Tax Records

A. Griffith's Primary Valuation

Griffith's Primary Valuation was a tax record. It listed the names of the occupiers of each town and townland, the name of the landlord (the immediate lessor), description of the property and its size in acres. Griffith’s Primary Valuation, a published source, was published between 1847 and 1864 depending on the area of Ireland. Griffith’s Primary Valuation is available at the NLI, the PRONI, the Family History Library and other repositories. Maps corresponding to Griffith’s Primary Valuation, showing the locations of particular holdings, are available at the Valuation Office (for Republic of Ireland counties) and at the PRONI (for Northern Ireland counties).

The CD-ROM Index to Griffith's Valuation of Ireland, 1848-1864 (1998) is an extensive index to most of Griffith’s Primary Valuation, listing the names of the occupiers of land and houses and their places of residence throughout Ireland. The index omits some localities in Ireland, however.

The website Otherdays.com has produced an online index to Griffith's Valuation of Ireland that is linked to the actual images of Griffith's Valuation as well as the Ordnance Survey maps of Ireland. Many other Irish databases are available on Otherdays.com as well. Irish Origins and Eneclann have produced another online index to Griffith's Primary Valuation.

If you would like to gain an in-depth understanding of Griffith’s Primary Valuation of Ireland, and of the manuscript materials associated with it, we highly recommend that you obtain a copy of James R. Reilly’s work Richard Griffith and His Valuations of Ireland (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000).

B. Griffith's Revision Books

Revisions to Griffith's Primary Valuation of Ireland were compiled between the 1850s and 1980s. Revision books include changes over the years to occupiers’ names and to the type, size and valuation of their holdings. The dates when names of occupiers changed may suggest possible death or emigration dates. The revision books for the Republic of Ireland are at the Valuation Office with microfilm copies at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. If you would like these records studied for your family, please ask us. The revision books for Northern Ireland are only available at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast.

C. The Tithe Applotment Books

The Tithe Composition Act of 1823 allowed the state religion’s yearly tithe to be paid by the inhabitants in cash rather than “in kind” (by giving a portion of crops or livestock). The Tithe Applotment Books, compiled between 1823 and 1837, record how much each tithe-payer was responsible for paying to the Established Church of Ireland parish. People of all religions, including Roman Catholics and Presbyterians, had to pay the tithe yearly to the Anglican church (the Church of Ireland). The Tithe Books are arranged by Church of Ireland parish, and then by “denomination” (townland) within the parish. The Tithe Books for present-day Republic of Ireland counties are at the National Archives of Ireland, while those for Northern Ireland counties are at the PRONI in Belfast. Microfilm copies of the Tithe Books for all of Ireland are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. If you would like these records studied for your family, please ask us.

The Tithe Applotment Books of Northern Ireland have been indexed in two places:

(1) A card index at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, which is also available on microfilm at the Family History Library;

(2) Tithe Applotment Books of Ireland, 1823-1838 International Land Records (for counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone) (Family Tree Maker CD #262)