Ireland genealogy: land and property resources

Even the humblest of homes was listed in Griffiths 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 records 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 refer to a 'dearth of Irish genealogy resources'.

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 records.

A summary of the resources is below. I'll be adding detailed pages for each of them shortly.

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 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.

I'll be adding an in-depth study of Griffith's Valuation, by early December.

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.

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.

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.

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Don't know how to get started with Ireland genealogy research?

Still looking for your Irish ancestors' townland or county?

An explanation of Irish land divisions such as provinces, townlands, Poor Law Unions etc.

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