Continuing with medieval women, money, property and politics for #IWD2026 here is a taster of @elizabethbiggs.bsky.social research.
Elizabeth's full journal article is due out later this year.
Rediscovering the Women of the Medieval Irish Exchequer
www.virtualtreasury.ie/archive-feve...
Seal of Mary Whitshead. RIA GSA/25/1, Deeds of the Guild of St Anne, 9 George I, Item 1 (13 February 1723) - By 1723, the heavy wax seals hanging from the bottom of the parchment have been done away with in favor of an image impressed into several drops of wax poured directly on the document itself. https://virtualtreasury.ie/item/RIA-GSA-25-1
Locating women in the historical archive deepens our understanding of the past.
For #IWD2026 we're sharing records + research highlighting women in the records + their role in History. Starting with this 😀 👇️
Women in the Guild of St Anne - Virtual Treasury
virtualtreasury.ie/image-galler...
More census, 1841 this time.
Check out Elizabeth's Knowledge Graph entry to see he other letters to Arlington: https://kg.virtualtreasury.ie/entity-card/person/Butler_Elizabeth_c17/v1z89hn Thanks to our generous colleagues in https://www.dib.ie/ for sharing Elizabeth's biography, included in the Knowledge Graph. https://www.dib.ie/biography/Butler-Elizabeth-a1245
Elizabeth Butler's signature, using her title 'Elizabeth Ormonde. Dr Neil Johnson's work at TNA continues to uncover individual women and men in the State Papers Ireland collection, a real treasure trove! https://virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/state-papers-ireland Our Technical Director Dr Éamonn Kenny manages to make this complex web of data visible for users online. Dr Lynn Kilgallon, Dr Lucy McKenna and Dr Alex Randles are the team behind the growing Knowledge Graph for Irish History. https://kg.virtualtreasury.ie/
#IWD2026 June1666 'E. Ormond' sends a letter to London. virtualtreasury.ie/item/TNA-SP-...
Elite women like Elizabeth Butler, duchess of Ormond are easier to spot in the archive. The tone of her letter to Secretary of State Arlington shows her social standing. 👀 ALT
GRMA Tara. 😃
A map of Ireland showing the scale and type of census returns sent in by local clergymen. https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/1766-religious-census
A map showing the extent of recovered names and numbers across the island of Ireland. 50,000 names across 246 civil parishes!
Legend accompanying the map of recovered names and numbers across the island of Ireland. Names of householders or local population numbers.
https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/1766-religious-census
Happy 260th Birthday to Ireland's first census! 🎂
Amazing coverage back in 1766 🙂 A tragic loss in 1922 🔥😩
Now available - over 50,000 recovered names! 📜📚5️⃣0️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ 🥳
www.virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/1...
📢 More detailed Survivors map coming today! 🔎
Typescript sheet of names in three columns. 'A list of the Protestants and Popish inhabitants of the parish of Inch' in 1766. PRONI T808/15267, pp 31-34 (typed). Many if these 1766 names also appear in the rare 1813 census abstract for Inch. Or see PRONI T808/15011 for handwritten copy.
https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/1766-religious-census
A detailed 1766 census for in Inch, Co. Down.
Amazingly the 1813 census for Inch survives too!
The only townland in all Ireland with names from both.
www.virtualtreasury.ie/item/PRONI-T...
virtualtreasury.ie/item/VRTI-CE...
www.virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/c...
👀 ALT for details
Screen grab of the National Archives Ireland's new webpage celebrating the anniversary of the 1766 Religious Census of Ireland. 'A crucial genealogical resource for 18th century Ireland. https://nationalarchives.ie/help-with-research/research-guides/religious-census-1766/
Screengrab from the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland showing the first in the series of rare surviving original 1766 census records held at NAI, where they have been carefully conserved. The screen grab shows how to browse through this collection using the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons. https://virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-IHP-1-648
Great new webpage by our wonderful colleagues at National Archives, Ireland, marking the anniversary of the 1766 Religious Census.
nationalarchives.ie/help-with-re... 🤩
See NAI's rare surviving 1766 originals 👇
virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-IHP...
Click through to see the full series 🧐
See ALT text.
Seven fragments of the surviving Religious Census of Newchapel, 1766. These were rescued from the rubble of 1922. Preserved by the NAI. Then carefully cleaned, flattened and reunited into a single sheet by the dextrous Jessica Baldwin, Senior Conservator, NAI.
Looking as fresh as the day it was written, 260 years ago, the reunified census sheet for Newchapel Parish, in the Diocese of Cashel and Emly. See a detailed transcription by Brian Gurrin, VRTI, here: https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/item/VRTI-CEN-1766-2-696
A neat end to our 1766 Religious Census anniversary + linking to #IWD2026 😊
Before + after pics showing the amazing work of Jessica Baldwin, Senior Conservator, National Archives Ireland.
Damaged in 1922. Cleaned, flattened + reunited 🥳👏
www.virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-IHP...
👀 the story in ALT
Want to learn more about the 1766 religious census. Check out our hidden story, here: www.virtualtreasury.ie/hidden-stori... Pull the slider on the map to see what was available, pre 1922, and what survives.
59 original 1766 returns survive, in
National Archives, Ireland. Magnificent sources, which can be seen on the Virtual Treasury. Here's NAI's new guide, published to celebrate 260th anniversary of 1766 census: nationalarchives.ie/help-with-re...
Names of the priests and friars recorded in the 1766 religious census available here: virtualtreasury.ie/item/VRTI-CE...
