Tithe Applotment Books

Notes

1. These land records were extracted from the N.A.I. microfilms, and are reproduced in compliance with the Irish Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000.

2. Dates are in day / month / year format.

3. Spellings are typically as found.

4. Original records are often difficult to read; ? denotes ambiguous entry; ?? denotes completely illegible entry.

5. Please query suspected errors with the Webmaster.

Introduction

The Tithe Applotment Books (TAB) were a survey of agricultural land for the purpose of ascertaining the value of tithes (taxes levied by the government to support the Church of Ireland clergy). The tithes were normally apportioned two-thirds to the Rector (frequently a secular improprietor) and one-third to the Vicar (the priest religious).

The survey was undertaken around 1830, and the records normally include both the land-owners (landlords) and the principle land-holders (tenants), together with details of land and taxes. The quality of the records vary greatly in terms of detail and legibility. Information varies between very detailed accounts and outline summaries. Presentation varies from high quality printed records, through beautiful copperplate script, down to feint scrawl.

The survey is not entirely comprehensive. A number of parishes were not surveyed; records for other parishes have been lost or destroyed; the larger urban areas were excluded; shared and sub-let holdings tend to record only one of the major tenants. However, despite its shortcomings, the survey is a useful source of information on pre-famine farmers.

Some civil parishes are shared by more than one county, thus there are, of necessity, a few cases of duplication.

Click on a parish to view the transcription of individual entries.

Units of Measurement for Land and Money in the 19th Century

Land was measured in terms of acres (A), roods (R) and poles / perches (P). The acre was divided into four roods, which were, in turn, each sub-divided into forty poles.

1 acre (A) = 4840 square yards or 4047 square metres
1 rood (R) = 1210 square yards or 1012 square metres
1 pole (P) = 30.25 square yards or 25.29 square metres

Money was counted in pounds (£), shillings (s), pence (d), hapence (h) and farthings (f). The pound was divided into twenty shillings, which were, in turn, each sub-divided into twelve pence (pennies). A hapenny was half a penny, and a farthing was a quarter of a penny.

1 pound (£) = 20 shillings
1 shilling (s) = 12 pence
1 penny (d) = 2 hapence (h) or 4 farthings (f)

Index (alphabetical by Civil Parish)