RCB Library Notes
St. Catherine's, Dublin Vestry Book published
ST. CATHERINE'S VESTRY BOOK PUBLISHED
The second volume in the Representative Church Body Library?s ?Texts and Calendars? series, The vestry records of the parishes of St Catherine and St James, Dublin, 1657-96, edited by Dr Raymond Gillespie, from NUI-Maynooth, who is one of the most prolific of Irish historians, has been published by Four Courts Press. It was recently launched in St Catherine & St James? Church, Donore Avenue, by Dr Toby Barnard, from Hertford College, Oxford, who has written widely on the Church of Ireland in the 17 th and 18 th centuries.
The volume provides a vivid picture of life in the suburbs of 17th century Dublin and chronicles the development of a rapidly expanding part of the city which, as it was in the Liberties area, was outside the control of the corporation. Information on church buildings and their contents, liturgy, record keeping, land holding and a wide variety of administrative activity abounds. The vestry records contain much valuable information on the people who lived in the parish and, for genealogists, has an additional value in that it contains details of burials for the period before the beginning of the first parish register.
Dr Toby Barnard, Hertford College, Oxford, who launched the vestry book,
with Canon John Crawford, vicar of St Catherine's.
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