Findmypast.com Updates Irish Petty Session Court Registers with 2.5 Million New Records

Record additions from 19 Irish counties cover misdemeanors as far back as 1842

LOS ANGELES (June 4, 2013) – Leading family history website, findmypast.com, has made an additional 2.5 million court records available to search online in its Irish Petty Sessions Court Registers 1828-1912 record set, which exposes the petty crimes Ireland’s residents committed and how they were punished.

This addition features 44 new courts in 19 counties around Ireland. A further 55 courts have been supplemented with records from additional years. This brings the total Petty Sessions Court Registers on findmypast.com to more than 12 million records.

Notable new courts that have been added are the Limerick City Children’s Court and two courts with pre-famine records – Moynalty, Co. Meath and Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. For the first time, seven new courts from Co. Longford have been added, making more than a quarter of a million new records for the county available online. Also, a number of new courts were added from Co. Laois (five) and Co. Cork (four).

Being drunk in a public place, being drunk in charge of a cart, failure to pay rent and allowing livestock to wander on the road are among some of the most common misdemeanors that sent our ancestors to court.  While most of the defendants in these records were only charged with a fine, the variety of cases provides a colorful look into Irish life through this time.

D. Joshua Taylor, lead genealogist for findmypast.com, said, “This growing collection of exciting records adds valuable detail for Americans looking into their Irish roots.”

New courts have been added to the following counties: Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford and Westmeath.

This and all new record collection additions are available across all international findmypast sites with a World Subscription.

Findmypast.com’s expertise at digitizing historical records and uniting communities provides the tools to help people connect with their past and present.

These collections of records and newspapers are available across all international sites. All new record additions to any one international site are also added to all other international sites.

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About findmypast.com

Findmypast.com (owned by brightsolid) is the U.S. site of findmypast, an international leader in online family history. Findmypast connects people to core and unique U.S., English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Australian and New Zealand records dating back as far as 1200.  

About brightsolid

Findmypast.com is owned by brightsolid online publishing, a British-owned world leader in online genealogy, with over 45 years’ experience in family history and a record of online innovation in the field of family history nearly two decades long. With nearly 18 million registered users across its family of online genealogy brands, brightsolid hosts more than a billion genealogical records from across the globe. The company reported a 75 percent growth in turnover and a 47 percent growth in gross profits in its most recent published accounts and was voted Best Genealogy Organization in the Online Gene Awards.

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