Databases

In the old website there were some databases of names covering the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries which covered the wider Ballymoney area. In the revised website I have added some databases relating to the the first half of the nineteenth century. Now that the 1911 [and soon the 1901 Census] are online, this means that you will be able to search for names and places in the North Antrim area over three centuries. Remember, however, that not all names of persons residing in the area are recorded in the earlier sources.

The databases in the left and right-hand menus have been produced in Excel. I appreciate that some of you will not have Excel on your computer. Therefore, to overcome this problem, the databases are also available as PDF files. I'm assuming that most of you will have a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader which will open the PDF files. If not, go to http://www.adobe.com/  for a free copy of the latest version of the reader.

All of the databases will open in a separate window or a separate tab, depending on the browser that you are using and the way it has been configured.

When you close a separate window or tab containing a PDF file, it should close immediately. However when you close a window containing an Excel file that you have sorted or searched, you will normally be asked if you want to save it. Simply click on No and close the window. In other words, if you open the file from the web server [which I would recommend] it is a read only file, so changes cannot be saved.

Databases in the left-hand and right-hand menus

There are links to eight databases in these menus. The three in the left-hand menu relate to the nineteenth century and the five in the right-hand menu cover the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Some cover the entire North Antrim area and some only parts of it.

The 1630, 1669, 1740, 1796 and c.1860 cover all baronies and parishes within North Antrim.

The 1766 database only covers the parish of Ballymoney because this parish is the only one extant for North Antrim.

The 1803 database covers the parishes of Armoy, Ballintoy, Ballymoney, Ballyrashane, Ballywillin, Billy, Culfeigthrin, Derrykeighan, Drumtullagh, Dunluce, Kilraghts, Loughguile, Ramoan and Rathlin. These are the only parishes extant for North Antrim.

At the moment the 1820/30s Tithe database only covers the parishes of Ballymoney and Kilraghts where the locality studies are located.

Surnames and Townland Names in the Databases

Spelling of surnames and place names, particularly in earlier sources, can be very different from modern-day spellings - read more.

Accuracy of the databases

Remember these databases are not primary sources. I have never seen a database that did not contain mistakes. I have checked the databases on this site many times but I cannot guarantee that all of the information in them is 100% correct. To be absolutely sure of particular information in a database, you should check the original document from which it was created.