Births, Deaths & Catholic Marriage Civil Registration in 19th Century Newry

Civil registration of all denominations of births and deaths and specifically Roman Catholic marriages was introduced in Ireland under the Registration of Births and Deaths (Ireland) Act 1863 and the Registration of Marriages (Ireland) Act 1863. As mentioned in the previous article, Protestant marriages had been registered since 1845. The Catholic Church finally accepted the civil registration of their marriages due to concessions in these acts and the Marriage Law (Ireland) Amendment Act. The state's role was strictly limited to registering vital statistics, leaving spiritual administration untouched, and a registrar's presence at the ceremony was not required for its legality. 

Existing Poor Law Union boundaries were adopted for registration purposes, with each Union forming a Superintendent Registrar's District and each Dispensary District usually becoming a Registrar's District. Within Newry Union there were nine dispensary districts, Donaghmore, Warrenpoint, Rathfriland, Mullaglass, Poyntzpass, Mountnorris, Meigh, Forkhill and Newry. Nearby districts were administered separately. Rostrevor formed part of the Kilkeel Union, while Newtownhamilton and Crossmaglen were included in the Castleblayney Union.

The 1863 Births and Deaths Act allowed the Board of Guardians to borrow money to provide a Register Office, either within the existing workhouse or in newly built premises. The Superintendent Registrar was responsible for the office, and the registers from all the districts were deposited there. A separate building may have been constructed, as the Clerk of the Union sought tenders for one in September 1863, but what is known is that a central registration office operated from the workhouse at Daisy Hill. The first recorded Superintendent Registrar was Joseph Bell, who also served as Clerk of the Newry Union (a position created under the Poor Law system) and received copies of all birth and death registrations from the district registrars throughout the Union.

Medical officers of the dispensary districts were often appointed as registrars for that district. The Registrar General initially divided Newry into two districts, appointing Dr Robert Johnston and Dr Thomas H. Black as registrars. Both initially operated out of the dispensary at 5 The Mall, which had been converted into a dispensary and committee room on 25th March 1852. Beyond registering births, deaths and Catholic marriages, medical officers provided medical advice, treatment, vaccinations and dental care to Newry's poor, responsibilities that made them ideal candidates for the registrar role. When registering deaths, dispensary doctors were required to note the cause and duration of illness, enabling accurate mortality statistics to be compiled for the first time, while birth registration allowed measures such as compulsory smallpox vaccination to be carried out more effectively.

Dr Johnston, a surgeon and apothecary recorded operating out of Kildare Street in 1852, died in 1873. Dr Black, also a surgeon and apothecary, lived on Hill Street in 1852 and died in 1864. He was succeeded by Dr Andrew McBride, previously Medical Officer at Poyntzpass, who held the post for 34 years while also serving as Medical Officer to the Royal Irish Constabulary in Newry. Dr Richard John Anderson briefly served as registrar before resigning to become demonstrator and lecturer in anatomy at Queen's College Belfast, later becoming Professor of Natural History, Mineralogy and Geology at University College Galway.

Anderson was succeeded by Dr Francis Clements Crossle, who later became one of Newry's most distinguished local historians and antiquarians, known for his research on the Volunteers and Yeomanry of Newry District (1782–1803), posthumously published in 1934. Not all registrars had a medical background. Hugh Digenan, registrar for Rathfriland, was a journalist and historian who reported for the Irish News and wrote many articles on local history for the Newry Reporter; including on the 1641 rebellion, on place names, and Newry’s Roll of MPs. Robert Sloan who had been a registrar for Donaghmore district, also happened to be the first schoolmaster at Donaghmore National School. A future article will cover the 20th-century development of registration, including its transfer to local councils as their powers and responsibilities changed.

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Newry and Mourne Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 10.00 am to 4.30 pm. For further information visit their website; visitmournegullionstrangford.com call 0330 137 4422 or email museums@nmandd.org