Read more on the ⇒ History of the Methodist Church

From time to time, we receive requests from people trying to track down relatives. Here is a list of the registers held in the Carlow Manse relating to Carlow & Kilkenny. It can be quite time consuming to trawl through all these records, so please be as specific as you can in relation to any enquiry. Thank you!.

Kilkenny Marriages 1983 to present day, Carlow Marriages 1972 to present day, Durrow Marriages 1894 to 1938, Castledermot Marriages 1910 to 1917, Carlow Marriages 1870 to 1948, Rathdowney Marriages 1920 to 1941, Bonlea Marraiges 1911 to 1912, Cool Bawn Marriages 1872 to 1907, Carlow Baptisms 1821 to 1917 , Kilkenny Baptisms 1837 to 1995, Carlow Circuit Baptisms 1917 to present days.

Please also bear the following in mind: The Wesleyan Methodists in Ireland did not administer any baptisms prior to 1816. The date of the first entry in any circuit Baptismal Register will depend on the date at which a family first asked for a child to baptized by us,in some cases as late as the 1830s.

The Primitive Wesleyan Methodists did not baptize until after the Disestablishement of the Church of Ireland in 1871. Most Methodist children prior to 1816, and all PWM children between 1816 and 1871 would probably have been baptized in the local Church of Ireland parish, though a very few have been found in Presbyterian registers. Methodist marriages were not permitted in law until 1845, and after that date were registered by the civil registrar. It was not until 1863 that Methodist buildings were licensed, and we were required to maintain our own registers. Before 1845 most of our people would have been married in the parish churches, and even between 1845 and 1863 some may have been.