Background Townland

1 background

1.1 etymology
1.2 historical land divisions , etymology
1.3 size , value
1.4 historical use
1.5 irish ordnance survey , standardisation
1.6 current use

background

map showing townlands of thurles civil parish, county tipperary. townlands of thurles typical, being of varying shapes , sizes irregular borders, , forming patchwork on countryside. townlands have mean area of 64 hectares (160 acres).

in ireland townland smallest administrative division of land, though few large townlands further divided hundreds. concept of townlands based on gaelic system of land division, , first official evidence of existence of gaelic land division system can found in church records before 12th century, in 1600s began mapped , defined english administration purpose of confiscating land , apportioning english investors or planters.

etymology

the term townland in english derived old english word tun, denoting enclosure. term describes smallest unit of land division in ireland, based on various forms of gaelic land division, many of had own names.

the term baile, anglicised bally , dominant element used in irish townland names. today term bally denotes urban settlement, precise meaning in ancient ireland unclear, towns had no place in gaelic social organisation. modern irish term townland baile fearainn (plural: bailte fearainn). term fearainn means land, territory, quarter .

the normans left no major traces in townland names, adapted of them own use, possibly seeing similarity between gaelic baile , norman bailey, both of meant settlement.

historical land divisions , etymology

a road sign in county antrim, northern ireland, noting part of road lies within teeshan townland



a (rare) townland boundary marker in inishowen, county donegal.



townland sign in irish baile na coirce (ballycuirke), moycullen, county galway, gaeltacht townland.

throughout of ulster townlands known ballyboes (irish: baile bó, meaning cow land ), , represented area of pastoral economic value. in county cavan similar units called polls , , in counties fermanagh , monaghan known tates or taths . these names appear of english origin, had become naturalised long before 1600. in modern townland names prefix pol- found throughout western ireland, accepted meaning being hole or hollow . in county cavan, contains on half of townlands in ulster prefix pol-, should better translated poll of ... . modern townlands prefix tat- confined exclusively diocese of clogher, covers counties fermanagh , monaghan, , barony of clogher in county tyrone), , cannot confused other irish word.

in county tyrone following hierarchy of land divisions used: ballybetagh (irish: baile biataigh, meaning victualler s place ), ballyboe , sessiagh (irish: séú cuid, meaning sixth part of quarter), gort , quarter (irish: ceathrú). in county fermanagh divisions ballybetagh , quarter , tate . further subdivisions in fermanagh appear related liquid or grain measures such gallons , pottles , pints .

in ulster ballybetagh territorial unit controlled irish sept, typically containing around 16 townlands. fragmentation of ballybetaghs resulted in units consisting of four, 8 , twelve townlands. 1 of these fragmented units, quarter , representing quarter of ballybetagh, universal land denomination recorded in survey of county donegal conducted in 1608. in 17th century 20 per cent of total area of western ulster under control of church. these termon lands consisted likewise of ballybetaghs , ballyboes, held erenaghs instead of sept leaders.

other units of land division used throughout ireland include:

in county tipperary, capell lands , quatermeers . capell land consisted of around 20 great acres (one great acre equalled 20 english acres).
in province of connacht, quarters , cartrons (irish: ceathrú mír, anglicised carrowmeer ), quarter being reckoned 4 cartrons, , each cartron being 30 acres. quarter has been anglicised carrow , carhoo or caracute (irish: ceathrú cuid).
in county clare, in connacht, quarters , half-quarters (irish: leath-ceathrú), cartrons , sessiagh . here half-quarter equated around 60 acres, cartron equated around 30 acres , sessiagh around 20 acres.

cartrons called ploughlands or seisreagh (irish: seisreach, meaning team of horses yoked plough).

thomas larcom, first director of ordnance survey of ireland, made study of ancient land divisions of ireland , summarised traditional hierarchy of land divisions thus:

10 acres – 1 gneeve; 2 gneeves – 1 sessiagh; 3 sessiaghs – 1 tate or ballyboe; 2 ballyboes – 1 ploughland, seisreagh or carrow; 4 ploughlands – 1 ballybetagh, or townland; 30 ballybetaghs – triocha céad or barony.

