If you have researched your Irish ancestors from the mid-19th century, chances are you have consulted Griffith’s Valuation. Known as the Primary Valuation of Tenements – in this case, tenements referred to any rented properties – this was a land survey carried out between 1847 and 1864 to determine the tax payable on every property …
Read more “Griffith’s Valuation and Sir Richard Griffith, the man who created it”
The TIthe Applotment Books are a valuable resource to identify where in Ireland your ancestors lived, and who the head of the family was, in the decades prior to the Great Famine. These books are one of the most important Irish census substitutes for the 19th century. However, like other records which stand in for …
Read more “Everything you need to know about the Tithe Applotment Books: A genealogical guide”
Where were your Irish ancestors from? What county did they live in? What barony? Which civil parish, which Poor Law Union? And, most importantly, what townland? For a small country, we have found a bewildering variety of ways to carve up the land for administrative purposes. Some, like baronies and Poor Law Unions, are obsolete …
Read more “What is a townland? A guide to the Irish land divisions used in genealogy records”