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PRONI - Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

Records held by PRONI

PRONI holds millions of documents that relate chiefly, but not only, to Northern Ireland.

What 'archives' are

Private organisations, government organisations, families and individuals create and acquire records during their business or personal activities. Archives are those records which no longer have an everyday use, yet have been kept because of their historical value.

Many archives will have been transferred to an archive organisation like PRONI for long term preservation. In essence they are the ‘community memory’ - a unique and irreplaceable source of information about the past extending over many centuries.

Most documents are written on either paper or parchment (which is made from the skin of animals).  However, they may also be in electronic format. 

Archives can come in many different formats, for example:

  • files
  • volumes, sometimes with decorative bindings and gilt lettering
  • individual documents, such as letters
  • e-mails
  • photographs
  • maps and plans
  • word-processed and electronic documents

Why archives are kept

There are various reasons why archives may be preserved:

To learn about the past

If you want to find out about something that happened in the past or about a character in history, then you would have to look at archives, to analyze the evidence and decide what the evidence is telling you.

Without a documented heritage in the form of archives, our knowledge of communities, families and the built environment would be poor.  Archives help us understand who we are and how we come to be the way we are as a community and as individuals.

Archives can also provide a stimulating and exciting learning environment - for schools, universities and for the lifelong learner.   They help to enrich and enhance teaching at all levels.

For evidential reasons

Archives have long been kept as evidence, to be used in a court of law if necessary, as proof of rights and entitlements.  For example:

  • wills are kept as proof of inheritance
  • title deeds as proof of ownership of land or of mineral rights
  • registers of births, marriages and deaths are kept as evidence of our identity and are needed for a whole range of purposes from passports to pensions

For democratic accountability

Citizens have a general right of access to information about the activities carried out by government organisations acting on their behalf.

Government records, whether of central government, local government or of other public bodies, are vital for democratic accountability.  Without archives that document the decisions of government and how those decisions were made, there could be no public scrutiny of government activities.

Records held by PRONI 

The records held in PRONI fall into two main categories:

Public records

PRONI holds public records mainly dating from the formation of Northern Ireland (1921) to the present day. A small number date back to the nineteenth and late eighteenth centuries.  ‘Public record’ generally refers to any document created by ‘official’ sources such as:

  • government departments, such as the Ministry of Agriculture (AG), Cabinet Secretariat (CAB), or the Department of Finance (FIN)
  • non-departmental public organisations such as the courts, schools and hospitals

Private records

PRONI also holds a diverse range of privately deposited records such as letters, journals, diaries, photographs and albums. 

Public records (departmental)

The following is a list of departmental public records held by PRONI, along with their classification reference prefix:

Archive titlePRONI reference prefix
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (GB), Ministry ofAFF
Agriculture, Ministry ofAG
Air Ministry (GB)AM
Assistant Under Secretary's FilesAUS
Cabinet SecretariatCAB
Clerk of the CrownCC
Chief Crown SolicitorCCS
Crown LandsCL
Commerce, Department ofCOM
Committee on Preparation of Legislation (UK)CPL
Central SecretariatCS
Chief Secretary's Office FilesCSO
Capital Taxes OfficeCTO
Customs and ExciseCUS
Commissioners of Work and Public BuildingsCWPB
Community Relations, Department ofDCR
Economic Development, Department ofDED
Development, Department ofDEV
Finance , Department ofDof
Health and Social Services, Department ofDHSS
Manpower Services, Department ofDMS
Civil Service, Department ofDOCS
Education, Department ofED
Estate Duty OfficeEDO
Estate Duty Office, LondonEDOL
Environment, Department ofENV
Finance, Department ofFIN
General Prison Board for IrelandGPB
Home affairs, Ministry ofHA
Health and Local Government, Ministry ofHLG
Housing, Local Government and PlanningHLGP
HM TreasuryHMT
Home OfficeHO
Health and social Services, Department ofHSS
Information ServiceINF
Labour, Ministry ofLAB
Meteorological OfficeMET
Ministry of Defence (UK)MOD
Ministry of Public SecurityMPS
Office of the ExecutiveOE
Office of Manpower EconomicsOME
Ordnance Survey RecordsOS
Policy Coordinating CommitteePCC
Prime Minister, Department ofPM
Public Record Office, LondonPRO
Registrar General's RecordsRGO
Registry of Deeds, BelfastRODB
Registry of Deeds, DublinRODD
Stationery Office, HM (Belfast)SO
Transport (UK), Ministry ofTRANS
Title Deeds and LeasesTSD
Valuation DivisionVAL

Public records (non-departmental)

The following is a list of non-departmental public records held by PRONI, along with their classification reference prefix:

