A registration district in the United Kingdom is a type of administrative region which exists for the purpose of civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths and civil partnerships. It has also been used as the basis for the collation of census information.
Origin and development of registration districts England and Wales
Registration districts in England and Wales were created with the introduction of civil registration on 1 July 1837 and were originally co-terminous with poor law unions. Their existence as autonomous entities came to an end in 1930, when the relevant administrative county or county borough was made responsible. A subsequent series of reforms of local government has resulted in the responsibility today being held by the relevant county council, unitary authority, metropolitan district, or London borough.
Each district is divided into sub-districts, each of which has a registrar responsible for the registration of births, marriages, civil partnerships, and deaths in his or her area. Overall responsibility for a district is held by a superintendent registrar.
Registration districts are not always co-terminous with county boundaries, and so in the past were grouped into "registration counties" for statistical purposes. They remained in use for the census from 1851 to 1911.
Scotland
Registration districts in Scotland came into being with the introduction of civil registration there in 1855; away from the cities their boundaries usually coincided with civil parishes. Prior to 1 January 2007, registration districts did not coincide with council areas in many areas; commonly both geographically large and densely populated council areas had several registration districts, each with a registrar within easy reach of most residents. The Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services (Scotland) Act 2006 aligned the boundaries of registration districts (or groups thereof) with those of the 32 Scottish council areas. The act also allows births and deaths to be registered with any registrar in Scotland, rather than solely in the registration district where the event occurred or in the registration district of usual residence.Recent Changes to Registration Procedures in Scotland
Ireland There are approximately 164 Superintendent Registrar's Districts (SRDs) in Ireland and Northern Ireland; some were dissolved, split, or merged in the mid to late 1800s, and a few (such as Fingal) were created in the 1900s. Many of the SRDs share the name of the Irish county in which most of their land exists: Specifically, the SRDs of Londonderry, Donegal, Antrim, Sligo, Monaghan, Armagh, Cavan, Longford, Roscommon, Galway, Kilkenny, Carlow, Limerick, Tipperary, Wexford, Waterford, and Cork. However, the SRDs follow the general outlines of Poor Law Unions that preceded them (see accompanying map), and often overlap across two or more counties. SRDs are also distinct from civil and ecclesiastical parishes.[Irish Genealogy.ie https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jsp][Irish Genealogy Toolkit http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/Ireland-civil-registration.html][Index of Townlands http://www.irishancestors.ie/search/townlands/index.php]
When searching for the birth, marriage, or death record of an Irish ancestor, you need to know or at least have a good idea of the specific SRD and townland in order to find the record in the databases.
Starting from the northwestern tip of the island, including both Ireland (the Republic of Ireland) and Northern Ireland, and moving successively southward as if reading sentences in a book from left to right, the SRDs (with alternate spellings or new names) and the country or counties in which each one occurs are as follows:
Dunfanaghy – Donegal. Milford (Millford) – Donegal. Inishowen – Donegal.
Glenties – Donegal Letterkenny – Donegal Stranorlar (Stranolar, Strandlar) – Donegal Strabane – Donegal, Tyrone Derry – Londonderry, Donegal Newtown – Londonderry Limavady – Londonderry Coleraine – Antrim, Londonderry Ballymoney – Antrim, Londonderry Ballymena – Antrim Ballycastle – Antrim Larne – Antrim
Donegal – Donegal Castlederg – Tyrone Irvinestown – Cavan, Fermanagh, Tyrone Omagh – Tyrone Gortin – Tyrone Gortin was abolished in 1889 and its land split between Omagh and Strabane. Cookstown – Tyrone Dungannon – Tyrone Magherafelt – Londonderry Antrim – Antrim Belfast – Antrim, Down Newtownards – Down
Sligo – Sligo Ballyshannon – Donegal, Fermanagh, Leitrim Manor Hamilton (Manorhamilton) – Leitrim Enniskillen – Cavan, Fermanagh, Tyrone Lisnaskea – Cavan, Fermanagh Clones – Fermanagh, Monaghan Clogher – Monaghan, Tyrone Monaghan – Monaghan Armagh – Armagh, Tyrone Lurgan – Antrim, Armagh, Down Banbridge – Armagh, Down Lisburn – Antrim, Down Downpatrick – Down
