Griffith's Valuation of Ireland and Finding Your Irish Ancestors

Griffith's Primary Valuation of Ireland was used tomuch rent could be obtained from it. This makes
determine the amount of tax each person shouldit extremely valuable to Irish researches as it
pay towards the support of the poor within theircontains, not only property owners - but renters
poor law union. This involved determining the valueas well. Although it will contain heads of households
of all privately held lands and buildings in rural asonly, there is light here!! Griffith's Valuation can also
well as urban areas to figure the rate at whichshed light on a persons occupation, (all outbuildings
each unit of property could be rented year afterwere described and taxed as well, if deemed
year.appropriate)his financial status, his/her level of
The resulting survey was arranged by barony andeducation and whether he possibly had family
civil parish with an index to the townlandsnearby. Look for siblings, parents, and other
appearing in each volume. Griffith's Valuation canrelatives to determine if this is YOUR ancestor.
be used as an excellent census substitute for theNo discussion of Griffiths Primary Valuation of
years after the Great Famine as censuses priorIreland would be complete with mentioning the
to 1901 were destroyed in the records office fireOrdnance Survey Maps. These are maps created
in 1922. The document lists every landholder andat 6” to 1 mile and were meant to
householder in the 32 counties, and is arranged bycomplement the Valuations. These are highly
county, barony, poor law union, civil parish anddetailed and allow you to see the outline of
townland.property boundaries along with the houses,
The valuation was never intended as a substituteoutbuildings, roads and villages. These maps can
for the census, and has limited significance forbe invaluable as a visual means of connecting
genealogists. However, because of theadjacent properties and finding relatives that lived
subsequent destruction of so many other sourcenearby. Also, as a complement to the Ordnance
documents, including the 1851 census, it remainsSurvey Maps, a written description of several
the only detailed guide to where in Ireland peoplecounties in Northern Ireland was published. These
lived in the mid-19th century.written books, known as the Ordnance Survey
Essentially Griffith's was a type of census ofMemoirs are extremely detailed descriptions of
property owners in Ireland from 1848 - 1864. Itthe people and customs, and geography of the
was used to determine what portion of tax alocals mapped. A great historical record.
landowner should pay in support of the poorUnfortunately they were discontinued in the
within their poor law union. It was based, not only1840's as too expensive to continue.
on the value of the property, but also on how