Ireland Landed Estate Court Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, Family Search makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record Custodians. The Ireland Landed Estate Court Records collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you.

Record Description
During the 1840s, Ireland suffered a massive famine. Many tenants died, and others emigrated, hoping to find relief. As a result, landlords lost their major source of income, and their estates went into debt, culminating in a high number of foreclosures. It is estimated that between the years 1850 and 1858 around 8,000 estate foreclosures were handled.

In 1849, an act was passed which established the Encumbered Estates Court. This court handled the sale and accounting of bankrupted estates. In 1858, the Landed Estates Court was established. This court handled both unencumbered and encumbered estates.

These records were created to provide a detailed accounting of bankrupted estate sales. These records are generally reliable.

This collection covers records for the years 1850 to 1885.

These records consist of maps, which are hand-drawn, and tenant lists which are typed on preprinted forms. The records are divided by county and lot.

Record Content
Lot map records may contain the following information:


 * Estate owner and title
 * Parish
 * County
 * Surveyor’s name and address
 * Ordinance sheet number

Tenant list records may contain the following information:


 * Tenant’s full name
 * Number on the map
 * Quantity of land
 * Irish plantation rents
 * Annual rent
 * Gale days (the day on which rent is due)

How to Use the Records
To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of ancestor
 * Last residence

Search the Collection
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
Use these records to establish a place of residence. The residence could lead you to other records such as tax records (which help to establish a length of residence) and church, emigration or probate records (which may include names and information on other family members.) These records sometimes list female tenants, which may indicate that the husband is deceased.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Web Sites

 * Ireland National Archives
 * Irish Genealogy Toolkit: Landed Estates
 * Etate Records Listings

Related Wiki Articles

 * Ireland Court Records
 * Ireland Maps
 * Ireland History

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collection. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.