Archive titlePRONI reference prefix
Air Ministry (GB)AM
Antrim Crown and PeaceANT
Appeal Records, Supreme Court of JudicatureAPP
Area Education and Library BoardsAELB
Area Health and Social Services BoardsAHSSB
Armagh Crown and PeaceARM
Armagh District Probate RegistryTARM
Armagh ObservatoryOB
Arts Council of NIAC
Association of Chief Executives, Education and Library BoardsACE
Association of NI Education and Library BoardsASELB
Bankruptcy Records, Supreme Court of JudicatureBANK
Belfast College of TechnologyBCT
Belfast Crown and PeaceBELF
Belfast District Probate RegistryTBEL
Boards of GuardiansBG
Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work in NICCETSW
Central Office of Information, LondonCOINF
Chancery Division Records, Supreme Court of JudicatureCH
Chief Electoral OfficerCEO
Civil Aviation AuthorityAA
Clerk to the CrownCC
Commonwealth War Graves CommissionWGC
Community Relations CommissionCREL
Community Relations CouncilCRC
Crown CourtsCRCT
Development CommissionsDC
District Electoral Areas CommissionDEAC
Down Crown and PeaceDOW
Electricity Board for NINIE
Enterprise UlsterEU
Exchequer and Audit DepartmentEXA
Fermanagh Crown and PeaceFERM
Fire Authority for NIFA
Fisheries Conservancy BoardFCB
Foyle Fisheries CommissionFFC
General Consumer Council for NIGCC
General Post OfficeGPO
Harbour Commissioners’ RecordsHAR
Health and Safety Agency for NIHSA
Historic Monuments CouncilHMC
Home Guard (Ulster), Ministry of DefenceHG
Hospital RecordsHOS
Judgments, Supreme Court of JudicatureJGT
King’s Bench Division Records, Supreme Court of JudicatureKB
Labour Relations AgencyLRA
Lands Tribunal for NILT
Library and Information Services Council (NI)LISC
Livestock Marketing CommissionLMC
Local Authority RecordsLA
Local Enterprise Development UnitLEDU
Local Government Boundary CommissionsLGBC
Local Government Staff CommissionLGSC
Londonderry Crown and PeaceLOND
Londonderry District Probate RegistryTDER
Magee University College Presbyterian TrustMPT
Man Made Fibres Producing Industry Training Board (NI)MFTB
Matrimonial Office, Supreme Court of JudicatureMAT
Mental Health CommissionMHC
Mental Health Review TribunalMHRT
Milk Marketing Board for NIMMB
Miscellaneous records, Supreme Court of JudicatureMISC
NI Agricultural TrustAT
NI AssemblyNIA
NI Audit OfficeAO
NI Central Services AgencyCSA
NI Certification Office for the Trade UnionsCO
NI Commissioner for ComplaintsNICC
NI Council for Continuing EducationCCE
NI Council for Educational Development / Curriculum CouncilCURC
NI Council for Educational researchNICER
NI Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and AssessmentCCEA
NI Court ServiceCS
NI Economic CouncilECNI
NI General Health Services BoardHSB
NI Health and Social Services Training CouncilHSTC
NI Health Promotion AgencyHPA
NI Housing CouncilHC
NIHousing ExecutiveHE
NI Parliamentary Commissioner for AdministrationPCA
NI Seed Potato Marketing BoardSPMB
NI Tourist BoardTOUR
NI Training AuthorityNITA
NI Transport Holding CompanyTHC
NI Tuberculosis AuthorityTBA
NI Youth CouncilNIYC
NI Youth Employment Service BoardYESB
National Assistance BoardNAB
National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health VisitingNBN
Pigs Marketing BoardPMB
Planning Appeals CommissionPAPC
Principal Probate Registry, BelfastTPRN
Privacy Council of NIPRI
Rent Officer for NIRO
Road Safety CouncilRSC
Royal Commission on Civil LiabilityLCO
Royal Commission on GamblingRC
School RecordsSCH
Schools Examination CouncilSEC
Sports Council for NISCNI
Staff Commission for Education and Library BoardsSTCE
Testamentary GeneralTG
Testamentary Will CalendarsTWC
Tyrone Crown and PeaceTYR
Ulster Folk and Transport MuseumUFTM
Ulster MuseumUM
Ulster Savings CouncilSAV
Ulster Transport AuthorityUTA
Unproved WillsTUW
Water CommissionersWAT

Privately deposited records

Privately deposited records originate from a variety of sources such as local political parties, private individuals and organisations, business, churches and landed estates.  Some examples include:

  • business records
  • census records
  • church records
  • emigration records
  • pedigrees and genealogical records
  • landed Estate records
  • newspapers
  • photographs
  • political papers
  • family papers
  • solicitors’ papers
  • wills and testamentary papers
  • sporting association papers

Introductions to some of our most significant private collections have been compiled and are available online.  These introductions generally summarise the contents of the archive and give a wealth of information about the family or organisation who created the archive.

To find out more about how PRONI's archives are organised, visit the eCatalogue section.

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Your research

  • Family and local history records
  • Geographical boundaries and territories
  • Guides to PRONI records
  • Information leaflets
  • PRONI Annual Releases
  • PRONI Enquiry Service
  • Records held by PRONI
  • Significant privately deposited archives
  • Submit an Enquiry
  • UTV archive

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