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County Wexford

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"Wexford, a county of Ireland, province of Leinster, bounded E by St George's channel, S by Waterford bay, SW by Kilkenny, W by Carlow, and N by Wicklow. 38 Irish m. long and 24 broad. Area 315,396 Irish plantation acres. Chief rivers, the Nore and Barrow. It has two boroughs, Wexford and New Ross, each sending a member to parliament, and the county sends 2 more. Pop. 169,304."
[From The New London Gazetteer (1826)]

“COUNTY WEXFORD, a maritime county in the province of Leinster, Ireland, is bounded on the N. by Wicklow, E. by St. George's Channel, S. by the Atlantic Ocean, and W. by counties Waterford, Kilkenny, and Carlow. It lies between 52° 6' and 52° 48' N. lat., 6° 8' and 7° 2' W. long. Its greatest length from N. to S. is 55 miles, and from E. to W. 34 miles. Its area is 900 square miles, or 576,588 acres, of which 510,702 are arable, 45,501 uncultivated, 14,625 plantations, 2,392 towns and villages, and 3,668 under water. Its population in 1851 was 180,159, and in 1861, 143,954. The number of inhabited houses in 1861 was 26,011; 990 were uninhabited, and 50 were in course of construction. The Poor-law valuation in 1851 was £330,537, and the general valuation in 1861 was £372,056. The number of persons from this county who emigrated from Irish ports with the expressed intention of not returning between May, 1851, and December, 1865, was 34,130, or 22 per cent. of the population at the former date.....More
[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

"COUNTY WEXFORD, a county, of the province of LEINSTER, bounded on the north by the county of Wicklow; on the west by those of Carlow and Kilkenny, and Waterford harbour; on the south by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the east by St. George's channel. It extends from 52° 2' to 52° 44' (N. Lat.), and from 6° 17' to 7° 4' (W. Lon.); comprising an extent, according to the Ordnance survey, of 564,479 statute acres, of which 545,979 are cultivated land, and 18,500 unimproved mountain and bog. The population, in 1821, was 170,806; and in 1831, 182,991...More"
[Transcription from A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland - Samuel Lewis - 1837 Mel Lockie ©2013]

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Archives & Libraries

Wexford County Libraries

Wexford Libraries Digital Local Collection at Wexford County Council. "A digital collection of 19th century texts, local history journals, photographs and other historical material relating to County Wexford and its people."

Wexford County Archives

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Cemeteries

Wexford Cemetery Records - on IGP

Wexford Headstone Photos - on IGP

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Church History

Wexford Photos (churches) - on IGP

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Church Records

Wexford Church Records - on IGP

Wexford Roman Catholic records - on Irish Ancestors

County Wexford; Roman Catholic Records - on fianna

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Civil Registration

Wexford Vital Records (BMD) - on IGP

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Court Records

Wexford Court Records - on IGP

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Description & Travel

“The only railway is the Dublin, Wicklow, and Wexford line, at present completed only to Enniscorthy, 14 miles N.W. of the town of Wexford, but an extension to Waterford is in contemplation. The principal roads are those from Dublin by Gorey and Enniscorthy to Wexford, from Wexford to Waterford by New Ross, and from New Ross to Fethard by Arthurstown, besides numerous branch roads.” [Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

County Wexford on wikipedia

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Directories

Directories - on IGP

  • Directory of New Ross 1820-1822
  • Directory of Wexford 1820-1822
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Emigration & Immigration

Wexford Immigration Related 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

Online Resources:

  • The Ireland Genealogy Project's County Wexford page, and its listing of the Project's available Wexford Records.
  • 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 Wexford website.
  • The LDS FamilySearch Wiki's Ireland Online Genealogy Records.
  • The Fianna website's pages for County Wexford 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 Wexford coverage includes Baptismal/Birth Records, Marriage Records, Burial/Death Records and Griffith's Valuation (Free Access).
  • Wexford Photos (people) - on IGP

