Ireland genealogy: land and property resources

Land records in Ireland. Genealogy research and property records. Griffiths Primary Valuation.

In Ireland genealogy researchers studying the first half of the 1800s are hugely reliant on property and land records. This is because civil registration was not introduced to the whole population until 1864 and all returns for the 19th-century censuses are lost to us.

Admittedly there are plenty of church registers that date back to the 1820s and a good number that go even further back. But registers for many parishes, including two-thirds of those for Church of Ireland congregations, do not survive for this period. This is why so many people believe that in Ireland, genealogy resources for the period before the middle of the 19th century are thin on the ground.

But there are resources available: property and land. They aren't as easy to access as the more obvious ones mentioned above but if you are looking for Irish ancestors pre-1860 you need to get to grips with these collections.

A summary of the resources is below.

Griffith's Valuation

If you're searching for ancestors pre-civil registration in Ireland, genealogy gems don't come any better than this. The full name of this outstanding resource is The Primary Valuation of Ireland and it was carried out by Richard Griffith, a Dublin-born geologist. He was appointed Boundary Commissioner in 1825 and Commissioner of Valuation in 1830. Between 1847 and 1863, he and his band of Valuers travelled around the country studying one county at a time.

The results of his survey were published between 1848 and 1864. It was arranged by county, barony, Poor Law Union, civil parish and townland and includes an assessment of the value for every property within those boundaries. The name of each occupier is also recorded.

It is helpful to know in which year the Valuation was carried out in your ancestor's county as this allows you to pinpoint precisely when your family was living at the given address.

Find out more about Griffith's Valuation and how it could help your research, or study some examples to become familiar with how it is structured.

Tithe Applotment books

In 1823 the system of tithes payable to the Church of Ireland was revised. A valuation was carried out, civil parish by civil parish, to determine how much would be payable by each landholder. The process took 15 years, until the tithe was suspended in 1838.

Find out more about Tithe Applotment books and their value to Irish genealogists.

Lists of Landowners

In 1876 a list of landowners who held at least one acre of land was published. The survey had been commissioned in 1873 by the Local Government Board and required the Poor Law Unions across Ireland to gather together lists of landowners from local rate books. The last of the returns to the Board was dated November 1872. When collated, some 32,614 owners were listed alphabetically by province and county, alongside details of the extent of their land and its current valuation. The 1876 list is available, free, at Failte Romhat.

Estate Records

These records offer the best opportunity to trace Irish ancestors into the 18th and even the 17th centuries. They include information about the wealthy families who once owned great swathes of Ireland. Genealogy researchers find them useful because these families employed vast numbers of retainers ie domestic staff, farm hands, craftsmen etc and were also landlords, granting leases to tenant farmers and labourers.

Estate records can be difficult to track down and, where they survive, are of variable quality but they can provide spectacularly good detail.

Landed Estates Court Rentals

After the Famine, many landowners found themselves financially if not morally embarrassed. Parliament set up a Court to administer the sale of these insolvent estates in 1848/9 and pre-sale catalogues were produced to entice prospective buyers.

These sale particulars provided details of tenants on the land, together with the value and terms of their tenancy or rental commitment. They cover the entire island of Ireland. Genealogical potential is significant, since more than 500,000 tenants are recorded in the collection. More about the Landed Estates Court Rentals.

Deeds

The Registry of Deeds was founded in Dublin in 1708 but its heyday, in terms of popularity, was 1750-1830. By far the majority of the Irish population owned no land so this resource is not going to assist many family historians. However, if your family did register deeds you are in for a treat as these records nearly always name two or more generations.

Where next?

• How to get started with Ireland genealogy research.
• Become familiar with the structure and annotation of Richard Griffith's Valuation.
• An explanation of Irish land divisions such as provinces, townlands, Poor Law Unions etc.
• Still looking for your Irish ancestors' townland or county?