Records update

Nearing completion of the first stage of the Ulster Covenant page with the addition of the 78 Richardsons who signed the Covenant in the Belfast South area. Just Belfast East and those in Scotland to come as far as I am aware before the first stage is complete.

Records update

Back updating the Ulster Covenant page, I've added 51 new records, this time covering the Belfast East and Belfast North divisions as well as a Belfast Richardson signing in Sussex, England. Belfast South and Belfast West divisions to follow.

Early Census'

Census' where held every ten years in Ireland, starting in 1821. Unfortunately the census' for 1861, 1871, 1881, and 1891 where turned into pulp by government order during World War One. The reasons for this is unknown and at best speculation. One theory is that it was to hide the impact of the Great Famine in Ireland between 1845-52, yet population statistics remain collated from those census'.

A further disaster for family tree enthusiasts struck during the Irish Civil War in 1922-23 when the IRA purposely set about soaking records in petrol and setting them on fire in the Public Records Office in Dublin. The result was the mass destruction of historical documents going back to the 12th century. As a result many important documents where forever lost including a lot of church records and the census' for 1821, 1831, 1841, and 1851. The 1901 and 1911 census' survived intact.

Whilst these early census' where not very in-depth, the information to be found can be useful in tracing certain people to specific areas. The information recorded in each census varied.

A minor consolation is that small fragments of these burnt census' do survive for parts of Ireland such as a specific parish or in the case for 1831, the entire county of Londonderry. The following Excel file lists the forty-one Richardsons to be found in Ulster in these surviving fragments:

• Early Census'.xlsx

Records update

The next update to the Ulster Covenant page is the 75 records from the Tyrone East constituency, taking the grand total number of names in the file to 401 at present. Next on the list will be the capital of Northern Ireland and Ulster, the city of Belfast.

Records update

Once again I've added updated the Ulster Covenant page with 23 new records giving a total so far of 326. This update adds all the Richardsons from the Tyrone South constituency. Many more still to come.

What I've seen throughout the compilation of these Covenant records is just how many of these Richardsons live in certain locales, prevalent in neighbouring townlands and settlements. A more in-depth map showing the density per townland of all these Richardsons would really show just how common they are to quite specific areas.

Records update

Back again! I've further updated the Ulster Covenant page with 33 new records giving a total so far of 303. This time the records come from the County Down parliamentary divisions as well as some of those Ulster born Richardsons who signed the Covenant outside of Ulster such as in County Dublin and County Waterford.

There is still the large amount of Richardsons who signed the Covenant in north Armagh and Belfast to add yet as well as others who signed it outside Ulster so stay tuned!

Records update

As it was recently my birthday, the update is quite small this time. I've updated the Ulster Covenant page with 11 more records, all from the North Armagh Parliamentary Divisions, which had somehow managed to evade inclusion in the previous update. All 95 Richardsons from that division are now in the file.

Records update

Just updated the Ulster Covenant page with 114 more records, taking it to a total of 260 records. This focuses on the Richardsons found in the three Armagh Parliamentary Divisions. More to come.

Ulster Covenant 1912

Updated: 16 June 2014
(Links to files are at bottom of page if you want to cut through the waffle)

Irish Home Rule

During the latter years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century the most pressing issue in the politics of the United Kingdom was that of Home Rule for the island of Ireland. Home Rule was favoured predominantly by the Catholic nationalist majority in Ireland, whereas the Protestant unionist minority fearing "Rome Rule" opposed it.

In all there were four Home Rule bills, all with differing aspects.

• The first bill in 1886 sought to give a form of devolved assembly to Ireland to govern specific areas was defeated in the House of Commons. 
• The second bill was passed by the Commons but defeated by the House of Lords in 1893. It differed in that it would allow the Irish MPs to still vote at Westminster. 
• The third bill in 1914 was passed to the statute books however was shelved due to the outbreak of World War I. It would of saw the creation of an Irish House of Commons and a senate. 
• The fourth and final bill was that of 1920 which created two Home Rule parliaments in Ireland, that of Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. Whilst Northern Ireland would continue in existence to the present day, Southern Ireland never did due to the Irish War of Independence which saw the creation of the Irish Free State in its place in 1922.

Ulster's Solemn League and Covenant

Opposition to Home Rule by the unionists of Ireland was at its peak in the early 1910s especially in Ulster, led by Dublin barrister, Edward Carson, later The Rt. Hon. The Lord Carson. The Ulster Unionist Council was set up to co-ordinate this opposition. The culmination of this opposition was the signing in 28 September 1912 of the Ulster "Solemn League and Covenant" by 471,432 Ulster folk.

Not all Ulster Protestant's opposed Home Rule however, with a small minority supporting it. There were some rallies in favour of Home Rule held, which culminated with the signing of a pro-Home Rule Covenant in Ballymoney, County Antrim, by 3,000 people.

