Old Age Pension Claims...
The old age pension was introduced on 1 January 1909 for those over seventy years of age.
It is worth checking the old age pension search forms, as they contain extracts from the 1841 and 1851 censuses, the originals of which were almost completely destroyed.
The old age pension was introduced on 1 January 1909 for those over seventy years of age. For many born before 1864, when the state registration of births began in Ireland, it was necessary to pay for a search to be made of the 1841 and 1851 censuses in order to prove their entitlement to the pension.
The forms submitted by the claimants include such information as the names of parents, location at the time of the 1841 or 1851 census, and age at the time of the claim and during the relevant census year.
Individual application forms completed by or on behalf of the applicant are known as ‘green forms’. The green forms are held at the National Archives, Dublin, under reference CEN/S/8.
Another form of evidence related to the old age pension returns are ‘form 37s’, which were submitted by local pensions offices. These include the applicant’s name, stated age, parents’ names and address at the time of the census. Details of the search were added to the form, and each claim was bound according to barony in a series of volumes that are now deposited in PRONI.
A partial index is available on microfiche (MF/9/1/1–9), but its entries relate to the Mormon microfilm copy and do not always correspond to the originals. A volume based mainly on surviving old age pension claims was compiled by Josephine Masterson of Indianapolis, USA. This is entitled Ireland: 1841/1851 Census Abstracts (Northern Ireland).
There are some 82 forms recording results of searches almost exclusively in the 1851 census. The references are for the part of the parish in Co. Down: CEN /S/8/1022-1104 and for Co. Armagh. CEN/S/2/1098-1109. Co. Armagh covered by ED Newry, but townlands in Co. Armagh are listed under Co. Down, Newry ED.
Some extracts from the 1841 and 1851 census returns are available in the National Archives, Dublin (see below) and in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.
In PRONI there are 1085 search forms for Co. Down (T/550). These were prepared in order to determine the ages of individuals in support of their claims for the old age pension introduced in 1909. A detailed list of the surnames for which there are extracts from the 1841 and 1851 census for the parish of Newry in the National Archives, Dublin is given below:
| CEN/S/8 | Townland/Street |
Name | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1022 | Ballyholland, Kr Uppr | Chambers | 1851 |
| 1023 | Ballyholland, Lr Uppr | Kerr (McAteer) | 1851 |
| 1024 | Ballyholland, Lr Uppr | McAteer (Keenan) | 1851 |
| 1025 | Ballyholland, Lr Uppr | McAteer | 1851 |
| 1026 | Ballyholland, Lr Uppr | McShane | 1851 |
| 1027 | Ballyholland Upper | McShane | 1851 |
| 1028 | Ballynacraig | Havern (Clarke) | 1851 |
| 1029 | Benagh | Scott (Moore) | 1851 |
| 1030 | Benagh | Scott | 1851 |
| 1031 | Carnacally | Berry | 1851 |
| 1032 | Carneyhough, Drumcashellone | Grant | 1851 |
| 1033 | Carnmeen | Revy (O’Hare) | 1851 |
| 1034 | Castle Enigan | Rainey (Clegg) | 1851 |
| 1035 | Cloghanramer | O’Neill (McKay) | 1851 |
| 1036 | Commons, Lr Uppr, Ballyholland, Ballynacraig | Ingram (Trimble) | 1851 |
| 1037 | Crobane, Derryleckagh | Buchanan (Scott) | 1851 |
| 1038 | Crobane | Carter | 1841 |
| 1039 | Crobane | Carter | 1851 |
| 1040 | Crobane | Cunningham | 1851 |
| 1041 | Crobane | Lister (Newell) | 1851 |
| 1042 | Croreagh | Cowan | 1851 |
| 1043 | Curley | Maxwell (Niblock) | 1851 |
