Liz Carr
The Silent Witness actor investigated her Liverpudlian ancestry, which led her to Ireland. She researched the life of her maternal grandfather John Joseph Hughes, and her paternal 3x great grandfather Bernard ‘Barney’ Ryan
5R\DO Navy Service Record
John Joseph Hughes was in the Navy during the First World War. We traced his career using his service record. These can be downloaded from The National Archives’ website; a small charge applies, but it’s free during lockdown: bit.ly/ tna-navy-1914-1919. The record is also in Ancestry’s collection ‘UK, Royal Navy Registers of Seamen’s Services, 1848–1939’: bit.ly/anc-jjhughes.
Scottish Death CHUWLÀFDWH
Barney and his family left Ireland after he was involved in an attempted murder in 1852, and we found them in Scotland. Barney died in Cumbernauld, Dumbarton, in 1877. Scottish death certificates are available on ScotlandsPeople ( scotlandspeople.gov. uk). The indexes can be searched for free, but viewing the certificates incurs a cost. Barney’s death record is located at bit.ly/scotspeoplebarney-death.
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Liz went to Armagh to learn more about Bernard ‘Barney’ Ryan. We located him using the Griffith’s Valuation for his townland. Many census returns were destroyed in Ireland, but this property valuation from the mid-19th century is a useful census substitute. It can be searched for free at askaboutireland.ie, and Barney’s details are available here: bit.ly/ask-barney.