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County Sligo

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"Sligo, a county of Ireland, province of Connaught, bounded E by Leitrim, S by Roscommon, SW and W by Mayo, and N by the bay of Donegal, 39 1/2 English m. long, and 37 broad. Area, 620 square m. The soil is in general fertile, but rather boggy towards the coast, and in many parts mountainous. Chief rivers, the Sligo, Bonnet, Owenmore, Unshion, Cooloney, Esky, and Moy. Lead, iron, silver, and copper ores have been discovered, and some of the mountains exhibit strong indications of coal. Pop. 127,819." [From The New London Gazetteer (1826)]

"COUNTY SLIGO, a maritime county in the province of Connaught, Ireland, is bounded N. by the Atlantic Ocean and Donegal Bay, E. by the counties of Leitrim and Roscommon, S. by Roscommon and Mayo, and W. by Mayo. It lies between 53° 53' and 54° 26' N. lat., 8° 3' and 9° 1' W. long. Its greatest length from E. to W. is 41 miles, and from N. to S. 38 miles. Its area is 721 square miles, or 461,753 acres, of which 290,696 acres are arable, 151,723 uncultivated, 6,134 in plantations, 460 sites of towns and villages, and 12,740 underwater. The population in 1841 was 180,809, in 1851, 128,510, and in 1861, 124,845, or 173 to every square mile of the entire surface, being only 69 per cent. of the number in 1841, when there were 251 to every square mile. The number of persons from this county who emigrated from Irish ports, stating it-was their intention not to return, from the 1st May, 1851, to the 31st December, 1864, was 17,693, or nearly 13 per cent. of the population at the former date. The coast line of Sligo is nearly 100 miles in extent, and is irregular in outline, forming many bays and natural harbours, of which the most important are Ballysadare and Sligo Bays, and terminating at other parts in rocky headlands, among which are Rathlee Dead to the E. of Killala Bay, Aughris Read to the S. of Sligo Bay, and Rosskeeragh Point. The coast is generally rocky, but to the E. of Sligo Bay and at Killala Bay sandy and pebbly strands prevail. The principal islands are Inishmurray, about a mile in length, containing 209 acres, with a population in 1861 of 58, and Inishmulclohy, or Coney Island, which lies at the entrance of Sligo Bay, and forms a natural breakwater.......More"  [Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

 

"SLIGO, a county, of the province of CONNAUGHT, bounded on the east by Leitrim, on the north by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west and south by Mayo, and on the south-east by Roscommon. It extends from 53° 53' to 54° 26' (N. Lat.), and from 8° 3' to 9° 1' (W. Lon.); and comprises an area, according to the Ordnance survey, of 434,188 statute acres, of which 257,217 are cultivated land, 168,711 are unimproved mountain and bog, and 8260 are under water. The population, in 1831, amounted to 146,229; and in 1831, to 171,508....More" [Transcription from A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland - Samuel Lewis - 1837 Mel Lockie ©2013]

 

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Cemeteries

Sligo Cemetery Records - on IGP

Sligo Headstone Photos - on IGP

County Sligo Cemetery Records - on interment.net

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Census

Sligo; National Censuses/Substitutes on fianna

1911 Census - Co Sligo, FHLC numbers - on fianna

 

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Church Records

Sligo Church Records - on IGP

Sligo Roman Catholic records - on Irish Ancestors

County Sligo; Church of Ireland and Methodist Records, dates, locations - on fianna

County Sligo; Roman Catholic Records, dates, locations - on fianna

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Civil Registration

Sligo Vital Records - on IGP

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Description & Travel

Sligo Photographs (places) - on IGP

Sligo - on wikipedia

"The principal roads are the mail-road from Dublin to Sligo, which is continued to Ballina, and the mail-road to Ballyshannon. A branch line of the Midland Great Western railway has been made from Mullingar to Sligo, passing through Longford."  [Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

"The county is divided for civil purposes into 6 baronies -Carbury, Coolavin, Corran, Leyney, Tireragh, and Tirerril, and contains 41 parishes. It returns 3 members to parliament, 2 for the county, the constituency in 1861 having been 3,181, and 1 for the borough, constituency 379. It belongs to the Connaught circuit. Sligo is the only town in the county with a population, in 1861, over 2,000, and is the assize town. Markets are held there, and also at Aclare, Ballymote, Bellaghy, Easky, and Tobereurry."  [Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

You can see pictures of County Sligo which are provided by:

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Directories

Directories, list - on fianna

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Emigration & Immigration

Sligo Immigration Records - on IGP

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Gazetteers

The transcription for this county from the National Gazetteer (1868), provided by Colin Hinson.

