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My great grandfather was Constable in the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) & was based in Northern Ireland.
He passed away in 1921, we have a copy of the death Certificate.
Am trying to source family details prior to this, employment history, parents etc...

Any advice??? Having great difficulty with sourcing RIC details.

AAll help gratefully accepted.

Many thanks.

Shane

RIC service and pension records are held at the National Archives, Kew. Not online though - you'd have to go there or get someone to go for you.

They will do a search for his records for a fee

Telephone: 0845 600 8000 extension 22499
Email: [email protected]

Police Museum
Police Service of Northern Ireland Headquarters
Brooklyn
65 Knock Road
Belfast
BT5 6LE

Shane..Do you have a name..?
I have a collection of RIC Records but they are mainly those recruited in the Republic..1840s ..1870s...
You say he was based in the North but was he recruited there.?

Thanks Anne, spoke to PSNI Museum- apparentely all RIC employment records either went missing from a NIssan Hut in the Midlands or were destroyed in 1943.

Thanks anyway

Thanks Maura, am new to this so all help & advice is greatly appreciated. Spoke to the museum yesteday evening, they are going to carry out a search for me at a cost of £25.

This will give general info, age at joining, height, who recommended him to the police, force no. etc.... but unfortunately no employment records, however its a start.

Thanks again

Hi there,

My great grandfathers name was William Orr Graham (known as Orr). He joined the RIC circa 1895-1896 from I believe Co.Antrim somewhere. He died in 1921 & is listed in some text as "other casualty".

Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Shane

I wonder if this may be his birth cert?

William Charles Orr Graham
1880 Jan-Mar, Volume 1, Page 53, Belfast (Antrim,Ireland)

http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#start

I dont think so Kay but thanks anyway. We were led to believe that he was 45 yrs old at time of death (death cert) so should have been born circa 1876. (unless there was some error made)

Will keep seaching, thanks again

Ireland, The Royal Irish Constabulary 1816-1921
about Graham, Orr
Name: Graham, Orr
Birth Date/Age: 22
Birthplace: Antrim
Marriage or Comments: Y
Film #: 2090
Page #: 36
Year: 1895 D1921

That him Maura- thanks

pardon my ignorance (new to this site as noted before).
Where can I access the info refernced in your post?

Does the birth date/age relate to age at joining RIC?
If so I think I might have to check out the birth cert in Kays post aboveas there may have been a liberty taken with DOB on joining?

Does anyone know if there an min age limit for joining the RIC?
thanks again

Am back again Kay-- where can I access referenced info,
am starting to suspect that there may have been an issue with my great-grandfathers true age on joining the RIC?

This could mean that the info you kindly provided could be the same person.

Thanks again

Shane

This is what the National Archives say about RIC records


2. Service Records

The main series of service records are the registers in record series HO 184 . They are arranged by service number, to which there are alphabetical indexes for constables. There are separate registers, with integral indexes for officers, and also for members of the auxiliary forces.

The indexes are available in a published format, J Herlihy, The Royal Irish Constabulary. A Complete Alphabetical List of Officers and men, 1816-1922 (Dublin, Four Courts Press, 1999).

The registers normally give the following information:

* full name;
* age;
* height;
* religious affiliation;
* native county;
* trade or calling;
* marital status;
* native county of wife;
* date of appointment;
* counties in which the man served;
* length of service; and
* date of retirement and/or death.

The name of a wife is not given, nor any information about parents. The reference numbers quoted in these records refer to papers which have not survived.
3. Pension Records

Pension registers and allowances granted, from 1873-1922, to officers, men and staff, and to their widows and children, are recorded in the series Royal Irish Constabulary Pensions (PMG 48 ).

These registers are arranged either alphabetically by surname or by pension award number, and normally include the place of residence of the recipient.

Pensions paid to dependants, commissioned officers and office staff are sometimes entered separately from those for members of the force. The series also contains registers of deceased pensioners for the period 1877-1918, and rolls of pensions awarded on the disbandment of the force. Files on pension options at disbandment are arranged by county alphabetically, among the: Dublin Castle Records ( CO 904/175-176 ). In some cases these provide addresses and information about service. Lists of officers recommended for pensions when the Constabulary was disbanded are arranged by districts with separate series for British and Irish recruits ( HO 184/129-209 ) - in most cases the information in these lists was entered into the general registers of service in this series.

A list of superannuations awarded to police in Ireland before the unified force was created was published in 1832 in House of Commons Sessional Papers 1831-1832, XXVI 465. The list gives:

* name;
* period of service;
* amount granted; and
* nature of injury leading to the superannuation.

LDS centre according to ancestry have them on micro film.

Shane....Was his date of Death 3 April 1921...?

Hi Shane

Details on how to order certs
www.groireland.ie
The cheaper uncertified photocopy image contains the exact same detail as the certified dearer versions.

This would apprear to be his marriage (though you may already have it)
1909 Jan-Mar, Vol.2, Page 249, Londonderry,Ireland - Orr Graham
1909 Jan-Mar, Vol.2, Page 249, Londonderry,Ireland - Barbara Kelly

Assuming you have already seen him on the 1911 Irish Census
www.census.nationalarchives.ie

Sorry Maura, not onto the lingo yet- what is the LDS centre?

Latter Day Saints {mormons]

Eringobragh1916

Date of death cert was given as 2nd February 1921

Thanks once again Kay--

this website is a great resource with loads of helpful people & info, really glad that I found it.

Thanks to all