|
Using the
Griffith's Valuation Revision Books c.1860 to c.1930 If you have not already done so, you should read the paper on Using Griffith's Printed Valuation c.1860 [Townlands in Rural Areas: Gorteade]. The purpose of this paper is to provide some guidance on how to use the PRONI online Valuation Revision Books c.1860 to c.1930, using the townland of Gorteade as an example. You should learn how to:
Valuation Maps of Gorteade c.1860 to c.1935. When using the Valuation Revision Books you will need a copy of the relevant Valuation Map. Gorteade is covered by sheets 32 and 33. Fortunately you can continue to use the maps on the askaboutireland.ie website to locate properties and families "on the ground". However, there may be some instances where it would be prudent to look at later editions of sheets 32 and 33. - click here to see the results of an eCatalogue search for the relevant VAL/12/D sheets for Gorteade covering the period 1860-1935. Remember, these maps are working maps used by the valuers. Click on the following links to see copies of sheets VAL/2/D/5/32B and VAL/12/D/5/33C for Gorteade. Normally I would join these two sheets together to have the complete map for Gorteade. I have not done so in this case because this is what you would see in PRONI where you can scan these maps yourself. Also, the 33C map, in particular, will show you some of the townlands in Ballymoney Poor Law Union at that time. Here, this part of the map is only an OS Map, i.e. no Griffith's numbering is included. This is because in these earlier 1860s maps the valuers used a separate sheet for each Poor Law Union. From c.1880 the valuers appear to be using the one sheet for all of the Poor Law Unions but there can be a number of working copies which have minor differences in numbering. In the case of Gorteade there is very little change in the numbering or the lettering of properties so you could use virtually any of the VAL/12/D maps for the entire c.1860-c.1935 period.. However, I have seen cases where the numbering and lettering has changed so much between c.1860 and c.1900 that to not use the later maps would lead to some significant mistakes in the location of properties. Valuation Revision Books 1864 to 1929 for the Townland of Gorteade [Parish of Maghera, Barony of Loughinsholin] Swatragh DED, You can go online to PRONI and get copies of the pages in all of the books covering Gorteade by typing in Gorteade in the PLACENAME box and clicking on Search .In this particular case this will be sufficient to access the relevant books for this particular townland. For some townlands you will also need to select the particular county in the COUNTY box and the particular parish in the PARISH Box. You should end up with this result.
"Reading" and Interpreting the pages in the Revision Books. The page links [below] will take you to screenshots of the pages that cover holdings Nos. 1 to 15 in Books 27B to 27E. I have not included Book 27A [1860-1863], because there is only one change - Matthew Crilly, No. 28 in the Printed Griffith's, was replaced by a John Crilly, the date of the change recorded as 1863. Note that each Book has to be opened separately but within each book you can begin with any page and move forward or backward from each page. I have chosen properties 6 to 15 for closer inspection. Click here for a table that will outline the changes that took place in these properties between 1864 and 1929. The table contains the "answers" so to speak. You can check my answers against the actual pages. In some instances you may "read" the changes differently from me. If you have difficulty reading any of the pages, go online and get the page or pages direct from PRONI. "Reading" the changes usually means matching the colours of the various name changes on a page [or changes in holdings, or changes in the valuation of a property] with the same date colours in the Observations Column on the far right of each page. However, recognising the various persons listed and working out what was actually happening requires the application of other key information such as the 1901/1911 Census data. Note that I have included the relevant Census data in the table. Note that for some families there is direct link here to the online census. This Census information needs to be supplemented with genealogical information on the families involved. I have put together some notes on the following families: Lafferty [No. 6] - Kane [No. 12] - Kanes [Nos. 9 & 10] - Kanes [Nos. 8, 13, 14 & 15]. This family information should give you a better understanding of what is going on. Note that in Book 27D you will find the term in fee against all farms in the Immediate Lessor column. The term in fee means that the occupier of the property is the outright owner of the property and no longer pays rent to the landlord - in the case of Gorteade, the Mercers' Company. This change was the result of the 1903 Land Purchase Act [generally known as the Wyndham Act]. This Act made it possible for tenants to "buy out" their land and houses from their landlords. The landlords received the purchase price in cash from the Land Commisson and the farmer repaid the money by a fixed annuity over 65 years. The date against these in fee entries in Book 27D is 1910, some years after the event took place. For more on this topic go to the Landed Estates webpage. Matching the Griffith's Numbers with the House Numbers in the 1901 & 1911 Census Returns for Gorteade. The Census Forms B1 for 1901 & 1911 below contain the Griffith's Nos. as well as the Census Nos. for each house/property within the entire townland of Gorteade. Check the red numbers that I have inserted with the numbers and names in the Valuation Revision Books and see if you agree. There are some red numbers missing because I was unable to come to a firm conclusion. Note that it is the Valuation Record, not the Census Record, that will show you the exact location of each property or family wiyjin a townland.. 1901 Census Form B1. ------------- 1911 Census Form B1. Databases of the 1901 & 1911 Census Returns for Gorteade, Swatragh DED, Poor Law Union of Magherafelt. Below are two databases, one for 1901 and one for 1911, listing the Head of Family of each house/property in the entire townland of Gorteade. Note that clicking on either the surname or the forename of each Head of Family in each database will take you to the National Archives website where you can see the detailed information on each family plus any other persons living in or visiting in that household on the night of the Census. Excel Database of Heads of Families in 1901 Census for Gorteade ............. Excel Database of Heads of Families in 1911 Census for Gorteade. Copyright 2015 W. Macafee. |