The transcription for this county from the 1837 Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland [Mel Lockie ©2013]

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Genealogy

The Ireland Genealogy Project's County Sligo page, and its listing of the Project's available Sligo Records.

Sligo County Genealogy Project - on rootsweb

The Irish Ancestors website (subscription) has the following types of records: State Registration of Births, Marriages & Deaths, Census returns, Land records, Church records, Genealogical Office records, Gravestone inscriptions, Directories, Newspapers, Wills, Deeds, and Occupations.

Irish Ancestors' extensive County Sligo website.

The LDS FamilySearch Wiki's Ireland Online Genealogy Records.

The Fianna website's pages for County Sligo provide important addresses and extensive information about online and other genealogy resources.

Roots Ireland (subscription) "offers access to a unique database of more than 20 million Irish records". Its Sligo coverage includes Baptismal/Birth Records, Marriage Records, Burial/Death Records, Census Records and Griffith's Valuation (Free Access).

WorldGenWeb Sligo - index page

Sligo Photographs (people) - on IGP

County Sligo; Miscellaneous Records, dates, source, locations - on fianna

Sligo Heritage

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Historical Geography

Sligo civil parishes - on Irish Ancestors

See the county Sligo page on logainm.ie which has links to its civil parish pages

    "The Placenames Database of Ireland was created by Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge in collaboration with The Placenames Branch (Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht). This is a comprehensive management system for data, archival records and placenames research conducted by the State. It is a public resource for Irish people at home and abroad, and for all those who appreciate the rich heritage of Irish placenames."

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Land & Property

Griffiths Valuation 1847/64 on the Ask about Ireland site. Use the search box to bring up entries showing Barony/Parish/Townlands and lists of Occupants

Landowners 1870's - on IGP

Records Specific to County Sligo (Mainly land related) - on fianna

Sligo Land Records - on IGP    Includes Valuation Office Revision Books and also Encumbered Estate transcriptions

Tithe Applotment Books for county Sligo and its  parishes are available online on the National Archives of Ireland website (free).

  • The Tithe Applotment Books were compiled between 1823 and 1838 as a survey of land in each civil parish to determine the payment of tithes (a religious tax). Unlike Griffith's Valuation they do not cover cities or towns.
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Law & Legislation

County Sligo Grand Jury  Surviving archives at Sligo Library (not online):" ‘abstracts of presentments’ from 1809 onwards, with some gaps, covering the ‘county at large’ and some of the baronies."

 

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Military Records

Sligo Military & Constabulary Records - on IGP     (Irish Constabulary with native county of Sligo,1833 +)

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Monumental Inscriptions

Sligo Headstone Photos - on IGP

Sligo Memorial Cards - on IGP

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Names, Personal

Surnames found in County Sligo 1100-1600  - on IGP

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Obituaries

Sligo Obituaries - on IGP

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Occupations

"......the Ox mountains, which also abound in minerals, as ironstone, copper, lead, and silver, all which were formerly worked in considerable quantities, but on the failure of the supply of wood the furnaces gradually declined."   [Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

"The occupations of the people are chiefly agricultural, and large districts are laid out in tillage, but grazing also is extensively practised. The total number of acres under crop in 1865 was 96,675, being an increase of 16,963 acres since 1848; and 221,140 acres, exclusive of clover and meadow, were in grazing land. In 1841 there were 7,360 acres under plantation of oak, beech, elm, ash, fir, mixed timber, and fruit. The fisheries on the coast are of considerable importance, and trout, salmon, and other fish are taken in the rivers. The oysters are large in size, but well flavoured, being chiefly procured from the beds at Lissadill. Coarse woollens and linens are manufactured to a small extent."  [Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

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Politics & Government

Sligo Borough Corporation/Council; "Sligo Borough Corporation established by a charter of King James I in 1613." Various surviving archives at Sligo Library (not online)

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

Sligo Workhouse Register at Sligo Library archives (viewable online)

The Boards of Guardians of the Poor Law Unions. County Sligo had three poor law unions: Sligo, Tubbercurry and Dromore West. Various registers at Sligo Library archives (viewable online)

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Probate Records

Sligo Wills - on IGP

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Religion & Religious Life

"The religion of the people is principally Roman Catholic, 112,436, or 90 per cent. of the entire population, having, in 1861, been of that persuasion, while 10,438, or 8.4 per cent., belonged to the Established Church, and 1,971, or 1.6 per cent., were of other Christian denominations, of whom 931 were Presbyterians, and 778 were Methodists."   [Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]