Search Ireland, electoral registers 1885-1886 browse

The results will bring you directly to the images of the electoral registers. The registers provide the following details about your ancestor:

• Name
• Residence
• How your ancestor qualified as an electorate
• The townland, street or name of property in which your ancestor lived

Electoral registers are lists, created annually, of people who are eligible and registered to vote. These lists would include reasons for eligibility, such as their ownership or occupation of a property as a tenant or, in some cases, as a lodger. Until 1918, the right to vote was closely linked to property.

Use the register to discover who lived in your home, on your street or in your townland in 1885. The registers include the counties of Armagh, Fermanagh, Down, Limerick, Mayo, Meath, Tyrone, Roscommon, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.

From the Act of Union in 1801 until Ireland’s independence in 1922, over 7,000 electoral registers were created, but the British Library only holds the registers for a single year. The electoral registers are from 1885 until 1886. The 1880s in Ireland saw much change, from land reform and the beginning of the Home Rule Crisis to the rise of the Irish Parliamentary Party.

What are electoral registers?

Electoral registers are lists, created annually, of people who are eligible and registered to vote. These lists would include reasons for eligibility, such as their ownership or occupation of a property as a tenant or, in some cases, as a lodger. Until 1918, the right to vote was closely linked to property.

Electoral registers were first introduced in 1832 with the Great Reform Act. As the number of voters increased and polling days were reduced to one day, there was a need to establish the right to vote in advance of the polling day. To that end, electoral registers were created.

These registers are a special resource for family historians because you can discover your ancestors in an exact location between the census years. Also, through the registers you can discover the history of your family home, such as who lived in your home before you. Have you ever renovated and found layers of wallpaper or discovered items from a previous owner in your attic? Is it possible that someone famous lived in your house? Now you can find the names of those who previously called your house their home. Furthermore, you can see how the area around your home developed over the years as new homes or businesses were built.

The registers held by the British Library are listed below:

County Armagh – Mid Division, North Division and South Division

County Down – Newry

County Fermanagh – North Division and South Division

County Kildare – North Division and South Division

County Limerick – Limerick City

County Mayo – East Division, North Division, South Division and West Division

County Meath – North Division and South Division

County Roscommon – North Division and South Division

County Tyrone – East Division, Mid Division, North Division and South Division

County Westmeath – North Division and South Division

County Wexford – North Division and South Division

County Wicklow – East Division and West Division

The Ireland, Electoral Registers Constituency List will provide a full list of the polling districts and constituencies available within these registers. The list can be found in the Useful Links and Resources.