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
Map showing registration districts of Scotland in 2005.
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.[2]
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.[3][4][5]
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.
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
^"A Beginners Guide to UK Geography (2023)". Open Geography Portal. Office for National Statistics. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023. Registration districts are the areas in England and Wales used for recording births, marriages and deaths and responsibility for them is held by the relevant county council, unitary authority (UA), metropolitan district, or London borough.
Registration Districts of Ireland, Michael J. Thompson, copyright 2009, 2012. This document and its contents are made available for non‐commercial use only.