Dromore West – Sligo Tobercurry – Sligo Boyle – Leitrim, Roscommon, Sligo Carrick on Shannon – Leitrim, Roscommon Bawnboy – Cavan, Leitrim Mohill – Leitrim Cavan – Cavan Cootehill – Cavan, Monaghan Castleblayney (Castleblaney) – Armagh, Monaghan Carrickmacross – Monaghan Dundalk – Armagh, Louth, Monaghan Newry – Armagh, Down Kilkeel – Down
Belmullet – Mayo Killala – Mayo Ballina – Mayo, Sligo Ballina was reduced in size in 1850, creating Killala and Belmullet. Swineford (Swinford) – Mayo, Roscommon Castlerea (Castlereagh) – Mayo, Roscommon Strokestown – Leitrim, Roscommon Longford – Longford Granard – Cavan, Longford, Westmeath Oldcastle – Cavan, Meath Bailieborough (Bailieboro) – Cavan, Meath Kells (Ceanannus Mor in Irish) – Cavan, Meath Navan (An Uaimh in Irish) – Meath Ardee – Louth, Meath Drogheda – Louth, Meath
Newport – Mayo Newport was abolished in 1886 and its land merged into Westport. Westport – Mayo Castlebar – Mayo Ballinrobe – Galway, Mayo Claremorris – Mayo Tuam – Galway Glenamaddy (Glennamaddy) – Galway, Roscommon Mount Bellew (Mountbellew) – Galway Roscommon – Galway, Leitrim, Roscommon Athlone – Roscommon, Westmeath Ballymahon – Longford, Westmeath Mullingar – Westmeath Delvin (Castletowndelvin) – Meath, Westmeath Trim – Meath Dunshauglin – Dublin, Meath Balrothery – Dublin
Clifden – Galway, Mayo Oughterard (Oughterand) – Galway, Mayo Galway – Galway Loughrea (Lougthrea) – Galway Ballinasloe – Galway, Roscommon Portumna (Portunna) – Galway Borrisokane – Tipperary Parsonstown (Birr) – Offaly, Tipperary Parsonstown was renamed Birr after 1891. Tullamore – Offaly, Westmeath Mountmellick – Laois, Offaly Athy – Kildare, Laois Edenderry – Kildare, Meath, Offaly Naas – Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow Celbridge – Dublin, Kildare, Meath Dublin North – Dublin Dublin South – Dublin Some Registration District lists and maps indicate a new SRD called Fingal for part of Dublin. Rathdown – Dublin, Wicklow
Kilrush – Clare Killadysert – Clare Ennis – Clare Ennistimon (Ennistymon) – Clare Corrofin (Corofin) – Clare Ballyvaughan – Clare Gort – Clare, Galway Tulla – Clare Tulla was merged into Scarriff between 1901 and 1911. Scarriff (Scariff) – Clare, Galway Nenagh – Tipperary, Galway Roscrea – Laois, Offaly, Tipperary Thurles – Tipperary Donaghmore – Laois Donaghmore was abolished in 1887 and its land split between Roscrea, Abbeyleix, and Urlingford. Urlingford – Kilkenny, Laois, Tipperary Abbeyleix – Laois Castlecomer – Kilkenny Kilkenny – Kilkenny Carlow – Carlow, Laois Baltinglass – Carlow, Kildare, Wicklow Shillelag – Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow Gorey – Wexford Rathdrum – Wicklow
Listowel – Kerry, Limerick Glin – Kerry, Limerick Glin was abolished in 1892 and its land split between Listowel and Rathkeale. Newcastle – Limerick Rathkeale – Limerick Croom – Limerick Kilmallock – Cork, Limerick Limerick – Limerick, Clare Tipperary – Limerick, Tipperary Cashel – Tipperary Callan – Kilkenny, Tipperary Thomastown – Kilkenny New Ross – Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford Enniscorthy – Carlow, Wexford Wexford – Wexford
Dingle – Kerry Tralee – Kerry Killarney – Kerry Millstreet – Cork Kanturk – Cork, Limerick Mallow – Cork Mitchelstown – Cork, Limerick Fermoy – Cork Lismore – Cork, Waterford Clogheen – Tipperary, Waterford Clonmel – Tipperary, Waterford Dungarvan – Waterford Kilmacthomas (Kilmac Thomas) – Waterford Carrick on Suir – Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford Waterford – Kilkenny, Waterford
Cahersiveen (Cahirciveen) – Kerry Kenmare – Kerry Macroom – Cork Cork – Cork Middleton – Cork Youghal – Cork, Waterford
Castletown – Cork, Westmeath Bantry – Cork Dunmanway (Dunmanaway) – Cork Bandon – Cork Kinsale – Cork
Skull – Cork Skibbereen – Cork Clonakilty – Cork
Within each SRD in Ireland are subdistricts. Here are a few subdistricts (this is a non-exhaustive list):
Achill Aghada Annacarriga Aran (aka Aran Islands) Ardfert Arklow Athenry Aughrim Bagenalstown Balla Ballincollig Ballindine Ballineen Ballyclogh (Ballyclough) Ballyconnell Ballycroy Ballyfeard Ballyhaunis Ballyhooly Ballymartle Ballynoe Bangor Belturbet Blackrock Blessington Boherboy Bray Carrickfergus Carrigallen Castlepollard Clondalkin Coole Donaghmoyne Donnybrook Dundrum Dunglow (Dungloe) Kildare Killiney Kingstown Leitrim Louth Maynooth Newbridge Newmarket Portadown Portlaoise Portrush Queenstown Rathmines Tanderagee Templemore Warrenpoint
Footnotes
Registration Districts of Ireland, Michael J. Thompson, copyright 2009, 2012. This document and its contents are made available for non‐commercial use only.
External links Status details for Registration District (A Vision of Britain) Registration Districts in England and Wales (1837–1974) (GENUKI/UK BMD) General Register Office for Scotland: List of Parishes and Registration Districts (GROS) Analysis of the Response to the second Consultation on Proposals to Improve and Modernise the Registration Service in Scotland (Scottish Executive) Registration Districts in Scotland (NRS)