, if I can find enough relevant memorials I will eventually fill in certain key gaps in my research.

One thing I haven’t yet done is purchased a copy of an original deed of which the memorial is an abridged version. Has anyone here done that yet? If so, was there much worthwhile additional [genealogical] information contained in the deed or does it tend to be more legal and administrative in nature?

pinkypinky

Right, having rewatched Roz's talk - I'm editing this because what I posted was wrong and I don't want to mislead people.

The main points of the memorial, which is an exact copy of the original deed, were noted in the books and then the original stored.

Hermy

What about the bit at the end of the memorial that says something like a true copy 10 folios or the references to maps etc.? Also, I got the impression from Roz McCutcheon's talk on the subject that the deeds contain much more than the memorials.

pinkypinky

I will ask her when I see her on Saturday!

Hermy

Oh, bully for you!

Also, I should have said the relevant bit of that video starts at about the 12 minute mark.

pinkypinky

I have to admit I was at that talk too but I was in organising mode and didn't pay as much attention as I should have!

Hermy

I wasn't at the talk myself - came across the video by chance via Facebook.

It's entertaining and informative in equal measure. Roz should do more of these.

pinkypinky

She lives in London but does give several talks there, mostly at the Society of Genealogists.

tabbey

pinkypinky wrote: »

The main points of the memorial, which is an exact copy of the original deed, were noted in the books and then the original stored.

The original deeds were retained by the parties to the deed.

The solicitor's clerk copied the original deeds, these copies were called memorials.

The memorial was brought to the Registry of Deeds and transcribed into the transcript books, sometimes referred to as tombstones. The memorial was stored in the Registry.

A degree of editing was done, hence the frequent phrase "for considerations therein mentioned".

I was often tempted to buy a scanned copy of the memorial just to see if these details were recorded, but always felt I had enough expenditure on GRO certs, website subscriptions etc.

I recall one American chap in the registry telling me he had ordered a copy of a memorial ten pages long, that was good value.

What you get in the transcript is a lottery, any time you win the jackpot,it is a bonus. If you moderate your expectations, you will not be disappointed.

pinkypinky

Sorry - that's just my wording - I did mean the copy was stored.

Hermy

Hermy wrote: »

Also, I should have said the relevant bit of that video starts at about the 12 minute mark.

Actually, the relevant bit is the response to a question at 41:40.