Griffith's Primary Valuation

Conducted between 1848 and 1864 under the direction of Commissioner of Valuation Richard Griffith, the Primary Valuation survey of Ireland established the amount of tax each person should pay towards the support of the poor within their poor law union. The Valuation lists every landholder and every householder in Ireland – some 1.25 million people in all – organized by county, barony, poor law union, civil parish, and townland. Survey data includes householder's name, townland address, property description, acreage, and valuation.

Griffith's survives as the only detailed guide to Irish people's exact places of residence and property holdings in mid-19th century Ireland, and links Irish ancestors to a specific townland and civil parish. Once you have determined the townland and the civil parish, you can conduct a successful search of civil and church records of births and marriages.

Copies of the Valuation, containing the full survey data, are widely available in major libraries and record offices, both on microfiche and in their original published form.

As is the case with the Tithe Applotment Books, an index to Griffith's has been produced. Omitting the property description, acreage, and valuation, the index gives the full name of the householder and his county, parish, and townland. Online access to the index is available at http://www.irishorigins.com. You can also search for your ancestors' names using the CD-ROM form of the index; all 1.25 million names are included, and the CD is available through http://www.genealogical.com. Data from this CD can be imported directly into the Family Tree Maker genealogical software.