In my last blog I dealt with the history of the Tithe Applotment Books in Ireland. In this blog I deal with this set of documents as a census substitute, a genealogical source.   The Tithe Applotment Books are a vital source for genealogical research for the pre-Famine period, given the loss of the 1821-51 Census records. They were compiled between 1823 and 1837 in order to determine the amount which occupiers of agricultural holdings over one acre should pay in tithes to the Church of Ireland. There is a manuscript book for almost every civil parish in the country giving the names of oc ..read more

Irish lordships, 1500s Irish Placenames and Genealogy Placenames are important in genealogy as without them little progress can be made. This brief overview discusses how the various placename systems found in Ireland are grouped and structured and the relevance of each one to genealogical research. In addition to discussing the relevance of placenames to genealogy I also discuss the origins of each placename system as this exploration is of interest to understanding Irish history. County Ireland has 32 counties, twenty six in the Republic and six in Northern Ireland, which is part of the Un ..read more

Gaelic Irish forenames older than surnames By Dr Paul MacCotter An early Irish manuscript Theoretically one’s surname preserves the name of a direct male ancestor who may have lived up to 1,200 years ago. Why theoretically? What is known as a non-marital event as uncovered through y-chromosome dna studies: result, not all bearers of a given surname descend from a common ancestor. A theory used to explain this is that in Irish medieval clan society, servants and followers took on the surname of the overlord and thus lost their own surnames. Yet the bulk of y-dna studies do confirm one or two ..read more

A page from a Tithe Book Census substitutes, the Tithe Applotment Books, part one   In this presentation we’re going to look at the following: The history and origins of tithe payments in Ireland and generally The history of tithes and the Tithe Applotment Books (TAB) during the 19th century   Our next blog will deal with the Tithe Books as a census substitute     Origins of the tithe system Tithing originated as a religious practice of Judaism in the Old Testament, where 10% of agricultural output was sent to the priests in the temple in Jerusalem.   The wo ..read more

Categories of surnames found in Ireland: Gaelic Irish surnames, born by the aboriginal population from the time when surnames were adopted (900 to 1100) Viking or Ostman surnames, from Scandinavia or Scotland, same time range Anglo-Norman surnames, mostly English, Welsh, Scottish, Norman, 1170 to 1300 British surnames, mostly from England and Scotland, planted in various parts of Ireland 1540 to 1700 Modern introductions, 1980s onwards   Why is surname research relevant to genealogy? Theoretically one’s surname preserves the name of a direct male ancestor who may have lived up to 1,200 y ..read more

The Barretts of Cork: part one Built in 1397 This is a brief history of the Barrett or Barratt surname in Ireland, mainly focussed on the Cork surname, although there was another important branch in Mayo. The Barrett surname is of unclear origin. Its earliest distribution indicates that it is a surname of the Anglo-Norman period in England, where the surname remains common and now has nothing to do with the surname in Ireland. Various origins have been suggested, including the Norman-French barat, for a trader, or a similar Anglo-Saxon word indicating a quarrelsome person (barat). The realit ..read more

Valuation Office House, Field and Valuation Books (census substitutes) House book example The first forms of taxation to raise money for poverty relief in Ireland date to the early eighteenth century, but it was only with the establishment of what became known as ‘Griffith’s Valuation’ during the middle of the nineteenth century that a comprehensive national system was established. This system was the first nationwide property tax designed to alleviate poverty in Ireland. It had its roots in the Irish Poor Law Act of 1838. Land and buildings were ‘valued’ and then taxed at various rates. The ..read more