The first civil birth records in Ireland introduced after the Registration of Births and Deaths (Ireland) Act 1863, which allowed for the appointment of a Registrar General in Ireland and the creation of a General Register Office in Dublin.[1] The civil registration of births in Ireland began on January 1st, 1864. Civil registration had already existed in England and Wales since 1837 and in Scotland since 1855.
Northern Ireland owes its official existence to the partition of Ireland in the aftermath of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.[2] With the creation of Northern Ireland, anyone who had been born in the six counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone, between 1864 and 1921, now had their records moved from the General Register Office in Dublin to the newly established General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI).[3] GRONI exists within the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), which in turn is part of the Northern Ireland Executive's Department of Finance.[4] As of 2017, the main office for GRONI and NISRA is located at Colby House, Stranmillis Court, Belfast.[5] Prior to this they were located at Oxford House, Chichester Street in Belfast City Centre.[6]
Finding Northern Irish Civil Birth Records OnlineFinding Northern Irish Civil Birth Records Online
Like the Republic of Ireland, indexes for civil registration records in Northern Ireland are available to search on MyHeritage from 1864-1958. Images of Northern Irish birth records up to 100 years ago can also be accessed for free through Irishgenealogy.ie.[7]
However, if you need to order a copy of a birth certificate for someone born in Northern Ireland, then you can do so through the GRONI online search.[8] In order to use the search function, it is necessary to create an account with GRONI and then purchase credits.[9] A search will show the number of matches which satisfy your search criteria. You have the option to view the first page of ten basic index results for free. When you view enhanced or full view you will use your credits.
A free name search is also available. You don’t need to register or log in to use the free name search. This search will return the number of records that match in each of the registration types which are birth, death or marriage. You may search a five year range, for example 1868 to 1872, if you don’t know the exact year of birth.[10]
It is also possible to gain access to the GRONI search system through the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Computer terminals with dedicated connection to the General Register Office of Northern Ireland have been installed in PRONI's Search Room and are available to researchers. This means that a visit to the GRONI reading room in Stranmillis is unnecessary. Researchers using the database on the Internet are restricted to historical birth records under the 100-year rule, but access via the GRONI/PRONI computers does not have this restriction. Records can be searched right up to current registrations. It is a pay-to-search service and users must register with GRONI using their website.[11] The Record of Northern Ireland Connections (RNIC) registers births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships and overseas relationships which happen outside Northern Ireland but are connected to Northern Ireland. Copies of records on the register have no legal value but are useful for family history research. Order forms for the records are available through the RNIC sections of the GRONI website.[12]
Ordering a Birth Certificate in Northern IrelandOrdering a Birth Certificate in Northern Ireland
You can order a birth or a commemorative birth certificate online through GRONI. A credit or debit card is required to place the order, along with the following information:
- full name of person whose birth certificate you are ordering
- date and place of birth (district or street and town)
- names of parents (including mother's maiden name)
- mother's address at time of birth
A certificate cannot be dispatched if you have not provided the full details needed when you order.[13]
References
- ↑ https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1863/act/90/enacted/en/print.html
- ↑ https://www.nationalarchives.ie/2021commemorationprogramme/the-treaty-1921-records-from-the-archives/
- ↑ https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/information-and-services/family-history-heritage-and-museums/research-family-history-general
- ↑ https://www.nisra.gov.uk/
- ↑ https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/news/general-register-office-moves-its-public-office-colby-house
- ↑ https://www.irishgenealogynews.com/2016/03/groni-introduces-new-fee-tariff-from-4.html
- ↑ https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/
- ↑ https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/go-groni-online
- ↑ https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/register-groni-account
- ↑ https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/go-groni-online
- ↑ https://www.irishgenealogynews.com/2023/06/new-dedicated-groni-computer-terminals.html
- ↑ https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/record-northern-ireland-connections
- ↑ https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/order-birth-certificate-online