Irish Flax Grower's List, 1796 International Land Records

Shortage of Records

In Irish family history research the chief records relate to the nineteenth century, while sources for the eighteenth century are fewer and much less comprehensive. Given that upwards of 70 million people worldwide proclaim some degree of Irish ancestry, it is indeed ironic that discovering the path to their roots is so fraught with difficulties.

The principal difficulty is the dearth of records for the period prior to the 19th century. In large part this is attributable to Ireland's tortuous history wherein warfare, dispossession and eviction have contrived to frustrate the keeping of comprehensive records. Whereas England enjoyed relative civil calm from the end of the 15th century, Ireland experienced long periods of widespread disruption for centuries thereafter. Sadly, even in the 20th century Ireland's repository of genealogical records has not been safe from warfare. During the Great War of 1914-18, most of the census returns for 1871, 1881 and 1891 were pulped for the 'war-effort', while in the Irish Civil War of 1922 even older records were destroyed in a huge fire resulting from the conflict.

Beginning of Recordkeeping

The Normans brought the practice of keeping civil and church records to Britain, a practice that did not translate easily or quickly to Ireland where record-keeping remained an oral tradition in the custody of bards and brehons. After the final conquest of Gaelic Ireland with the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century the Anglo-Norman system of civil and church administration was generally adopted, together with its concomitant apportionment of the country into counties, parishes and baronies. The Established Church (Church of Ireland) and civil administration systems were, as a rule, identical, reflecting the close identification between the two.

Catholic Records

The Catholic Church, however, was effectively dispossessed and laws were passed to curtail its influence. In a sense, Catholicism was subversive from the mid-17th century until Catholic Emancipation in 1829, when the modern Catholic parish system began to be organized. From a family history viewpoint, this means that Catholic records of baptism, marriage and death do not go back as far as, and are less inclusive, than those of the Established Church. Few Catholic records pre-date 1800, whereas many Church of Ireland records reach back for almost another century.

18th Century Records

The 18th century, by and large, is not a fertile period in terms of good genealogical records that cover births, marriages and deaths. However, researchers can consult a variety of land records and miscellaneous lists including partial censuses, muster rolls, freeholder surveys and estate records. Such lists were usually connected with land rights and military service, so reflecting the state's concern to ensure that power remained within the ambit of the Protestant/Establishment classes. One such, drawn up in 1796, was the Spinning-Wheel Premium Entitlement List, more commonly known as the Flax Growers Bounty List, or simply the Flax Growers List.

Importance of Flax in 18th Century Ireland

During the 18th century Ireland, and in particular Ulster, established a reputation as a producer of fine linen. The economic implications were extremely important in that both agriculture and industry benefited. The climate and soil of Ireland were well suited to growing flax, the raw material for linen, so farmers and landowners naturally turned to the crop. Processing the flax through various stages on its way to linen - scutching, spinning, bleaching, beetling and weaving - provided work for many thousands in mill-towns across the country, and so linen became a major industry as well. At various times the government introduced special incentives to encourage the production of linen, usually in the form of spinning-wheels and looms.

The Flax Growers Bounty List

In 1796 the Irish Linen Board published a list of almost 60,000 individuals who had received awards for planting a specified acreage of flax. Those who planted one acre were awarded 4 spinning-wheels, and those growing 5 acres were awarded a loom. The two counties with the highest number of awards were Donegal and Tyrone. The Flax Growers List is arranged by civil parish in each county except for Dublin and Wicklow, which were not included in the list. (In a few instances, the barony is listed instead of the parish.) While there is no indication of townland, this is still an extremely useful record source that goes back over thirty years earlier than the commencement of Tithe Applotment Books. Anyone researching their Irish ancestry will be able to pinpoint a forebear living in a particular parish at the end of the 18th century.

More About this Data Set

You will find the following information about an individual indexed:

Name — In some records, you will find three question marks in place of the given name or surname. This indicates that the name was not listed on the original record. You may also find question marks in place of missing letters. A question mark after a name indicates that the name spelling was unclear.

County — This was the county in which the individual grew flax. A collection of baronies, from five in Co. Leitrim to twenty-two in Co. Cork, make up a county. Please note that Dublin and Wicklow counties were not included in the list.