The Island Record Office (IRO) is an arm of the Registrar General’s Department that was established by the Record Office Act under the Act of Parliament in 1879. According to the Act, the Island Records Office should be established to record the following documents:
- Public Records: these include rolls, writs, books, legal proceedings, statutes, decrees, wills, warrants, accounts, papers and documents of a public nature.
- Deeds and writings: a deed is a legal instrument used to grant a privilege. It is usually used when transferring real estate titles from one person to another. All deeds including: wills, conveyances, charters, bonds, patents, certificates, letter patent, specifications, petitions, declarations, disclaimers, memoranda, powers of attorney, crop and other accounts, inventories, map plots and all other legal instruments used to grant a right, must be registered at the Island Records Office.