Using the Householders Index to Griffith
The surname of every householder/landowner mentioned in Griffith is listed in the Householders Index. There is a separate Householders Index volume for every county in Ireland. Each volume indicates:- how many times a surname appears in each Barony in that County;
- how many times a surname appears in each Parish of each Barony;
- which Union Book to consult for details relating to each householder.
For example, under the name "Mallon" in the Householders Index for Co Antrim is the following information:
| Surname | "G" if in Griffith, followed by the number of times mentioned | "T" if also in the Tithe Applotment Books, followed by the number of times mentioned | Barony | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mallon | .. | T | Lr. Toome | |
| Mallon | G2 | .. | .. | Up. Glenarm |
| Mallon | G7 | T | Up. Toome | |
| Mallon | G8 | T | Up. Massereene | |
| Mallon | G2 | .. | Lr. Massereene |
Thus, looking at just one barony, the name Mallon appears eight times in the Griffith Valuation of the Barony of Upper Massereene, Co. Antrim.
In the second half of the Index, names are listed by Parish in each Barony
At the start of the list for each Parish, there is information to tell you which Union the Parish is in. For example, the first parish mentioned for the Barony of Upper Massereene is that of Aghagallon in Lurgan Union, Co. Antrim. The parish list of householders indicates that "Mallon" appears 4 times in Griffith's Valuation of that Parish in 1862 (and also in the Tithe Applotment Book in 1833).
| Mallon | G4 | T |
Using the Griffith Union Books
Now that you know that the name you want is listed in Griffith in a particular parish in a particular Union, in a particular County, you can search for the householder/landowner in the relevant Union book for that County.The Union book for that County lists the page numbers for the required Barony/Parish and the Townlands therein. Search the pages of the Barony/Parish for the required name. When found, the details beside the name will show the type of property, acreage and valuation.
For example, the entry for Bernard Mallon in the Townland of Drumaleet in the Parish of Aghagallon (Union of Lurgan, Barony of Upper Massereene) is as follows
| No. and Letters of Reference to Map. |
Names. | Description of Tenement. | Area. | Rateable Annual Valuation. | Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property. |
||
| Townlands and Occupiers. | Immediate Lessors. | Land. | Buildings. | ||||
| .. | DRUMALEET Ord. S. 62 & 66. |
.. | .. | A. R. P. | £ s. d. | £ s. d. | £ s. d. |
| 21 | Bernard Mallon | Robert Ellis | House and land | 1. 0. 30 | 1. 0. 0 | 0. 10. 0 | 1. 10. 0 |
The number in the first column is a plot number marked on a particular ordnance survey map used by the government valuator. The number of the ordnance survey map used is given at the head of the section for each townland/parish. In this example, the parish straddled ordnance survey maps 62 and 66.
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Using the Valuation Maps
The valuation maps are listed as follows:
| VAL.2A/1/ sheet number | Co. Antrim |
| VAL.2A/2/ sheet number | Co. Armagh |
| VAL.2A/3/ sheet number | Co. Down |
| VAL.2A/4/ sheet number | Co. Fermanagh |
| VAL.2A/5/ sheet number | Co. Londonderry |
| VAL.2A/6/ sheet number | Co. Tyrone |
Between 1848 and 1864, a valuation, called
Griffith's Primary Valuation, was made of taxable property in every parish in
Ireland. The valuation records list the name of the head of the household, the
name of the landowner, the acreage of the plot, the value of the property, and
the amount of tax assessed. The tax based on the property valuation was used
to support the poor.
GRIFFITH’S
VALUATION
Be sure to visit this link: http://proni.nics.gov.uk/research/family/griffith.htm
Be sure to look at this article in the FILE CABINET
|
Categories:
Places/Land Records |
|
Excellent article
titled "Is there more to Griffith's Valuation than Names" |
After the primary valuation, later valuations
were made throughout Ireland approximately every decade. Changes in ownership
or tenancy as well as the types of information recorded in the original
valuation (name of the head of the household, name of the landowner, acreage,
and property value) were noted in the valuation books.
For more information on Tithe Applotment
records, Griffith's Primary Valuation, and other valuation sources, see:
Grenham, John. “Land
Records.” In
Tracing
Your Irish Ancestors: The Complete Guide. (See the “For Further
Reading” section).
McCarthy, Tony. “Twelve
Major Sources.” In
The
Irish Roots Guide (see the “For Further Reading” section).
For more information about Irish taxes and
surviving tax records, see:
Falley, Margaret.
Irish
and Scotch-Irish Ancestral Research. (See the “For Further
Reading” section).
The Family History Library's copies of
Tithe
Applotment books and Griffith's Primary Valuation are listed in the
Locality Search of the catalog under IRELAND - LAND AND PROPERTY. Other
valuation records are listed in the Locality Search under IRELAND, [COUNTY] -
LAND AND PROPERTY.
The library's other taxation records are listed
in the Locality Search of the catalog under the following headings:
IRELAND - TAXATION
IRELAND, [COUNTY] - TAXATION
IRELAND, [COUNTY], [TOWN or
PARISH] - TAXATION
Indexes
The following work was compiled by the staff at
the National Library, Dublin, and is available at the Family History Library.
Arranged by county, this index lists surnames found in the Tithe Applotment
records and in Griffith's Valuation:
An
Index of Surnames of Householders in Griffith's Primary Valuation and Tithe
Applotment Books. 14 vols. Typescript. Dublin: National Library,
1960-70. (FHL book Ref 941.5 R22i 14 vols.; film 919,001-7; computer number
0316279.) This work is often referred to as the
Householders
Index.
A brief aid produced by the Family History
Library,
The
Ireland Householders Index (item 34070), contains step by step
instructions on how to use the
Householders
Index and its corresponding records. This aid is available at the
library and through Family History Centers.
The Irish Land Commission has produced an index
to the Tithe Applotment records for the counties in Northern Ireland: Northern
Ireland, Public Record Office, Land Commission Archive index. This index is
listed in the Locality Search of the catalog under IRELAND - LAND AND PROPERTY
- INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS.
Several indexes, by full name, to the Griffith's Primary Valuation records for specific counties have also been compiled and are available on microfiche at the Family History Library. These indexes cannot be circulated to Family History Centers. The indexes are listed in the Locality Search of the catalog under IRELAND - LAND AND PROPERTY - INDEXES
Photocopies of Griffith's Variation maps are available from the Valuation Office, 6 Ely Place, Dublin 2. These show the boundaries of the holdings of each of those listed in the survey itself. A full set of nineteenth-century maps of a wide range of scales are also available for consultation at the National Library of Ireland (NLI). The modern maps available are in metric sizes, a useful series being the 1:50,000 size, which is approximately equivalent to the old "half-inch" maps. These are available for all of Ireland from the Ordnance Survey Office, Phoenix Park, Dublin 8, or Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland, Colby House, Stranmillis Court, Belfast, BT9 8BJ, N. Ireland. The archives of the Ordnance Survey are in the National Archives and the index can be searched online through the home page. These mainly contain documents and correspondence generated in the process of map-making. However, information on some landowners is inevitably included.
| Griffiths’ Valuation (officially known as The Primary Valuation): a survey of land and property carried out from 1847-1864, from south to north in all counties in Ireland, for the purpose of tax assessments to support local Poor Law administration. It includes occupiers of land and buildings. There is a CD-ROM published by Family Tree Maker (CD #188) which is a Householder’s Index to Griffith’s Valuation. The LDS Library also has an index on microfiche. After finding your family, you might consult the LDS microfilm or fiche to view the transcript of the original Valuation. |