The website has many new features and additions such as researching family and local history, how to look after your own personal archives including family photographs and documents, and introductions to private archives which give overviews and historical backgrounds.
Launching the new website today, Culture Minister, Edwin Poots MLA said: “The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) has many fascinating records and previously they could only be accessed by visiting the headquarters in person. Now, people from across the globe can view our records on line and trace their family and local history.
“Researching your family history is more popular than ever, especially among the international audience. The current website received almost four million page views in 06/07 from visitors as far away as the USA, Bermuda and Japan and the potential for this new and improved website to attract an even bigger audience is immense.
“If you’ve been intending to look up your family’s history, why not kick start the new year by searching through the records kept by PRONI and perhaps you’ll learn something new about yourself and your past!”
The new website also features the wills of over 148,000 people across Northern Ireland, including the Titanic’s chief designer, Thomas Andrews and Belfast architect Charles Lanyon, who designed Queen’s University.
The index to wills, dating from 1858 – circa 1900 details wills of people from all walks of life including farmers, labourers, grocers, blacksmiths, innkeepers and watchmakers.
Over the next year, new sections will be added to the website. PRONI aims to make the existing paper catalogues available to the public through the website and add a number of other areas of interest.
The Minister continued: “The new website is part of a series of improvements to the Public Records Office. In August 2007, I announced a £30million project to relocate the headquarters to the Titanic Quarter, expected to be opened in August 2010. Both this relocation and the website mean that it is now easier than ever to trace your roots.”
Notes to Editors:
The website address is www.proni.gov.uk
PRONI was established under the Public Records Act (NI) 1923 for the reception and preservation of public records. The 1923 Act also made provision for the deposit of private records in PRONI.
The current records in PRONI extend to 54 kilometres, and are growing. They cover every aspect of life from the Minutes of Cabinet Meetings to records of a local corner shop – from the thoughts and actions of the ‘great and the good’ to the reminiscences of the working man. The oldest document is a 13th Century Papal Bull.
Media enquiries should be addressed to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure Press Office. Tel (028) 9025 8901 or email press.office@dcalni.gov.uk . Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
