Books from the Ulster Historical Foundation

Over the last forty years the Ulster Historical Foundation has established itself as one of the leading publishers of quality books on Irish history and genealogy. Some 200 titles have now been published on subjects ranging from the domestic linen industry in Ulster and the anti-slavery movement in late eighteenth-century Belfast to Gaelic culture in the Glens of Antrim and commemorations of the 1798 rebellion. The Foundation has also published over thirty volumes of gravestone inscriptions and is now the main distributor of the Ordnance Survey Memoirs series.

 

 

If you are interested in finding out more about the history of Ulster or exploring your own roots on this island, we strongly recommend the following titles to get you started:

 

 

Researching Scots-Irish Ancestors. The essential genealogical guide to early modern Ulster, 1600-1800

William Roulston

 

This book can claim to be the first comprehensive guide for family historians searching for ancestors in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ulster. Whether their ancestors are of English, Scottish or Gaelic Irish origin, it will be of enormous value to anyone wishing to conduct research in Ulster prior to 1800. A comprehensive range of sources from the period 1600-1800 are identified and explained in very clear terms. Information on the whereabouts of these records and how they may be accessed is also provided. Equally important, there is guidance on how effectively they might be used. The appendices to the book include a full listing of pre-1800 church records for Ulster; a detailed description of nearly 250 collections of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century estate papers; and a summary breakdown of the sources available from this period for each parish in Ulster.

 

 

The Plantation of Ulster: British Settlement in an Irish Landscape, 1600-1670

Philip S. Robinson

 

During the reign of James I, an official scheme was drawn up for

the 'plantation' of designated areas in west Ulster. However, the actual area settled by the new colonists was much more extensive. With them came innovation. A radical transformation of the landscape began.

 

The spread of a market-based rural economy resulted in a quite spectacular growth in urbanisation. Permanent dwellings of a more sophisticated construction became the norm in many areas, and around the towns new field patterns emerged.

 

The spread of hedged enclosures heralded innovations in agricultural methods, tools, livestock, and systems of land tenure. In a more abstract sense, the settlers also brought with them a new language, new surnames, new religion and of course a change in political and historical allegiances.

 

This account of the plantation landscape shows how colonisation on the ground was not as much influenced either by the London Government or by the new landowners as has often been assumed. Environmental factors proved more important than governmental controls in shaping the emerging settlement pattern. The author also demonstrates how seeds of bitterness were quickly sown between the Protestant settlers and the Catholic natives whom they had displaced, with consequences that last to this day.

 

 

Scottish Migration to Ulster in the Reign of James I

M. Perceval-Maxwell

 

This well-known book was first published in 1973, yet it continues to be one of the most significant works of scholarship on the 'plantation' of Ulster. This book describes in detail the initial establishment of settlement in Ireland's northern province over a comparitively short space of time, that is from 1603 to 1625. Dr Perceval-Maxwell examines the society that produced the Scottish settlers, describes the conditions that they encountered when they arrived in Ireland, and explains what effect the Scottish migration had in both Ireland and Scotland. Short biographies of the principal planters are included and also maps, showing patterns of settlement. This new edition includes an introduction written by Dr Perceval-Maxwell which examines the most recent research on this period and shows that most of this scholarship has supplemented rather than challenged his original work.

 

 

Ulster Emigration to Colonial America, 1718-1775

R. J. Dickson

 

First published in 1966, R. J. Dickson's Ulster Emigration to Colonial America 1718-1775 remains the acknowledged work of scholarship on migration in the eighteenth century of a quarter of a million people from Ulster to the New World. It combines detailed investigation of the economic, social and political background to the exodus with information on the emigrant trade and an analysis of the motivations and origins of the emigrants themselves. This new edition includes a specially written Introduction by Graeme Kirkham, whose researches on both sides of the Atlantic are reflected in an essay which considers recent advances in the understanding of this important mass population movement from Ireland to America.

 

 

Irish Libraries: Archives, Museums & Genealogical Centres

Robert K. O’Neill

 

This important reference volume introduces readers and researchers to the treasury of printed and manuscript resources available in Irish libraries, archives and genealogical centres. It will acquaint the user with the valuable and accessible collections in Irish repositories. Essential information on operating hours, contact information - including names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and website addresses - access and service information, descriptions, and the location of these repositories will prove to be immensely practical. Of special interest are the vital reference details for each parish in Ireland for the crucially important tithe and valuation records from c.1830 in the Public Record Office in Belfast and the National Archives in Dublin.

 

 

The Ordnance Survey Memoirs

Institute of Irish Studies, QUB

 

The Ordnance Survey Memoirs are a unique source for the history of the northern half of Ireland before the Great Famine, as they document the landscape and situation, buildings and antiquities, land-holdings and population, employment and livelihoods of the parishes. The surveyors recorded the habits of the people, their food, drink, dress and customs. Useful genealogical information can also be found. For many parishes in counties Antrim and Londonderry there are lists of emigrants from the 1830s. Recordings of gravestone inscriptions are also occasionally given. At the time the original Memoirs only one volume was ever published: that for the parish of Templemore (including the city of Derry), County Londonderry. In the 1990s the remaining Memoirs were published in 40 volumes by the Institute of Irish Studies at Queen’s University Belfast. A massive index running to over 100,000 entries for people and places has also been published. For more information on the areas covered and how the volumes may be ordered visit our website www.booksireland.org.uk