public records

public records are archival materials produced by the various branches of government. Archives of the central government of England and Wales, subsequently of the United Kingdom, including material relevant to Ireland, are managed by the Public Record Office, London, established in 1838 to preserve legal records, its responsibility being extended in 1852–4 to include records of government departments.

In Ireland, most government departments and officials retained their own records, although the Birmingham tower in Dublin Castle was a central repository for the records of the Rolls Office, and a State Paper Office was created in 1702 to preserve copies of the records of departing chief governors. A fire in the Custom Office in 1711 and another in the Birmingham tower in 1758 destroyed some early records, and drew attention to the need for proper provision for the preservation of public records. The Public Records (Ireland) Act 1867 provided for the establishment of a new Public Record Office in Dublin. The Public Record Office building in the Four Courts was completed by 1869 and records were transferred there from Dublin Castle, the Custom House, and the courts. Records more than 20 years old from central and local government also began to be centralized. The bulk of the archives deposited in the Four Courts were destroyed when the building was bombarded at the start of the Civil War. The most extensive records to survive were those of the chief secretary's office for the period after 1790, which had been retained in the State Paper Office.

The National Archives Act (1986) established the National Archives by merging the Irish Public Record Office and the State Paper Office. It provided for official records to be transferred to the National Archives after 30 years, and made available for public consultation. The National Archives also holds some parochial records and documents acquired from private sources

The Public Records Act (NI) 1923 established the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. In addition to holding government and court records, it also acts as a centralized repository for non‐departmental records such as school records, church records, and family and estate papers acquired from private sources.

Bibliography

Wood, H. , The Public Records of Ireland before and after 1922, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 4th ser. 13 (1930)

Bernadette Cunningham