The first civil death records in Ireland were 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] While some churches maintained burial records, there was no central record of deaths in Ireland before this. The civil registration of deaths in Ireland began on January 1st, 1864. Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths had already existed in England and Wales since 1837 and in Scotland since 1855.
With the creation of Northern Ireland in 1921, anyone who had their death registered 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).[2] 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.[3] As of 2017, the main office for GRONI and NISRA is located at Colby House, Stranmillis Court, Belfast.[4] Prior to this they were located at Oxford House, Chichester Street in Belfast City Centre.[5]
Research your ancestors on MyHeritage
Finding Northern Irish Civil Death Records OnlineFinding Northern Irish Civil Death 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 death records from 1871 up to 50 years can also be accessed for free through Irishgenealogy.ie.[6]
However, if you need to order a copy of a death certificate for someone whose death was registered in Northern Ireland, then you can do so through the GRONI online search.[7] In order to use the search function, it is necessary to create an account with GRONI and then purchase credits.[8] 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 death.[9] The GRONI online search allows access to death records over 50 years old. GRONI also contains World War II death indexes from 1939 to 1945.[10]
It is also possible to gain access to the GRONI search system through the Public Records 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 death records under the 50-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 Death Certificate in Northern IrelandOrdering a Death Certificate in Northern Ireland
You can order a death certificate online through GRONI. You will need a credit or debit card and the following information:
- full name of person whose death certificate you are ordering
- date and place of death (district or street and town)
- the usual address of the deceased if different from place of death
For deaths within the last three years, you must say whether the coroner was notified.
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.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.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/introduction-groni-and-its-records
- ↑ 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-death-certificate-online