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County Longford

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"Longford, a county of Ireland, bounded W by Roscommon, N by Leitrim and Cavan, and E and S by W. Meath, 25 m. long N to S, and 24 E to W, containing 366 sqare m. The soil is generally fruitful, though much interspersed with bogs. mountains, morasses, and fens. The Shannon forms the W boundary; other principal rivers are the Inny, Camlin, and Fallen. Lough Gawnagh is its most considerable collection of fresh water. It sends 2 members to parliament. Pop.10,702."
[From The New London Gazetteer (1826)] "LONGFORD This county lies nearly in the centre of Ireland, and is bounded on the east and south by Westmeath, on the north by Cavan, on the north-west by Leitrim, and Lough Ree separates Longford from Roscommon on the south and west. The form of the county is oblong, extending from north-east to south- south-west; measuring about thirty miles between those points, and fifteen miles in breadth from south-east to north-west. Its area comprises 269,409 acres; of which 191,800 acres are arable; 4,600 plantations; 360 occupied by towns; 13,600 covered by water, and the remainder, nearly 58,000 acres, irreclaimable or uncultivated land. The general outline of the county presents little to attract the eye: it is for the most part flat, and in many places overspread with large tracts of bog; while towards the north, on the borders of Leitrim, the surface rises into bleak and sterile mountains. The soil of the county, like the surface, is exceedingly various, changing from a light thin mould to a deep loamy clay. The elevated districts between Edgeworthstown and Longford have a good soil which yields abundant crops of grain; but the land in many parts is so much encumbered with surface water, as to present a serious impediment to the agriculturist. The average rent of land is 12s. 3d. an acre. Large crops of oats and flax are annually raised in this county, and the produce of the dairy, in butter especially, is extensive; the chief market for these commodities is Drogheda. Many females are occupied in spinning, and the linen manufacture prevails to some extent. The mineral treasures of Longford are few; lead ore has been found in several of the limestone quarries, likewise in some of the mountain streams, and it has even been turned up by the plough, but no efforts have yet been made to trace or work the veins. Ironstone of a good kind exists near the shores of Lough Gownagh; coal-slate in more than one locality; ochres, of various colours, in different districts; limestone and marble is plenteous in many parts; jasper in the barony of Moydow, with fine slate in the barony of Ardagn. The principal rivers that water the interior of the county are the Camlin and the Kenagh; while the Shannon forms its western boundary, and the Inny benefits a part of the southern district; and there are many streams, tributary and otherwise, by which the county is ornamented and irrigated. The lakes are numerous, and some of them of considerable extent; the largest one, Lough Ree, on the south and south-western boundary of the county, and Lough Gawnagh, in its north-eastern quarter. The Royal Canal, with its branches traverse a large extent of Longford, presenting a facile means of bearing the produce of the county to other parts. in September, 1843, there were thirty national schools in operation in the county, attended by four thousand children or more."
[From Pigot's and Slater's Topography of the British Isles reprinted here with permission from Dr David Alan Gatley of the Victorian Census Project.]

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Census

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Church Records

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Civil Registration

Civil records of non-Catholic marriages began in 1845 and of other marriages, and all births and deaths in 1864. Most are now available online at http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/, but there are cut-off points: 100 years for births, 75 years for marriages and 50 years for deaths.

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Gazetteers

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Genealogy

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Land & Property

  • The tithe applotment books of 1823-35 list, by civil parish, all occupiers of land who were obliged to pay tithe (a tax) to the Church of Ireland. Those who were not landholders, or who lived in towns, were not tithe payers. Acreages are in Irish measure.
  • Griffith's Valuation was a valuation prepared uniformly for all of Ireland to allow for the calculation of the poor rate (to support the local poor law union). The Longford valuation was done in 1854. It lists all occupiers of land, by civil/Church of Ireland parish, with a brief description of the properties held. Acreages are in statute measure. The hardcopy is in Longford County Library and Archives Services, while the online version has the maps that accompany the lists.
  • Estate archives - Until the early 1900s, most people in Ireland were tenants of a landlord. Estate archives with details of tenants typically include rent books, account books, maps, surveys and deeds (e.g. leases). Unfortunately, many estate collections were lost over the years. However, many more are in archives or libraries, or are in private ownership. For details of estate collections in Longford County Library and Archives Services and the whereabouts of others, contact archivist[at]longfordcoco[dot]ie.
  • The archives of the Irish Land Commission, which contain a wealth of documents relating to the break-up of the estates and tenant purchase, are closed to the public.
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

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Population

"DIVISIONS, POPULATION, REPRESENTATION, &c. - The number of baronies comprised in the county are six - namely, Ardagh Granard, Longford Moydow, Rathcline, and Shrule: these are divided into twenty-six parishes. The population of the county, by the census taken in 1841, was, males, 57,610; females, 57,881: total 115,491. The number of houses inhabited, at that period, was 19,195; uninhabited, 600; and houses building, 64. Prior to the Union Longford sent ten representatives to the Irish Parliament; two for the county at large, and two each for the boroughs of Granard, Lanesborough, Longford, and Saint Johnstown; but since that period the two members for the county have been its only representatives - these are Henry White Esq., Seamount, Stillorgan, county of Dublin; and Anthony Lefroy, Esquire, Carrickglass, in this county Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum, Luke White, Esquire, Rathcline, in this county. The town of Longford confers the title of Barony on the family of Pakenham."
[From Pigot's and Slater's Topography of the British Isles reprinted here with permission from Dr David Alan Gatley of the Victorian Census Project.]  
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Probate Records

  • There is an exhaustive description of Ireland Probate Records on Familysearch.
  • Surviving original wills and administrations, and transcripts are in the National Archives of Ireland, Bishop Street, Dublin. From 1858 onwards, annual calendars have been published, which give summary details of the original documents. Sadly, most originals, pre-1904, were destroyed in the Public Record Office fire in 1922. However, the transcripts of many from 1858 onwards survive. The calendars of wills and administrations, 1858-1982, are at http://www.willcalendars.nationalarchives.ie/.