| 1044 | Damolly | Weir (Baird) | 1851 |
| 1045 | Derryleckagh | Buchanan (Copland) | 1851 |
| 1046 | Derryleckagh | McAvoy | 1851 |
| 1047 | Desert | Glenny (Murdoch) | 1851 |
| 1048 | Desert | Hanna (Reid) | 1851 |
| 1049 | Desert | Hanna | 1851 |
| 1050 | Desert | Mallon (applicant) | 1851 |
| 1051 | Desert | Mallon (applicant) | 1851? |
| 1052 | Edenmore | Hillen (Gallagher) | 1851 |
| 1053 | Finnard | Heslip (Bell) | 1851 |
| 1054 | Finnard | Martin | 1851 |
| 1055 | Finnard | Martin | 1851 |
| 1056 | Greenan | Fee (Maginnetty) | 1851 |
| 1057 | Greenan | McDonnell | 1841/51 |
| 1058 | Greenan | McDonnell | 1851 |
| 1059 | Greenan | McGewn | 1851 |
| 1060 | Greenan, Newry Town, Boat or Kilmorey Street | Roche (applicant) | 1841 |
| 1061 | Greenan | Roche (applicant) | 1851 |
| Newry town Boat or Kilmorey St | |||
| 1062 | Greenan | Traynor (McLaughlin) | 1851 |
| 1063 | Lisduff | Burns (McCullough) | 1851 |
| 1064 | Lisduff | McWilliam (applicant) | 1841 |
| 1065 | Lisnaree | Andrews (Craig) | 1851 |
| 1066 | Loughorne | Bradford | 1851? |
| 1067 | Newry town, Canal Street | Lockhart (applicant) | 1851 |
| 1068 | Castle Street, Boat Street | Carroll (Brady) | 1851 |
| 1069 | Castle Street | Collins (McGuigan) | 1851? |
| 1070 | Castle Street | McEvoy | 1851 |
| 1071 | Chapel Street | Bashford (Meehan) | 1851 |
| 1072 | Chapel Street | Campbell | 1851 |
| 1073 | Chapel Street | Devine (Curley) | 1851 |
| 1074 | Chapel Street | Ingram | 1851 |
| 1075 | Chapel Street, High Street | Lundy (McCaffer) | 1851 |
| 1076 | Chapel Street | Savage (Whelan) | 1851 |
| 1077 | Chapel Street | Smith | 1851 |
| 1078 | Church Street | Kerr (McAtee) | 1851 |
| 1079 | Church Street | Morgan (Sand) | 1851 |
| 1080 | Cowan Street | Fowler (Elliott) | 1851 |
| 1081 | Cowan Street | Henderson | 1851 |
| 1082 | Newry Town, Cowan Street, Military Barracks | Mann* | 1851 |
| 1083 | Cowan Street, Cowansyard Street, Stream Street | Martin (Kitchner) | 1851 |
| 1084 | Downshire Road | Livingstone (Frazer) | 1851 |
| 1085 | High Street | Connor | 1841 |
| 1086 | High Street | Connor | 1851 |
| 1087 | High Street | Shevlin (Farlane) | 1851? |
| 1088 | Hill Street | McAnulty | 1851 |
| 1089 | Hill Street | O’Hanlon (O’Neill) | 1851 |
| 1090 | Margaret Street | Shevlin (O’Hagan) | 1851 |
| 1091 | Market Street, Market Square St | Marron | 1851? |
| 1092 | Market St | Shevlin (O’Hagan) | 1851? |
| 1093 | Nicholson’s Court | Rooney | 1841 |
| 1094 | Nicholson’s Court | Rooney | 1851 |
| 1095 | North Street or Trevor Hill Street | Grant | 1851 |
| 1096 | Newry town, Pound Street | Kane | 1841 |
| 1097 | Pound Street | Kane | 1851 |
| 1098 | Pound Street | Rodgers (Sands) | 1851 |
| 1099 | Pound Street | Thompson (Macombe) | 1851 |
| 1100 | Talbot Street | Gracey | 1851 |
| 1101 | William Street, River Street | Carroll (Brady) | 1851 |
| 1102 | Shinn | Camlin | 1851 |
| 1103 | Shinn | Means (Lyons) | 1851 |
| 1104 | Shinn | Wilson (Sloan)* | 1851 |
CEN/S/2/1098-1109, Newry, Co. Armagh
| CEN/S/8 | Townland/Street | Name | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1098 | Altnavagh | McAlpine | 1851 |
| 1099 | Ballilane | Graham | 1851 |
| 1099 | Derrymore, Killevy & Newry | McClean/Doherty | 1851 |
| 1099 | Donaldson | 1851 | |
| 1100 | Drumalane | Clarke | 1841 |
| 1101 | Drumalane | Clarke | 1851 |
| 1102 | Fathom Lower & Upper | Hollywood (Cull) | 1851 |
| 1103 | Canal Street | Dodds (Erskine) | 1851 |
| 1104 | Canal Street | Adams | 1851 |
| 1105 | Canal Street | Bell (Begley) | 1851 |
| 1106 | Catherine St | Whitfield | 1851 |
| 1107 | Catherine St | Duffy | 1851 |
| 1108 | Monaghan St | McComb | 1851 |
| 1109 | Monaghan St | Hunter | 1851 |
