(April) 2011 - Irish Genealogical Website International

____________________________________________________________ William Betham Collection
Sir William Betham Collection, Part III
by David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS
This concluding installment on the Betham Collection addresses the material deposited in
the Genealogical Office, Dublin. A number of his Genealogical Office manuscripts are in
the microfilm collection of the Family History Library but a few of the collections described
here have not been microfilmed. They may, however, prove useful to researchers to examine
in person or through the services of a record searcher in Ireland.
MSS. 261-276 (FHL microfilms 100,116-100,121)
This is the First Series of Red Books compiled by William Betham containing extracts
from plea and close rolls, pedigrees, genealogical notes, armorial notes and drafts of armorial
instruments.These are the landed families of Ireland and there are sketch pedigrees following
many of the extracts. The pedigrees often cite the dates of wills written and probated as an
adjunct source of information for the formation of the pedigree.
This collection was indexed by staff at the Family History Library in the 1950s as part of an
overall project to index the principal names of the pedigrees contained in the Genealogical
Office. The Second Series of Red Books listed later in this article is also indexed in this
three-volume set by the FHL. The following example gives you an indication of the type of
information you may expect to find in the index:
Name Residence Reference no. FHL microfilm
Moore Clonmel, Co. Tipperary 92 XIII 1 100,120
Moore Co. Tyrone 74, 75, 302 IX 1 100,119
Moore Drumleer, Co. Louth 134 IX 1 100,119
Moore Barneath, Co. Louth 133 XIV 1 100,121
Moore Dublin 296 IX 1 100,119
Moore Dublin 124 I 1 100,116
Moore Rosecarberry, Co. Cork 304 IX 1 100,119
Moore Byres, Co. Mayo 123 I 1 100,116
Moore Cloghan, Westmeath 123 I 1 100,116
Moore Cloghan, Westmeath 133 XIV 1 100,121
Moore Ballina 122 I 1 100,116
There is an issue with the microfilmed copy of the three volume index set. It was microfilmed
before the FHL started numbering every microfilm consecutively. Originally, the
FHL would assign one number to a particular grouping of microfilms and then a “part
number” within that series. In this instance, the number was 14448 and then a part number,
for example 6. When the index was created, the FHL was still using the single microfilm
number and part number system. Staff at the FHL later annotated the reference copy
of the index with the updated microfilm numbers, but not before the three volume index
had been microfilmed on FHL 255,494. You may still use this microfilm to see if there are
pedigrees of interest for your surname and/or area of research. Each volume is alphabetically
arranged, A-Z, so be sure to examine all three.
The collection may also be used by researching each of the pedigrees for a specific locality. A
number of collateral names mentioned in the pedigrees are not indexed in the three volume
Irish Genealogical Society International
set. Given that many of the Church of Ireland
registers were destroyed, the birth,
marriage, and death evidence found in these
pedigrees may be the only record left of that
event.
The staff at the FHL is currently determining
how they can make the updated information
on the microfilms available to distance
users of the collection. Information
on how this issue has been addressed will be
posted in the FamilySearch Wiki at .
MSS. 277 (FHL microfilm 100,194, item 1)
Genealogical notes on the decent of Irish
peerages compiled by William Betham.
This collection is representative of many
of the collections with linear pedigrees and
coats of arms where they had been awarded
to the gentry.
MSS. 278 (FHL microfilm 100,137, item 1)
Pedigrees compiled by William Betham,
with additions by George Dames Burtchaell;
includes some sketches of Coats of
Arms and abstracts of inquisitions mainly
relating to County Kerry.
MSS. 279 (FHL microfilm 100,137, item 2)
Index to Dublin Diocesan wills circa 1570-
1775 which was subsequently printed in the
Appendix to the Deputy Keeper Report No.
26. Also contains pedigrees of Anglo-Irish
families compiled by Sir William Betham
and copies of pedigrees of Wexford families
compiled by J. H. Glascott circa 1870, indexed.
MSS. 292-298 (FHL microfilms 100,129-
100,131) This is the Second Series of Red
Books compiled by William Betham similar
in content to the First Series noted above.
The series begins with a narrative history
of Richard Wesley, Baron of Mornington,
County Meath and continues with some
fine examples of extracts from tombstone
memorials and family papers. While the
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