THE IRISH UNIVERSITY PRESS SERIES

OF BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS

The British Parliamentary Papers (1800-1900), as published by The Irish University Press (hereafter referred to as IUP), was the largest single printing project undertaken by a publishing house at the time of the printing. This massive (approximately 1,000 volumes) reference work is a careful selection of information from over 5,000 volumes of parliamentary investigations (not debates, which are a separate class of records) produced by Westminster. It offers the reader a 'case study" development of British history and of modern industrial society. Using its resources, the student of history and the genealogist can reconstruct many crucial events such as an emigrant experience, life in the workhouse, the educational offerings in rural society, children's employment in mines and mills, laws governing Sunday observance, and many other facets of life in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, East and West Indies, Africa, and Canada.

It is useful to know how the records are grouped in this series. The six groups serve as a general guideline to record sources. They include:

Colonial History covering Australia, Canada, East and West Indies, New Zealand, and emigration.

Education including the fine arts, poorer classes, British museum, public libraries, and science and technology.

Economics, which covers commercial distress, currency, decimal coinage, joint stock banks, savings banks, insurance, national finance, income tax, post and telegraphs, fisheries, trade and industry, and industrial relations.

Industrial Revolution treating the subjects of children's employment, design, factories, textiles, trade, fuel and power, including mining, inventions, shipping, transportation and communications.

Social History covering agriculture, finance, poor laws, population, marriage and divorce, social problems, stage and theater, religion, newspapers, and health.

Government and Law, which includes diplomatic service, elections, municipal corporations, civil disorders, prisons, other crime and punishment, legal administration, and military and navy.

The IUP series also includes indexes to the complete British Parliamentary records (not the IUC extracts). Hansard's catalogue and breviate of parliamentary papers covers 1696-1834. Other indexes to reports, accounts, papers, and bills are broken down by time periods (1801-1852, 1852-1869, 1870-1878/9, 1880-1889, and 1890-1899). These indexes cover records that were not published in the 1,000 volumes but are part of the actual British Parliamentary Papers.

Another index is the Checklist of British Parliamentary Papers in the Irish University Press 1000-Volume Series, 1801-1899 (1rish University Press, Shannon, Ireland: 1972). This source includes an introduction to the British Parliamentary Papers including instructions for using the Checklist, a chronological list of references, an alphabetical subject list, and a key work title index.

Because of the expense of obtaining the IUP series of the British Parliamentary Papers, few repositories in the United States and Canada own the collection. Many universities and major libraries either own parts of or the complete 1,000 volumes. In Utah, both the libraries at the University of Utah and Brigham Young University have the complete IUP series.

The British Parliamentary Papers are particularly rich in information about Ireland and the Irish. For example, employment records detail what life was like (working conditions and hours, wages, whether the witness attended school, how much time was allotted for lunch and such) for a child employed in the textile factories or mines in 19th century Ireland. In giving deposition, a witness (child) may have mentioned place of residence, what religion the family belonged to, how many other family members were employed in the same factory or mine (and sometimes names), and perhaps even give ages of other siblings similarly employed.

Various reports on education contain two "census returns" of school teachers in Ireland. One was taken in 1824, the other in 1862 (published in 1864). Both include names of school teachers for the whole of Ireland. The later "return" also includes names of people who worked for schools in other capacities such as administrators and school monitors.

Depositions (testimonies) given in enquiries and published in the Parliamentary Papers contain genealogical and other information that can help in tracing the Irish. Particularly poignant is evidence relating to the potato famine and subsequent proceedings for the relief of distress and the state of the unions and workhouses in Ireland. In testimony given about the case of the Philip McGowen family of Boyle union (Co. Roscommon), one learns that Philip's wife, Winny, died on March 1 (1847-1849), that she was sick six weeks with bowel complaint, that the family lived on turnip tops and roots, and that Philip was sick and unable to earn anything for his family. Five children preceded their mother (Winny McGowen) in death including a daughter who died three days before the mother. Philip was left with five surviving children. The family was given nine pounds of meal to relieve their hunger until there was room for them in the workhouse.

It is unfortunate that the few published indexes to the Parliamentary Papers are generic in nature. Names that are included in those indexes are usually for witnesses giving deposition or other key people. There are thousands of names mentioned in the records that are not included in the indexes. A page by page reading of the actual Papers results in a surprising amount of detail for the common Irish man, woman, and even child. For example, the 1864 report on education includes several lists of pupils who secured situations (jobs) from specific schools in Ireland. Although no mention is made of places of birth or ages, the lists give clues as to occupations. Occupational sources may be available and may contain more complete information about those individuals. The list of pupils who procured situations from the Rahoon Female National School (Go. Galway) gives names, situations and destinations. While most destinations were in Ireland, Eliza McCormac, a national teacher, went to America. None of the names of pupils who procured positions are included in the published indexes.

As evidenced by the examples cited above, the British Parliamentary Papers are a source that should be used in tracing Irish families. Because so many Irish records are either lacking for the time period or completely destroyed, Irish researchers are constantly looking for other sources to replace those lost documents. The Parliamentary Papers is one potential, and little used, source.

For examples of information gathered from IUP Parliamentary Papers series, see

A Hebrides Crofter Family in 19th Century Scotland by Judith Wight

and My 2nd Great-Grandfather was a Collier by Blaine Crump

Also check out the separate article The Records of Parliament.