In 1802 Bishop Thomas Lewis O’Beirne instructed his Registrar to obtain from his clergy accurate written lists of their parishoners, with particulars of the various families. Some replied within days, others took a year or two and a few simply wrote down the total numbers. The surviving lists cover 50% of the parishes in existence at that time. The names of these parishoners, the parishes and townlands they lived in were transcribed by Rev. C. C. Ellison, the Diocesan Registrar and published in the Irish Ancestor in 1973, under the headings of parishes and in the various family groupings. The following are the names to be found listed in that publication. Should you find names listed here that you believe may be youf family then using the following reference you can enquire at your local library as to whether they participate in an inter-library loan scheme and request a copy of this paper. While the title of the paper indicates that it may only deal with Protestant parishoners, servants are also mentioned and may be Catholics or of other religions.

Early 19th Century Lists of Protestant Parishoners in the Diocese of Meath. Rev. C.C. Ellison, Irish Ancestor, 1973, Vol. V, No. 1, pp. 37-52.