Two Irish record sets have been uploaded in the last week to TheGenealogist.co.uk, a predominently British database with a small but growing number of Irish collections accessible via the site's Diamond subscription. (Search catalogue here.)
The new sets are:
- County Kildare Roman Catholic Parish Registers: these 371,400 records include 323,923 baptisms, 46,914 marriages and 563 burials. No further information has been provided.
- Tithe Defaulters: Dating from 1831, this record set originates from a 1,061 page document listing 29,027 individuals who refused to pay the tithe - a tax levied on all occupiers of agricultural land (regardless of their religion) to support the Church of Ireland and its clergy. As the majority of Ireland's population was Roman Catholic, the tithe was hugely unpopular and many refused to pay. The list notes each defaulter's name, address and the sum due. Some additionally provide details of the defaulter's landholding and occupation.
The Genealogist has published a good article giving more historical background on the hated tithe in Ireland and details of some of those whose names appear in the Defaulters' list. Read it here.