Finding the Gems at PRONI

Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Have you visited the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast? Maybe you are planning a trip there one of these days to research that elusive ancestor. But perhaps they weren’t from what is now Northern Ireland or possibly you don’t believe Irish records go back that far. Then you will be surprised to find what records are at this archive and how it might lead you to other records of interest!

Before you even enter Northern Ireland, you must file an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). This applies throughout the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland.  This does not apply to the Republic of Ireland. The cost is £16. Upon completion, you’ll receive a 16 digit ETA reference number which will be linked to your passport. The number is good for two years or until your passport expires. For more information and to apply for the ETA reference number: https://www.gov.uk/eta/apply.

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland goes back to the origins of Northern Ireland. PRONI was established by the Public Records Act (Northern Ireland) that dated back to 1923. The archive was opened to the public in 1924 and was initially located on the 4^th floor of the old Linen Warehouse in Central Belfast. The archive then moved to Balmoral Avenue in Belfast from 1972 until 2011 when the archive was moved to its current location at 2 Titanic Boulevard in Titanic Quarters located right across the street from the Harland & Wolff plant where the Titanic was built.

The current location has a high-tech 78-seat search room, a lecture theatre and an exhibition area. What is important to the family historian is the 54 kilometres of shelf filled records. A few of these records date back to the 13^th century.

And when you enter PRONI, you will need to apply for the visitors’ pass if you don’t already have a valid pass. It is necessary to bring the visitors’ pass every time you enter PRONI. The pass is good for ten years and you will need photo identification when applying for the visitors’ pass. The pass is also necessary when you enter the Search room and the Reading room. For more information: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/registration-and-preparing-visit#toc-1 Once everything is completed then you can enter the Search room and apply for the documents or records on their system.

So, are you able to find any Gems at PRONI? Absolutely! The Search Room will give you that opportunity to search for and apply for what records are available to the public and where to locate that record. Once that record is available, you can then walk to the Readers room and obtain the document.

Search Room at PRONI

So, another question that comes up is: “are there records that were originated from outside of Ulster and do they date back prior to 1922?” The answer to both questions is “Yes!” According to Grace Gordon, who works in the Department for Communities at PRONI, the earliest record in their collection dated back to the year 1219. It is a papal bull from the Abercorn Papers

(PRONI Ref – D623/B/7/1/1).

So, what was a papal bull? This document was considered a formal decree from the Pope which might indicate a canonization or a pronouncement. The bull was a seal or in Latin “bulla” that authenticated the document. At that time, the bull or seal was made of clay.  In this case, it is believed the papal bull, which was from the Abercorn papers, related to the Abbey of Paisley in Scotland permitting the monks to elect an abbot. The decree was from Honorius III, who was the Pope at that time.

Another example comes from the “Mathews Abstract of Wills etc.” (PRONI Ref – T681). The transcription of a will that dates back from the year 1597 and listed the name of John Mathews from Athlone in County Westmeath. The will listed his wife and other family members and were he wanted to be buried.

One of the most interesting records available to the Family Historian at PRONI are the School Records. There are records for over 1600 schools in Northern Ireland. The records would include notes written by teachers as to what happened to a student after they left school (ie, the student took up an apprenticeship or moved to another school or the family left the area.) This could be extremely helpful in researching an ancestor from Northern Ireland. It may take a couple of trips, but you will find a gem regarding your ancestors at PRONI. I was able to find a gem regarding my third great-grandmother. Noone knew anything about her until I found transcriptions of a few wills from the book that I previously mentioned called “Mathews Abstract of Wills etc.” (PRONI Ref - T681). After spending some time searching through the book, I located the will of my third great grandmother’s brother-in-law which listed her husband, my third great grandfather as the trustee to the estate of the brother-in-law. It also listed the names of other siblings and the amount of money they would all receive.

Matthews Abstracts of Wills, Ref: T681

After a trip to Dromara, I found that the property and the house that the family lived in still exist although both the house and the nearby cottage are abandoned.

Second trip to PRONI and another view of the Mathews book showed that £2200 was awarded to my great-grandfather nine years after his brother passed away. A look at the local newspaper on the computer in the Search room showed that my third great grandmother was accused of attempted murder. She was accused of trying to poison my third great grandfather’s sister-in-law who was the widow and placed on trial. She was exonerated since it was discovered my third great grandmother was caught in the middle of a family dispute. The article revealed that my third great grandmother was accused of trying to poison the widow by placing poison in her wine glass. What happened was the widow felt she was not given the money that she was supposed to receive in a timely manner. So she accused her sister-in-law of trying to poison her according to the newspaper articles of the time. However, the third great grandmother was exonerated as it appeared she was caught in the middle of a family dispute.

All this was uncovered based on the will that was in the Mathews book. The Gem to this unbelievable story was the “Mathews Abstract of Wills Etc.” (PRONI Ref – T681) which led me to a number of other sources, many of which were found at PRONI. Some of the Gems discovered at PRONI could lead you to other Gems.   

The 1926 Irish Census will become available on the 18^th of April next year for the Republic of Ireland. So, was there a 1926 Census for Northern Ireland? Yes, there was a 1926 Census for Northern Ireland. There are still existing reports that were published regarding the 1926 Census for Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, the first census from Northern Ireland in 1926 no longer exists. According to the BBC, the Census may have been destroyed during World War II: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-22848416.

If you would like to visit PRONI but would rather visit in a group, the Ulster Historical Foundation offers three and five day conferences located at PRONI. The sessions include research time with experts to assist you with your search time. Three separate conferences are scheduled for 2026. For more information: https://ulsterhistoricalfoundation.com/ Click on the link “events and courses.”

And if you do need some free advice, PRONI Enquiries Service can provide guidance using their email address, proni@communities-ni.gov.uk. They can also provide search and copy service for a charge. Details are available on the PRONI website: http://www.proni.gov.uk/.

There are many Gems located at the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland. It might take a few visits but there are plenty of records in the archive that can help you in researching your ancestor!

Thanks to Grace Gordon at PRONI and Conleth Mullan at the Ulster Historical Foundation for information and some of the pictures.