this hierarchy not applied uniformly across ireland. example, ballybetagh or townland contain more or less 4 ploughlands. further confusion arises when taken account that, while larcom used general term acres in summary, terms such great acres , large acres , small acres used in records. writing in 1846, larcom remarked large , small acres had no fixed ratio between them, , there various other kinds of acre in use in ireland, including irish acre, english acre, cunningham acre, plantation acre , statute acre. ordnance survey maps used statute acre measurement. quality , situation of land affected size of these acres. cunningham acre given intermediate between irish , english acres.

many of these land division terms have been preserved in names of modern townlands. example, term cartron in both english , irish forms has been preserved in townland names of carrowmeer, cartron , carrowvere, while term sessiagh survives in names shesia, sheshodonell, sheshymore , shessiv. terms ballyboe , ballybetagh tend preserved in truncated form of bally prefix townland names, such ballymacarattybeg near poyntzpass, county down. less well-known land division terms may found in other townland names such coogulla (irish: cuige uladh, ulster fifth ), treanmanagh (irish: train meánach, third middle ) , dehomade (irish: deichiú méid, tenth part ).

a problem term bally in townland names can difficult distinguish between irish terms baile meaning townland , béal átha meaning approach ford . example of latter ballyshannon, county donegal, derived béal Átha seanaidh.

size , value

the average area of townland 325 acres (1.32 km; 132 ha), vary in size. william reeves s 1861 survey states smallest old church yard, near carrickmore, in parish of termonmagurk, county tyrone, @ 0.625 acres (0.253 ha) , largest, @ 7,500 acres (30 km), , fionnán (also called finnaun) in parish of killanin, county galway. in fact, townland of clonskeagh in barony of uppercross (abutting main clonskeagh townland in barony of dublin) 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) although area urbanised, townlands unused , boundaries uncertain.

the ballyboe, townland unit used in ulster, described in 1608 containing 60 acres of arable land, meadow, , pasture. however, misleading, size of townlands under gaelic system varied depending upon quality, situation , economic potential. economic potential varied extent of land required graze cattle land required support several families. highest density of townland units recorded in ulster in 1609 corresponds areas highest land valuations in 1860s.

it seems many moorland areas not divided townlands until recently. these areas formerly shared common summer pasturage people of whole parish or barony .

historical use

until 19th century townlands owned single landlords , occupied multiple tenants. cess, used fund roadworks , other local expenses, charged @ same rate on each townland in barony, regardless of size , productive capacity. thus, occupiers in small or poor townland suffered in comparison of larger or more fertile townlands. reformed griffith s valuation.

irish ordnance survey , standardisation

during 19th century extensive series of maps of ireland created irish division of ordnance survey taxation purposes. these maps both documented , standardised boundaries of more 60,000 townlands in ireland. process involved dividing or amalgamating existing townlands, , defining townland boundaries in areas such mountain or bog had been outside townland system. slight adjustments still made. there 60,679 in 1911, compared 60,462 townlands in 1901.

current use

a typical road-sign in county tyrone, noting part of road passes through townland of cavanreagh

townlands form building blocks higher-level administrative units such parishes , district electoral divisions (in republic of ireland) or wards (in northern ireland).

before 1972 townlands included on rural postal addresses throughout island, in year royal mail decided townland element of address obsolete in northern ireland. townland names not banned, deemed superfluous information , people asked not include them on addresses. replaced house numbers, road names , postcodes. in response townlands campaign emerged protest against changes. described ground-level community effort . taking place in midst of troubles, campaign rare example of unity between catholics , protestants, nationalists , unionists. townlands , names seem have been considered shared resource , heritage . involved in campaign argued that, in many areas, people still identified townlands , gave them sense of belonging. royal mail s changes seen severing of link.

at time county councils government bodies responsible validating change. however, local government undergoing changes, royal mail s decision allowed ... become law default . county fermanagh county in northern ireland managed resist change completely. nevertheless, many newer road signs in parts of northern ireland show townland names (see picture). in 2001 northern ireland assembly passed motion requesting government departments make use of townland addresses in correspondence , publications.

in republic of ireland townlands continue used on addresses. in 2005 department of communications, energy , natural resources announced postcode system introduced (see republic of ireland postal addresses). system, known eircode, introduced in 2014, of 2016 still not used , townlands remain predominant address identifiers in rural areas.

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