The Primary Valuation of Tenements of 1857 ("Griffith's Valuation") - Moville Lower

The Primary Valuation of Ireland, 1848-1864, gives a complete list of occupiers of land, tenements and houses in the country. It is better known as Griffith's Valuation, after the Valuer, Richard Griffith. The records contain the following information:

the occupier of the land or houses
the name of the person from whom the property was leased
a description of the property
the acreage of the farm
a valuation of the land and buildings

Griffith's Valuation is a useful substitute for the 1851/1861 census returns, but it only gives the name of the leaseholder, and does not list the other family members.

I have not changed the names on the Valuation, even when they appear to be misspelt, and I've left duplicate names in the record, where the occupant had more than one piece of land. I have not posted the land details, but if you want that information, please e-mail me.

Please bear in mind that many spellings have changed through the years, and/or names were written incorrectly. For example, I am researching the name Hernan, and I know that the family occupied farms in Carrowtrasna and Stroove about the time of the Valuations. There are no Hernans in the entire Parish of Moville Lower, but there are Hirlins and Harlands in the correct townlands, in the correct properties, and with the right christian names, who appear meet all the criteria!

The following table shows, in summary, the information recorded (rounded to the nearest whole number). From it, you can see the most rural townlands, and where the buildings were concentrated. Note the poor quality of the land around Glennagiveny, in particular (compare the size and rateable value).

Click the townland name for the records (NOTE - Moville Town is a separate entry)