In a previous e-mail I described the search for information about my grandfather William MARTIN, baptised in St Johnston, County Donegal and who worked as a Postman. His baptism is recorded on 1 March 1857 but no address details are provided and none of the land records mention his father, James. A search of the Post Office employment records for Derry City was carried out to see if the James MARTIN home address in Donegal is mentioned and an account provided of William's education. My brother carried out a search 15 February 2002 at Heritage Services, Consignia plc. Freeling House, London under 'Occupations' which provided the following information; "Oct.1877 137430 Martin. Wm. Londonderry L.C. 7376". LC is believed to stand for Learner Clerk or Learner Counter. The references apparently allude to further material lost in a fire. Staff at Heritage claimed that the Post Office 'Pensions and Grants' book for N. Ireland is in Belfast at PRONI and it is possible to access other records through it. The Records of Londonderry Post Office in PRONI, Belfast include: ref GPO/5/5 Establishment Books 1892-1900 /6 " " 1900-1906 /7 " " 1907-1911 /8 " " 1911-1921 /9 " " 1922-1936 /10 Register of Employees in Londonderry 1855-1892 A search in PRONI revealed that William MARTIN (b.1 January 1857) was employed as a R.P. (rural postman) L.derry to St Johnston from 1 July 1873 until 19 December 1876 and that he obtained a Civil Service Certificate on 26 July 1873. His salary was 18 shillings, rising to 24 shillings per week in 1 April 1892. He later became a Town Postman in 1877 in Derry City, obtained a good conduct stripe and 6 shillings in 1908 (Clearly he had not been delivering the post to the wrong addresses) and retired in June 1913. The Civil Service Certificate is interesting because those persons taking the examination have to provide proof of age. The Civil Service Commission: Evidences of Age CSE 1 file has been deposited with the Society of Genealogists under s3(6) of the Public Records Act 1958, in 1987 ([email protected]). Photocopies of individual records can be obtained at a cost of £11 each and, in this case, provided some interesting Postman Bill information. (Civil Records in Ireland only began in 1864). William MARTIN's evidence of age details were provided in the form of a statement sworn by his father, in the presence of a JP viz I, James Martin, of St Johnston in the County of Donegal, Butcher, declare that my son William Martin was born on 12 January 1857. Dated 11 April 1873 and signed by Mr McClintock JP. The affidavit was accompanied by two letters signed by the Rev. Michael Martin PP regarding the baptism of William (of St Johnston), by Rev. James Stephens PP on 1 March 1857. (Mother Eliza. Burns and sponsor Mary Martin) We can now conclude that Postman Bill came from the town of St Johnston, that his father was a butcher, his mother's maiden name was Burns and that he was born on either 1 or 12 January 1857. If Postman Bill's father was a butcher in 1873, will his name appear in any of the gazetteers of the period, such as "Thom's Irish Almanac & Official Directory 1877". Any chance of a look up for James MARTIN the "Butcher of St Johnston"? Liam "A bird in the bush is worth two in the Cat"