Family and Local History
[Bill Macafee's Website]

Databases
c.1860 Griffith's [Tenement] Valuation
1820s/30s Tithe Applotment Books
1803 Agricultural Census
1796 Flaxgrowers' List
1766 Religious Census
1740 Protestant Householders' Returns
1669 Hearth Money Rolls
1630 Muster Rolls
Ballymoney Ancestry
 

1796 Flaxgrowers' List

As part of a government initiative to encourage the linen trade, free spinning-wheels or looms were granted to individuals planting a certain area of land with flax.

The premium was up to 4 spinning wheels. The number of spinning wheels given to each person depended on the amount of flax that they sowed between 10th March and the 1st June 1796.

At least 1 acre 3 roods 2 roods 1 rood
4 wheels 3 wheels 2 wheels 1 wheel

The lists of those entitled to the awards were published in 1796. I have created a database of the names listed for all of the parishes in North Antrim that are listed within the source. Note that this source only lists the names of persons and how many wheels they received. It does not tell us where they lived within the parish.

Note also that in the database there is a column which lists the exact spelling of the surname recorded in the list (note the letter f for s at that time) and a column with a standardised spelling selected by me. Incidentally, you may not agree with some of my interpretations. Feel free to make up your own mind.

Note also that in the Excel version of the database the parishes are presented alphabetically and within each parish the names are presented in the order in which they occur within the source. There is also a separate sheet in the Excel file where the entries are sorted by standardised surname and parish.  The entries in the PDF version are arranged alphabetically by standardised surname and parish..

1796 Flax Growers' List for the Parishes of North Antrim Excel PDF
Case Studies of Families
Case Studies of Localities
Ballymoney Town
Seacon Locality
Killyramer Locality
Glens of Antrim Clachan Project
Localities outside North Antrim
 
 
 
 
 
Copyright 2009 W.Macafee.