UK and Ireland, Medical Registers, 1859-1943

Source Information

Ancestry.com. UK and Ireland, Medical Registers, 1859-1943 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2023.
Original data: The Medical Register. Dublin, Ireland: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

About UK and Ireland, Medical Registers, 1859-1943

General collection information

This collection contains published registers of medical doctors living in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The registers were published annually and served as directories for the medical profession. The collection includes images of the original registers.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

  • Date of registration
  • Name
  • Residence
  • Qualifications

    • This collection can be used to confirm that your ancestor was a doctor in the United Kingdom or Ireland at a specific point in time. The registers were produced annually, so you may be able to trace your ancestor's medical career over time.

    Collection in context

    The medical registers were created by the General Council of Medical Education and Registration of the United Kingdom. The original documents are housed at the archives of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in Dublin.

    The General Council of Medical Education and Registration was founded in 1858 to standardise the regulation of the medical profession and take control of medical education in the United Kingdom. Prior to the formation of the council, about one-third of all practising doctors were unqualified for the job, and the medical profession was regulated by 19 local boards. Each board had different ways to test the competency of a doctor.

    The Medical Act of 1858 established the council and defined the medical institutions that would be represented. The Act stipulated that the council had to hire a registrar who was responsible for publishing annual registers. The Act also gave the council the power to remove doctors from the register who were deemed unqualified.

    Bibliography

    General Medical Council. "Our History." Accessed October 10, 2022. https://www.gmc-uk.org/about/who-we-are/our-history.

    Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. "Archive Collections." Accessed October 10, 2022. https://www.rcpi.ie/heritage-centre/our-archive-collections/.

    The Health Foundation. "The General Medical Council." Accessed October 10, 2022. https://navigator.health.org.uk/theme/general-medical-council.