Hi Colin,
Thank you very much for your message.
Yes Roycroft is not a common name at all as you can see from the Irish Times website:
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID=
Only one Roycroft was recorded in Mayo during the mid-19th century. This was a Patrick Roycroft. He was recorded in Griffith?s Valuation as both landlord and tenant. This is a property valuation survey that was carried out in Ireland 1848-64:
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=doNameSearch&Submit.x=59&Submit.y=17&Submit=Submit&familyname=roycroft&firstname=First+Name&baronyname=&countyname=MAYO&unionname=&parishname=
The earlier land record called the Tithe Applotment Books also have a record of Roycroft in Mayo:
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/results.jsp?surname=roycroft&firstname=&county=Mayo&parish=&townland=&search=Search
Do any of these names appear in your family history?
Have you tried looking for Robert?s birth record in Ireland to see if there is any further information on it that may help you?
Most Catholic records are held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for possible assistance. One website that you may find useful is the Irish Times where they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. It also shows you where copies of the records are available. For Burriscarra parish, follow this link:
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Mayo&parish=Burriscarra&churchid=1048
If you would like to contact the parish priest directly here is a link to the contact page:
http://tuamarchdiocese.org/2009/12/burriscarra-ballintubber/
Some other websites that you may find helpful are:
The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/
The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
Family Search: www.familysearch.org
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/mayo/index.html
Irish Genealogy Tool-kit: http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/index.html
Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
