Memorial University Libraries

Griffith's Valuation of Rateable Property in Ireland (Location: Micro/Fiche/3190) is the most important source for research on population distribution and land-tenure in nineteenth-century Ireland. The Valuation, originally undertaken to provide a basis for assessing taxation, provides the name of each occupier or tenant, the name of the townland or city location, the area and map reference of the holding and the value assessment of the latter. Preparation and publication of the Valuation continued from 1848 until 1864.

During the 1960's the National Library of Ireland produced their comprehensive Index of Surnames of Householders in Griffith's Valuation and Tithe Applotment Books. This index has been included in this microfiche edition of the Valuation.

The only complete set of the Valuation available outside the National Library of Ireland, the microfiche Griffith's Valuation comprises all 32 counties and the cities of Dublin and Belfast, together with the National Library's Index. Fiche References have also been provided which guide the reader from the parishes in the Index volumes, thus eliminating the frustrating task of searching the Valuation to find a particular parish. The fiche references provide the vital, and hitherto missing, link between the Index and Valuation. They thus,in addition to improving ease of access to Griffith's Valuation, provide a valuable overview of the occurrence and distribution of surnames in Ireland.

In addition to the microform edition of the valuation, the Queen Elizabeth II Library possesses copies of valuations for three regions as originally published. They are for: The Union of Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath; The Union of Gorey, Co. Wexford; and The Unions of Cork and Kinsale, Barony of Kerrycurrihy, Co. Cork.