Key points about the Ulster Covenant:

• Signatories of the Covenant were restricted to people throughout the British Empire born in Ulster. 
• 237,368 men signed the Covenant, with 234,046 women signing a female Declaration counterpart. This is unique and ahead of the times in that it gave women a democratic say. The UK voting franchise would not be extended to women until the 1918 General Election. Women would only get full voting equality with men in 1928.
• The organisation used for signing the Covenant was based on Westminster parliamentary divisions. The parliamentary divisions were then subdivided into electoral divisions.
• It appears apparent that signing the Covenant was restricted to those of full voting age which at the time was 21. No doubt this was to ensure its legibility and integrity to scrutiny.
• In 1911 the province of Ulster had a population of 1,581,696 people (the highest of the four provinces). Thus 29.8% of the population signed the document despite the fact the full voting was restricted to over 21s.
• The membership of the Ulster Volunteers, a unionist militia to block Home Rule and to defend Ulster should it be enacted, was drawn up from signatories of the Covenant. 
• Whilst the Covenant was signed at sea, in Canada, Australia, Great Britain and throughout the British Empire to those of Ulster blood, the exact number of signatories is uncertain as only the Public Records of Northern Ireland have made the documents in their possession public - the vast majority of which naturally are from Ulster.
• When the Covenant was signed on the 28th September, not everyone was in their local area to sign it and so quite a few signatories can be found in other areas or parts of the United Kingdom as that is where they where on the day.

Richardsons in the Covenant 

In total there 571 Richardsons recorded at PRONI as having signed the Covenant throughout Ulster.

Whilst these are all easily accessible at the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland website, I have taken the time to elaborate on the location given by signatories so that it would be easier to find these people in other records.

The reason for this being a lot of people lived outside towns and villages and gave their townland as their residence. Many people from outside Ireland mistake these for actual settlements and wonder why they can't find them on a map. Townlands are simply a minor unit of land division below that of a civil parish which has been used in Ireland for centuries. Most land grants such as those in the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century were made on the basis of portions made up of townlands. So to help visitors in locating these townlands, I have added the civil parish of the townland and the nearest settlement to it.

I have also created a colour-coded map based on the parliamentary divisions so that the spread of these records can be seen:

Distribution of Richardons who signed the Ulster Covenant

As this map only shows the amount of Richardsons who signed the Ulster Covenant that day in those divisions in Ulster and not those outside Ulster that day who signed it, I will create another map depicting the areas they all came from in Ulster.

Current version

Currently the file has 530 of the 571 recorded Richardsons in the following Excel files. As before there is also a xls version for those who can't open the xlsx version. It is recommended to download the file rather than view it in Mediafire's browser to get the best out of it.

•  Ulster Covenant (16 June 2014).xlsx (Updated: 16 June 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (16 June 2014).xls (Updated: 16 June 2014)

Older versions

•  Ulster Covenant (29 May 2014).xls (Updated: 29 May 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (29 May 2014).xls (Updated: 29 May 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (5 May 2014).xls (Updated: 5 May 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (5 May 2014).xlsx (Updated: 5 May 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (15 April 2014).xls (Updated: 15 April 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (15 April 2014).xlsx (Updated: 15 April 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (7 April 2014).xls (Updated: 7 April 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (7 April 2014).xlsx (Updated: 7 April 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (31 March 2014).xls (Updated: 31 March 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (31 March 2014).xlsx (Updated: 31 March 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (21 March 2014).xls (Updated: 21 March 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (21 March 2014).xlsx (Updated: 21 March 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (19 March 2014).xls (Updated: 19 March 2014)
•  Ulster Covenant (19 March 2014).xlsx (Updated: 19 March 2014)

High Sheriffs

Emblem of the High Sheriffs
of England and Wales

Throughout Irish history, the English and then British monarch have appointed High Sheriffs to counties and cities in Ireland. A High Sheriff was the Sovereign's judicial representative in that county and along with their judicial role, they held ceremonial and administrative functions and executed High Court Writs.

This followed the system of High Sheriffs used in England and Wales. Scotland has its own system of sheriffs that are appointed to sheriffdoms (judicial districts).

In England and Wales the office was originally held for a lifetime, however from 1258 according to the Provisions of Oxford they became annually appointed. The title survives to this day in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, largely on a ceremonial basis. In Northern Ireland they have some duties such as deputising for Lord Mayor. For more information visit AgendaNI - High Sheriffs ceremonial role. The office of High Sheriff was abolished in the Republic of Ireland in 1926.

Richardson High Sheriffs

Below is a list of all the Richardsons who have held the title of High Sheriff in Ulster. It also includes a few people who have the middle name Richardson, which follows the common practice of giving a child the maiden name of their mother or maternal grandmother. So they are most likely of Richardson descent.

Unsurprisingly the counties where the major Richardson families lived in Ulster sees quite a few holding the role of High Sheriff, with County Londonderry being the exception. Though some seem to have become High Sheriff in more than one county.

