I am trying find out information about my ancestors, John Gibbon and Bridget Roycroft who were married in 1843 in Burriscarra R.C. Parish Church. Their first child, Robert, was born in Ireland in 1845 before they emigrated, presumably during the Famine. This leads me to believe that Robert may have been a family name, on one side or the other. The fathers' names were not given on the Marriage Record which I obtained from Irish Family History Foundation. Bridget may have had a sister Mary, who appears as Godmother to Bridget's daugther Margaret who was born in Liverpool, to where they had emigrated.
Roycroft is, I believe, rather a rare name, so I am hoping someone may be able to help me in my quest.
Thank you,
Colin
Friday 26th Jul 2013, 07:40PM
Message Board Replies
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Hi Colin,
Thank you very much for your message.
Yes Roycroft is not a common name at all as you can see from the Irish Times website:
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID=
Only one Roycroft was recorded in Mayo during the mid-19th century. This was a Patrick Roycroft. He was recorded in Griffith?s Valuation as both landlord and tenant. This is a property valuation survey that was carried out in Ireland 1848-64:
The earlier land record called the Tithe Applotment Books also have a record of Roycroft in Mayo:
Do any of these names appear in your family history?
Have you tried looking for Robert?s birth record in Ireland to see if there is any further information on it that may help you?
Most Catholic records are held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for possible assistance. One website that you may find useful is the Irish Times where they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. It also shows you where copies of the records are available. For Burriscarra parish, follow this link:
If you would like to contact the parish priest directly here is a link to the contact page:
http://tuamarchdiocese.org/2009/12/burriscarra-ballintubber/
Some other websites that you may find helpful are:
The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/
The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
Family Search: www.familysearch.org
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/mayo/index.html
Irish Genealogy Tool-kit: http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/index.html
Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
Monday 29th Jul 2013, 10:49AM