Local Studies Service (Wexford County Council)  has some online resources.  The Wexford branch houses the microform collection which includes:

  •     local newspapers
  •     censuses of 1901 and 1911
  •     Tithe Applotment books
  •     Schools Folklore collection, 1938
  •     Roman Catholic parish registers of Ferns diocese to 1880
  •     6" Ordnance Survey maps c.1840
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Historical Geography

“It is divided for civil purposes into 10 baronies, Ballaghkeen, North and South, Bantry, Bargy, Forth, Gorey, Scarawalsh, Shelburne, and Shelmaliere East and West, and contains 144 parishes. “ [Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

See the county Wexford 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."

Wexford civil parishes - on Irish Ancestors

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History

The 1798 Rebellion 

History of Wexford articles on Wexford hub 

  • Including Wexford Chronicles - “Short articles and tidbits about the history of County Wexford“

Oaths of Allegiance 1775 - on IGP

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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

Tithe Applotment Books for county Wexford 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.

List of Landowners in 1870's - on IGP

Wexford Land Records - on IGP

Estate Papers at Wexford County Archives

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Merchant Marine

Maritime Records at Wexford Archives

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Military History

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Military Records

Wexford Military & Constabulary Records (Irish Constabulary with native county of Wexford 1840+)  - on IGP

 

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Monumental Inscriptions

Wexford Headstone Photos - on IGP

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Names, Personal

  • Surnames County Wexford - 1100 thru 1600 - on IGP
  • Article about the French surname in County Wexford.
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Newspapers

Extracts From the Wexford Chronicles. Printed in 1877 - on IGP

Wexford Newspapers - on IGP

  • Includes Wexford Independent, Workhouse Entries & Deaths 15 Dec 1858 onwards
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Obituaries

Wexford Memorial Cards - on IGP

Wexford Obituaries - on IGP

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Occupations

“Agriculture is principally attended to, and dairies are numerous. In 1866, 240,106 acres, or 46 per cent. of the arable land, was under crops. There were 19,135 acres of wheat, 68,138 of oats, 38,886 of barley, here, and rye, 4,673 of beans and pease, 29,341 of potatoes, 20,249 of green crops, 379 flax, and 59,305 meadow and clover. Much coarse woollen cloth, principally for domestic use, was formerly manufactured in various parts of the county; and there is at present a cotton factory with 5,100 spindles and 130 looms, in which nearly 100 persons are constantly employed.
 

The fishery belongs principally to the district of Wexford, but partly to those of Arklow and Waterford. The Wexford district had in 1863 251 registered vessels, employing 1,214 men and boys, while that of Arklow had 296 vessels, employing 1,686 persons.”

[Descriptions from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

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Periodicals

From Fianna:

Wexford Historical Society Journal (annual)
Mrs. C. Murphy, 2 Whitemill Road, Wexford

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

The Wexford Workhouse - on Wexford hub

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Probate Records

Wexford Wills - on IGP

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Religion & Religious Life

“Of the population in 1861, 12,759, or 8.8 per cent, were members of the Established Church, 130,103, or 90.4 per cent. were Roman Catholics, and 1,092, or 0.7 per cent. belonged to other denominations.” [Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

Roman Catholic Inhabitants of Town and County of Wexford - 1792 - on IGP

1798 Rebellion material - on IGP

  • 1798 Deaths During Rising in Wexford  
  • 1798 Rising, Killed on Bloody Friday on road from Gorey to Coolgreney 
  • 1798 Rebellion, Murdered Protestants from Ferns Parish  
  • 1798 Rising, Calendar of Protestant Prisoners  
  • 1798 Some Protestants massacred in the Diocese of Ferns
  • List of Persons Executed in the Town of Wexford June 1798-Dec 1800
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Schools

List of teachers in various baronies in Wexford, 1824 - on IGP

School Records at Wexford County Archive

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Taxation

WEXFORD, Tithe Defaulters 1831 [various parishes] - on IGP

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Voting Records

Freemen who registered to vote in March 1835 - on IGP