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County Derry/Londonderry is one of nine counties in the province of Ulster and one of six counties in modern day Northern Ireland. Derry city was renamed Londonderry in 1613 and both names are used today for the county and the city.
Here’s five facts you may not have realised about the ‘oak-leaf county’.
Derry City is famous for its walls and its cannons, both remnants of the attempts to defend the city in the seventeenth century.
The port of Londonderry at Lisahally was the departure point for millions of Irish emigrants seeking a new life in the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia.
If your ancestors came from Derry-Londonderry it is highly likely that they would have earned a living in either shirt-making or shipbuilding, historically two of the strongest industries there.
When tracing your Derry-Londonderry ancestor’s vital records it’s useful to know which civil registration districts to focus on. Six districts are associated with County Derry – Ballymoney, Coleraine, Gortin, Limavady, Londonderry and Magherafelt.
Some of the earliest Derry-Londonderry records can be found on Findmypast in The Register of Derry Cathedral 1642-1703. This contains details of over 10,000 of your Derry ancestors’ baptisms, marriages and burials.
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