Given the loss of Census records covering much
of the 19th century, another avenue in the search for information
can be found in Estate Records. The majority of people in Ireland
would have been tenants or labourers on one of the many large
country estates that existed in Ireland at the time.
Both the National Archive and Library in Dublin and the Public
Records office of Northern Ireland hold a large repository of
records from these estates.
The records contain a variety of information including Rent
books for Tenant on Estate, Maps showing who lived in a particular
area, valuation, the size of tenant families on the state.
Some valuable information can be found here. But the problem
is locating it! A lot of archive material form individual estates
has been donated to the state, but it can be quite a task working
through it.
As a starting point you need to have confidence as to where
exactly the Ancestor you are researching lived at a particular
time. You can use the Index to Griffith's Valuation and Tithe
Applotment Books as a starting point if you are unsure.
If you can narrow the area down to a parish or even better a
townland, then the only remaining task is to find what
estate encompassed that parish in the 19th Century. You can
do this
by going to Griffith's Valuation for the townland of interest
to you an looking at the 'lessor' column which will show from
whom the land was rented. Be aware the land may have be sub
let up to five
or more times before coming down to an individual tenant farmer.
So look for a lessor holding a large amount of land.
Once you've done this it's time to examine the records. Need
to be very careful as to how you handle them.
The Public Records office line to Landed Estate Records at
http://proni.nics.gov.uk/records/landed.htm
lists some of the more major estate records they hold.
To help you with the records in Proni the Search Room has two
books that will prove useful;
1. Guide to Landed Estate Records: this gives an alphabetical
list of Estates per county along with a reference number
to the documents themselves.
2. Personal Names Index: which is a list based on Landlords
Name.
In Dublin, the National Libraries Manuscripts collection which
includes Estate Records has four catalogues referencing information
to be found there.
Material catalogued prior to 1965:
R.J. Hayes, Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation
Material catalogued during the years 1966-1975:
R.J. Hayes, Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation
Material catalogued during the years 1976-1990:
Card catalogue in the Manuscripts Reading Room
The National Library has an Online Public Access Catalogue which
can be access from http://www.nli.ie/mscatalogue.html
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