@stpatsmaynooth.bsky.social
💚💚💚
Thanks Peter. 😃
Thank you Patrick. 😃
Ta Elizabeth. 😃
Now on to 1821. 👍
1766 religious census of Ireland is 260 years old today (5 March). Have a look at our brand new map of surviving details from 'Ireland's first census'. 😃
In 2006 I told the late (great) Prof. Ray Gillespie that I wanted to publish every surviving scrap from the 1766 religious census, by 2016. I missed the 🎯by 10 yrs, but 😃 to report that on the 260th anniv. it's done. Everything, >50k names & population details, now online.
@maynoothuniversity.ie
5 March 1766, House of Lords. Resolved: 'Parish ministers ... to return a list of the several families in their parishes ... distinguishing which are Protestants and which are Papists. As also, a list of the several reputed Popish priests and friars'. 'Ireland's first census', 260 y.o. today. 🎂📷 🎁
Map of Ireland showing the Church of Ireland diocese used for the 1766 Religious Census - but with no other information added. A detailed map of surviving records will be posted on our Social Media channels on Thu 5 March
📢 The lost 1766 Religious Census is 260 y.o. 🎂🎉
Watch out for our new 'Survivors' map on 5 March 👀
Originals, transcripts, names and numbers🧐🔎
@gensocireland.bsky.social @cbgenealogy.ie
@igrs1936.bsky.social @ifhs.bsky.social
@eshsi.bsky.social @kiaragregory.bsky.social @alliethinks.bsky.social
My @historicaljnl.bsky.social article has been published open access alongside great articles by @adambforsyth.bsky.social, @davidandress.bsky.social, and others I couldn't locate here, in the most recent journal issue.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Wolfe Tone on Paine: I have been laterly introduced to the famous Thomas Paine and like him very well. He is vain beyond all belief, but he has reason to be vain and, for my part, I forgive him. He has done wonders for the cause of liberty ... and I believe him to be conscientiously an honest man.
1766 religious census of Boho parish, Co. Fermanagh, by Revd John White.
‘One Papist is generally a herdsman for a whole townland. There is not a Papist in the parish anyway considerable, either in circumstances, or mental capacity, all poor, low, illiterate people’.
Image of a surviving original return from the 1766 Religious Census. The rector blames the local 'insurrection called Hearts of Oak' on the 'Dissenters' (Presbyterians) who are 'the spawn of Scottish Covanenters, avowed enemies to all civil and religious establishment, and the most virulent, and furious persecutors of the Established clergy during the late tumults in the north of Ireland.' See full transcript here: https://virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-IHP-1-668 National Archives, Ireland IHP/1/668.
1766 Killeeshill, Co. Tyrone
Original 1766 census return on Dissenters (Presbyterians): 'spawn of Scottish Covanenters...most virulent, and furious persecutors of the Established clergy during the late tumults in the north of Ireland.'
virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-IHP...
@presoutlook.bsky.social
Image of a rare surviving original return from the 1766 Religious Census showing the bare minimum totals for Ballymore Parish, Co. Armagh. https://virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-IHP-1-651 National Archives, Ireland IHP/1/651.
The 1766 Religious Census gold seam on the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland. https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/1766-religious-census
Ballymore parish, Co. Armagh
A rare surviving original census return! 🤩
But - instead of listing 901 names Rev. Sacheverell only sent
615 Protestant families
206 Popish (Catholic) families
'2 reputed Popish priests' 😩
virtualtreasury.ie/item/VRTI-CE...
virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-IHP...
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Printed transcript of the 1766 return for Castlewellan, '15 families, 2 of whom were papists' and including names such as: Terence and Elizabeth Hagan; Lord and lady Annesley; William and Mary Bridges; Andrew and Rebecca Newell; Cromwell and Anne Nicholson; Joseph and Grace Lascells. Source: James O’Laverty, Historical account of the diocese of Down and Connor, volume 1, p. lxxi
https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/1766-religious-census
The ruined interior of the Public Record Office of Ireland in 1922. Almost all the original 1766 census records were destroyed in the fire.
A route map from Dromore to Castlewellan (1777) https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/item/LBC-mid-348 Taylor and Skinner's Maps of the Roads of Ireland, plate 284-285: Dromore to Castlewellan and Clough-Ballynahinch and Rostrevor-Moira
Prudence Riddle, Elizabeth Hagan, Grace Lascells, Deborah Milligan.
Most 1766 census records for Co. Down were lost in 1922, but this transcript for Castlewellan records some names of adult women, and not just 'elite' women. A rarity in the census returns!
virtualtreasury.ie/item/VRTI-CE....
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Image of a single sheet with a transcribed list of the names from the 1766 Census for the Parish of Inchigeelagh Transcript in possession of Cumann Staire Uíbh Laoire/Ballingeary and Inchigeelagh Historical Society. For a full transcript of this document see https://virtualtreasury.ie/item/VRTI-CEN-1766-6-757
https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/1766-religious-census Home page for the 1766 Religious Census Gold Seam in the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland
Long thought lost this transcript of the 1766 census for Inchigeelagh Co. Cork was generously made available though the VRTI by Cumann Staire Uíbh Laoire/Ballingeary and Inchigeelagh Historical Society.
virtualtreasury.ie/item/VRTI-CE....
@johncreedon.bsky.social
@corkbeo.bsky.social
👀 ALT
1766 census return, Inchigeelagh, County Cork, from our friends in Cumann Staire Uíbh Laoire/Ballingeary and Inchigeelagh Historical Society. It's a complete transcript and (my view) a very accurate census return.
Kilmegan parish, Co Down - partial 1766 census return. The original return was probably one of the finest returns issued. #census
