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, knowledge of communities, families and the built environment would be poor. Archives can help communities and individuals understand who they are and how they came to be the way they are.
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 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 title | PRONI reference prefix |
|---|---|
| Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (GB), Ministry of | AFF |
| Agriculture, Ministry of | AG |
| Air Ministry (GB) | AM |
| Assistant Under Secretary's Files | AUS |
| Cabinet Secretariat | CAB |
| Clerk of the Crown | CC |
| Chief Crown Solicitor | CCS |
| Crown Lands | CL |
| Commerce, Department of | COM |
| Committee on Preparation of Legislation (UK) | CPL |
| Central Secretariat | CS |
| Chief Secretary's Office Files | CSO |
| Capital Taxes Office | CTO |
| Customs and Excise | CUS |
| Commissioners of Work and Public Buildings | CWPB |
| Community Relations, Department of | DCR |
| Economic Development, Department of | DED |
| Development, Department of | DEV |
| Finance, Department of | DoF |
| Health and Social Services, Department of | DHSS |
| Manpower Services, Department of | DMS |
| Civil Service, Department of | DOCS |
| Education, Department of | ED |
| Estate Duty Office | EDO |
| Estate Duty Office, London | EDOL |
| Environment, Department of | ENV |
| Finance, Department of | FIN |
| General Prison Board for Ireland | GPB |
| Home affairs, Ministry of | HA |
| Health and Local Government, Ministry of | HLG |
| Housing, Local Government and Planning | HLGP |
| HM Treasury | HMT |
| Home Office | HO |
| Health and social Services, Department of | HSS |
| Information Service | INF |
| Labour, Ministry of | LAB |
| Meteorological Office | MET |
| Ministry of Defence (UK) | MOD |
| Ministry of Public Security | MPS |
| Office of the Executive | OE |
| Office of Manpower Economics | OME |
| Ordnance Survey Records | OS |
| Policy Coordinating Committee | PCC |
| Prime Minister, Department of | PM |
| Public Record Office, London | PRO |
| Registrar General's Records | RGO |
| Registry of Deeds, Belfast | RODB |
| Registry of Deeds, Dublin | RODD |
| Stationery Office, HM (Belfast) | SO |
| Transport (UK), Ministry of | TRANS |
| Title Deeds and Leases | TSD |
| Valuation Division | VAL |
Public records (non-departmental)
The following is a list of non-departmental public records held by PRONI, along with their classification reference prefix:
| Archive title | PRONI reference prefix |
|---|---|
| Air Ministry (GB) | AM |
| Antrim Crown and Peace | ANT |
| Appeal Records, Supreme Court of Judicature | APP |
| Area Education and Library Boards | AELB |
| Area Health and Social Services Boards | AHSSB |
| Armagh Crown and Peace | ARM |
| Armagh District Probate Registry | TARM |
| Armagh Observatory | OB |
| Arts Council of NI | AC |
| Association of Chief Executives, Education and Library Boards | ACE |
| Association of NI Education and Library Boards | ASELB |
| Bankruptcy Records, Supreme Court of Judicature | BANK |
| Belfast College of Technology | BCT |
| Belfast Crown and Peace | BELF |
| Belfast District Probate Registry | TBEL |
| Boards of Guardians | BG |
| Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work in NI | CCETSW |
| Central Office of Information, London | COINF |
| Chancery Division Records, Supreme Court of Judicature | CH |
| Chief Electoral Officer | CEO |
| Civil Aviation Authority | AA |
| Clerk to the Crown | CC |
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | WGC |
| Community Relations Commission | CREL |
| Community Relations Council | CRC |
| Crown Courts | CRCT |
| Development Commissions | DC |
| District Electoral Areas Commission | DEAC |
| Down Crown and Peace | DOW |
| Electricity Board for NI | NIE |
| Enterprise Ulster | EU |
| Exchequer and Audit Department | EXA |
| Fermanagh Crown and Peace | FERM |
| Fire Authority for NI | FA |
| Fisheries Conservancy Board | FCB |
| Foyle Fisheries Commission | FFC |
| General Consumer Council for NI | GCC |
| General Post Office | GPO |
| Harbour Commissioners’ Records | HAR |
| Health and Safety Agency for NI | HSA |
| Historic Monuments Council | HMC |
| Home Guard (Ulster), Ministry of Defence | HG |
| Hospital Records | HOS |
| Judgments, Supreme Court of Judicature | JGT |
| King’s Bench Division Records, Supreme Court of Judicature | KB |
| Labour Relations Agency | LRA |
| Lands Tribunal for NI | LT |
| Library and Information Services Council (NI) | LISC |
| Livestock Marketing Commission | LMC |
| Local Authority Records | LA |
| Local Enterprise Development Unit | LEDU |
| Local Government Boundary Commissions | LGBC |
| Local Government Staff Commission | LGSC |
| Londonderry Crown and Peace | LOND |
| Londonderry District Probate Registry | TDER |
| Magee University College Presbyterian Trust | MPT |
| Man Made Fibres Producing Industry Training Board (NI) | MFTB |
| Matrimonial Office, Supreme Court of Judicature | MAT |
| Mental Health Commission | MHC |
| Mental Health Review Tribunal | MHRT |
| Milk Marketing Board for NI | MMB |
| Miscellaneous records, Supreme Court of Judicature | MISC |
| NI Agricultural Trust | AT |
| NI Assembly | NIA |
| NI Audit Office | AO |
| NI Central Services Agency | CSA |
| NI Certification Office for the Trade Unions | CO |
| NI Commissioner for Complaints | NICC |
| NI Council for Continuing Education | CCE |
| NI Council for Educational Development / Curriculum Council | CURC |
| NI Council for Educational research | NICER |
| NI Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment | CCEA |
| NI Court Service | CS |
| NI Economic Council | ECNI |
| NI General Health Services Board | HSB |
| NI Health and Social Services Training Council | HSTC |
| NI Health Promotion Agency | HPA |
| NI Housing Council | HC |
| NI Housing Executive | HE |
| NI Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration | PCA |
| NI Seed Potato Marketing Board | SPMB |
| NI Tourist Board | TOUR |
| NI Training Authority | NITA |
| NI Transport Holding Company | THC |
| NI Tuberculosis Authority | TBA |
| NI Youth Council | NIYC |
| NI Youth Employment Service Board | YESB |
| National Assistance Board | NAB |
| National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting | NBN |
| Pigs Marketing Board | PMB |
| Planning Appeals Commission | PAPC |
| Principal Probate Registry, Belfast | TPRN |
| Privacy Council of NI | PRI |
| Rent Officer for NI | RO |
| Road Safety Council | RSC |
| Royal Commission on Civil Liability | LCO |
| Royal Commission on Gambling | RC |
| School Records | SCH |
| Schools Examination Council | SEC |
| Sports Council for NI | SCNI |
| Staff Commission for Education and Library Boards | STCE |
| Testamentary General | TG |
| Testamentary Will Calendars | TWC |
| Tyrone Crown and Peace | TYR |
| Ulster Folk and Transport Museum | UFTM |
| Ulster Museum | UM |
| Ulster Savings Council | SAV |
| Ulster Transport Authority | UTA |
| Unproved Wills | TUW |
| Water Commissioners | WAT |
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 the most significant private collections at PRONI 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.