Griffith's Valuation (also known as the Primary Valuation) is one of the main sources used for Irish research. However, many are unaware that it was merely the first in a continual series of land valuations carried out in Ireland. These valuation records are kept at The Valuation Office of Ireland.[1] The Valuation Office has a manuscript archive containing rateable valuation information of all property in the state from mid 1850s until the early 1990s; and commercial property only from that time. This archive shows the changes after the revision of properties and is recognised as a census substitute for the period from the 1850s to 1901 (the earliest complete census record for Ireland). The archive may be used to trace the occupiers of a particular property over a period of years. Like with Griffiths Valuation, maps of occupied properties were also created, which correspond to the map numbers in the margins of the Valuation Books.
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Using the Valuation Office revision books
The lack of 19th century census records can make finding out if an ancestor stayed in a given locale after their inclusion in Griffith's Valuation difficult. However, one way of locating them is through the Cancelled or Revision Books. These are so-called because of the colourful revisions or handwritten edits made in each book. Each time a change in the occupancy of a tenement took place, an edit in a particular colour was recorded on the Books, thus making it possible to track what family name is associated with a particular plot from the 1850s up to the 1970s. It might be the case for example, that all of the revisions for 1916 were allocated the colour red, while revisions for the following year were blue. A change in family name may mean that a marriage occurred and a new son-in-law has taken over a plot or perhaps the family has emigrated and the occupancy has passed to another family. It is important to see the revisions in their original colour as these colours and corresponding years provide important context to when occupation changed. The Revision Books also provide evidence of when tenant farmers finally became owners of their land under the various land acts introduced towards the end of the 1800s.[2] In the Immediate Lessors column, the words “In FEE L.A.P.”, will be written in, marking the date at which they became owners rather than tenants.
When each book became so full of revisions that it was impossible to decipher, it would have been marked up as a Cancelled Land Book and a new Current Land Book was started. From then until the mid-1970s (only until the 1930s in Northern Ireland), all changes in holdings were hand-written into the Current Land Books. Each annual round of revisions was allocated a coloured ink code. The colour coding helps to maintain some level of legibility over many years. When a change of occupancy occurred, the name of the previous householder or owner was crossed out and the new owner's name written above it. In the same colour ink, there will be a date (usually just the year) recorded in the right-hand column. In situations where another member of the same family took over the tenancy, only the first name is crossed out.[3]
Revision Books are useful in tracing the occupancy of land of families in rural areas and can often establish approximate dates of death and emigration (when a property passed from one generation to the next) or when a family purchased their landholding from its owner. To use the Revision Books a confirmed townland address has to be established, either from Griffith’s Valuation, the 1901/1911 Censuses of Ireland or through personal knowledge and in the case of urban areas, a street address is vital. Civil birth, marriage and death records can also provide an exact address.
Accessing the Valuation Books
Currently it is only possible to access the Valuation Books through the Valuation Office in Ireland. The Valuation Office is currently located at Block 2, Irish Life Centre, Abbey Street Lower, Dublin. An appointment for free in-person research can be made online through the website. Alternatively, a copy of the valuation record can be purchased through the online form. Facilities for members of the public undertaking genealogical research are provided to view current and archive rating records and maps. Copies of entries in the valuation records and of the relevant map identifying the property location are available. The archive records for Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork City & County, Donegal, Dublin City & County, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Limerick City & County, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary and Wexford have now been digitised and the images are available to browse in the Valuation Division Public Office.[4]
Images of the Revision Books for the six counties of Northern Ireland from 1864 to 1933 have been digitised and can be manually searched and downloaded from the website of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).[5] Records after the 1930s can be inspected in person at PRONI.
There are plans by the Valuation Office of Ireland to fully digitise and upload searchable copies of their records to an online database. This database, like that for Northern Ireland's Revision Books held by PRONI, will be free to access.
Explore more about Ireland Valuation Office revision books
- Ireland, Griffith's Valuation, 1847-1864 record collection at MyHeritage
- Foundations of Irish Genealogy 11: The Valuation Office webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Finding your ancestors in Irish land valuation records webinars at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
References
- ↑ "Home". www.tailte.ie. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ↑ Book (eISB), electronic Irish Statute. "electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB)". www.irishstatutebook.ie. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ↑ "Revision Books - Irish Genealogy Blog". 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ↑ "Genealogy". www.tailte.ie. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ↑ "Valuation Revision Books | nidirect". www.nidirect.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-07-27.