Thanks to the work, research and scholarship of an increasing circle of people interested in the history of the Royal Hibernian Military School (1769-1924), Dublin, our knowledge of this defunct military institution is growing.

George O'Reilly, Editor of the Genealogical Society of Ireland, revived interest in the School through the Society's quarterly journal. Peter Goble of Harrogate, Yorkshire, working on some newly-discovered admissions registers, has produced a pamphlet of 'Roll calls' for 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1881. Refer to his site about the RMA Chelsea and RHMS Dublin. Liz Arnsby of Oshawa, Canada, is another contributor. Her forebears were at the school and she maintains a family history site , which includes information on the institution. My own interest in the Hibernian school stems from a promise made to Frank Hawkins, co-author of a handwritten history of the school. This was to discover and publish what I could of his school's past if I had an opportunity to do so.

More recently, Howard Clarke, MA, retired college principal with an academic background in government, economics and history, has added his scholarship to the quest for the past history of the Royal Hibernians. His interest is in the life of his great-grandfather who was at the school and served in the 22nd Regiment of Foot from 1854 to 1879. Howard's curiosity about the School's antecedents has stretched beyond his great-grandfather's connection to a broader view of its history. An article summarizing his discovered sources will shortly appear on this site. It includes fascinating material in the Parliamentary Archive at Westminster that relates to the political economy of the School between 1810 and 1852.

The fate of the School's records is well known. They were all supposed to have been destroyed in the London Blitz of 1940. It turns out, however, that some correspondence, records and historical documents were in the archives of the Duke of York's Royal Military School, Dover. These were transferred to the National Archives with copies being sent to the National Army Museum, London, in early 2003. They are registered in the National Archives under the reference series WO/143.

An article on the subject of the extant RHMS records appears in the Spring 2004 issue of the Genealogical Society of Ireland under the title Royal Hibernian Military Asylum Extant Records. The Society's recognition of the importance of the Hib records to genealogical research testifies to their significance and value.

Peter Goble's new pamphlet is a valuable addition to the historical record. With painstaking care, he has combined data from two ledgers. He reports that, from the work done so far, many names were missing from what he considered to be the master ledger (WO 143/78), which included the weight and measurement of boys on entry (height, weight, chest and waist measurements). Cross-referencing the ledgers (WO143/27 and 78) would, he was able to state, show any anomalies. For example, names in the first ledger, which include the 'date of discharge' do not appear in the second ledger. The second ledger is written in a mature hand over an extended period of many years. As this includes admission and discharge data, Goble surmised that the ledger had been compiled in stages. It might also be a legible copy of the 'original measurement' ledger begun in 1847.

Of the names listed in the various 'roll calls', the 1881 roll contains fewer names than are to be found in the previous years covered: 1851, 1861 and 1871. In his view, this is because the entries are discontinued in 1877. Those entries gradually tail off as a result of discharges between 1877 and 1881. He will, presumably, note this and similar observations for fellow researchers and readers in the final version of his pamphlet.

A. W. Cockerill
April 2004