High Sheriff of Armagh

• 1665, Edward Richardson of Legacorry
• 1690, William Richardson of Legacorry
• 1715, John Richardson
• 1720, Henry Richardson
• 1737, William Richardson of Richhill Castle
• 1777, William Richardson of Richhill Castle
• 1888, John Mervyn Archdall Carleton Richardson
• 1936, Richard Henry Stephens Richardson
• 1945, John Stephen Wakefield Richardson
• 1949, Alexander Reginald Wakefield Richardson

High Sheriff of Fermanagh

• 1783, John Richardson
• 1805, John Richardson
• 1833, Henry Mervyn Richardson of Rossfad
• 1868, John Mervyn Archdall Carleton Richardson of Rossfad and Richhill

High Sheriff of Londonderry City

• 1741, Charles Richardson, joint with William Foliott
• 1742, Charles Richardson, joint with John Hamilton

High Sheriff of Monaghan

• 1664, Simon Richardson
• 1692, Henry Richardson of Poplar Vale
• 1700, Henry Richardson of Poplar Vale
• 1793, Edward Richardson of Poplar Vale
• 1846, John Richardson of Poplar Vale
• 1871, Edward Richardson of Poplar Vale
• 1902, Edward John Richardson of Poplar Vale

High Sheriff of Tyrone

• 1650-57, Edward Richardson
• 1662, William Richardson
• 1680, Archibald Richardson
• 1734, James Richardson
• 1743, David Richardson
• 1778, John Richardson
• 1789, Sir William Richardson, 1st Baronet of Augher
• 1799, William Richardson
• 1807, William Richardson Goodlatte
• 1824, William Steward Richardson
• 1831, Sir James Mervyn Richardson-Bradley, 2nd Baronet of Killeacle
• 1832, Thomas Richardson Browne
• 1870, Henry James Stewart, later Stuart-Richardson, 5th Earl Castle Stewart
• 1885-6, John Mervyn Archdall Carleton Richardson of Rossfad

Ellis Island update

Hello again. I've updated the Ellis Island page with what may be the final list of Richardsons from Ulster that I can find arriving into the United States via Ellis Island. Along with this I've accordingly updated the destination map.

Ellis Island update

Hi again! I've created the first of hopefully several accompanying maps to go with the records I add to the site. Today I've updated the Ellis Island page with a map of the states of the USA. It depicts the states that where the final destination given by Richardsons from Ulster who disembarked at Ellis Island, New York, and the number of people.

Records update

Continuing my work on the Ellis Island ship manifests I've updated the names list with 48 new records, giving a grand total of 124 so far. The latest version of the file can be found in the Ellis Island page!

Site update

I've decided to create an image to use as the header of this blog. The background of it is a part of Jan Jansson's 1659 map of Provincia Ultonia, the province of Ulster. I've also added the Irish (or rather Ulster to be precise) Coat of Arms of the Richardson family.

Along with that I've also changed the background and navigation bar from the drab greys that they where to something more genealogical in appearance - shades of brown.

Nothing too fancy, but I think it looks the bit for the time being!

Records update

Another update so quick? Yep! I've added 22 new records to the Ellis Island emigration file taking it to a total of 78 records at present. Having exhausted searching for Richardsons in the counties and major settlements in Ulster within Ellis Island's restricted search parameters, I'm focusing now on the ships themselves that sailed from Ulster which is turning up new entries - whether they are from Ulster or another part of Ireland is a different question altogether though.

Site update

Just working on rearranging the site to make it more sensible so all similar things can be found in the right place. This has resulted in all name list sections being merged into one (Name Lists) for the time being seeing as they were all lists of names.

Also whilst having a look around at older posts I found two that should be made easier to find as they are important. First of all I've perma-limked the "Origin of the name" post to the page bar above and the "Caution when researching" post to the newly created "Other articles" page above.

I've also added a new Excel file containing many emigration records of Richardsons from Ulster who headed to the United States. It is a work in progress and will be frequently updated as more is added to it.

Along with the rearranging of the site and my effort to fulfill the potential of this blog, I've deleted almost all of the older news updates from over a year ago to help the fresh start.

Site update

Righteo, I've got a few updates to mention here so far:

• I've added some records to the Emigration from County Londonderry section.
• Created a new section called Ulster for records that span the province in general.
• Added a new page to the Ulster section detailing records of Richardsons who enlisted in the Royal Irish Constabulary.
• Also created the County Donegal section and added the Emigration from County Donegal page to it.

I am also trying to standardise each page to have the same layout, however with the confines of this blog, I'm restricted to a degree by what I can do, so there will still be some inconsistency most notably in regards to the tables used to display information, as I try to accommodate the information better. Maybe I could just put them all into Excel sheets and link to them.

Royal Irish Constabulary

This section will list records of all Richardsons who enlisted in the Royal Irish Constabulary, the police force of the island of Ireland from 1836 to 1922. After the partition of Ireland in 1921, the RIC was replaced in what became Northern Ireland, by the Royal Ulster Constabulary. For the three Ulster counties that became part of the Irish Free State, the RIC was replaced by the an Garda Síochána (the guardian of the peace).

Name	Born	Age	County	Enlisted	Ref
William Richardson	1833	21	Londonderry	1833
Thos. L. Richardson	1898	-	Londonderry	1921
Alex. Richardson	c1873	25	Londonderry	1898
Robt. Richardson	c1869	-	Armagh	-	Ellis Island

New Year, New Start

Just realised it has been a very long time since I accessed this blog, and over the past few years I have come across more information that would be of use, so as a New Years Resolution, I will focus more on updating this site, so stay tuned! !