My next Researching Irish Land Records course, taught on behalf of
Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd, starts on Monday 10th November 2025, and
lasts for five weeks. Here are the details:
Researching Irish Land Records
The issue of land
ownership was a potent question in Ireland for centuries. In the 17th
century vast swathes of land was settled by Protestant British colonists
during the Plantations of Ulster, drawn mostly from Scotland, whilst
the subsequent Cromwellian conquest led to mass confiscation of land
across Ireland, to be conveyed to English soldiers and 'adventurers'.
The Penal Laws had soon dispossessed the native Irish Catholic
population of many rights, including land ownership and inheritance
rights. At the same time, the first national land valuation survey in
the world was carried out, and an elaborate system of land
administration imposed. In the 19th century, Ireland's incorporation
into the United Kingdom was followed by great tragedy with the Famine,
but in its aftermath a new opportunity arose following the Land War to
radically alter rental provisions and then to redistribute land away
from an absentee landlord class.
Following on from the
Progressing Your Irish Research Online course*, this course will look at
the various types of records that can help with land research in
Ireland from the period of the 17th century to the present day. It will
examine the various forms of land tenure that existed, the records of
ownership and rental, the valuation and conveyance of property, maps,
and many other resources. Importantly it will show how to find the most
useful land records, and how to use them for your family history
research.
* Although not compulsory, it is recommended that
students will have first completed the Progressing Your Irish Research
Online course.
Lesson Headings:
- The Basics of Irish Land Research
- Colonialism and Conquest
- Managing the Land
- Valuation and Conveyance
- The Land War and Redistribution
Relevant countries: Ireland
What to expect:
Each
lesson includes lesson notes, activities and forum exercises for
students to complete during the week and a one-hour live tutorial (text
chat or Zoom) with the tutor and the rest of the class. Times for the
tutorials are set at the beginning of each course by the tutor.
Tutor: Chris Paton
Length: 5 weeks
Start date: Monday 10 November 2025
Cost: £70
Feedback from previous students:
“I really liked how each lesson
showed why it's important to understand and use different types of
records. It helped me see how one record leads to the next, making it
easier to trace family history. Land records, in particular, can be
tricky, but this course gave me a much better understanding of how
and why they were made, which is key to interpreting them.”
“The content was excellent. The
instructor provided good contextual information for the suggested
links and readings. I learned about resources I might never have
discovered easily.”
“I enjoyed learning about new
approaches to Irish land record research that were either unknown or
forgotten to me.”
“The course notes were amazing and
Chris is a very knowledgeable tutor.”
To register, please visit https://www.pharostutors.com/researching-irish-land-records
Chris
Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.
