With the loss of most census reports for years prior to 1922, the number of resource tools for Irish genealogy is quite limited. My favorite sources of the rest are Griffith’s Valuation of Ireland, The Hearth Money Rolls, and Tithe Aplotment Books.
Griffith’s Valuation of Ireland
The Griffith Valuation was carried out between the years 1848 to 1864. It is a very important record due to the lack of census forms that have survived from those years. The survey was carried out to determine the amount of taxes that each person must pay to support their union of poor lawyers. It was organized by union of poor right – civil parish – barony – county.
An Excerpt: Primary Home Valuation by Richard Griffith
County Kerry – Barony of Clanmaurice – Unions of Listowel and Tralee – Parish of Ardfert
Column One: Map Reference Number and Letters (Refers to Ordnance Inspection Map)
Column Two: Townlands and Occupants
Column Three – Immediate Lessors
Column four – Description of the property
Column Five – Area
Column Six – Annual Net Value (Land – Buildings – Total)
1 – OS Map – Map #20 and #21
2.- William T. Crosbue, Esq.
3. – In fee… (meaning that he rented this land to others)
4.- House, offices and land (what was being evaluated)
5.- (A=329) (R=2) (P=17)
6.- Terrain = 241; Buildings = 62; totals = 303
Rolls of money from home
The Hearth Money Rolls 1663 – 1666. The Money Rolls exist only for several counties in what is now Northern Ireland, but are very useful because anyone with a FIREPLACE was listed. The Hearth Money Rolls displayed displays the barony, surname, first name, and city. The tax was two shillings per hearth or chimney.
Tithing Allocation Books
Tithe allotment books were made due to a law passed in 1823 to establish the amount of tax a property owner must pay to the Church of Ireland. (Whether he was a member of that church or not!) The appraisal of each civil parish was carried out between 1823 and 1838, when the law was abolished. The allotment of the tithe was terribly resented by the people of Ireland due to the inequities of the process. For example, a potato plot was taxed at a higher rate than grazing land, so the poor farmer paid a higher tax than the landowner who grazed his horses or cattle on the land. The Books essentially recorded only the name of the town, the name of the landowner, the area of the land, and the titles to be paid. In 1831, people began to refuse to pay these titles and clergymen began to keep a list of these title defaulters. The lists can provide a more complete picture of taxpayers than the original Book of Tithes, and can be useful for cross-checking with the Book, especially if they date from before 1831.
There are many excellent sites on the Internet to gather more information about these Irish genealogical resources. Be sure to visit them.