Ireland Landed Estate Court Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

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.

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.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
The lot maps include the following information:


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

The tenant lists include 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 search the collection using the index: 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 compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

Browse the Collection: To browse the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "DGS" category which takes you to the images.

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.

Related Web Sites

 * Ireland National Archives

Related Wiki Articles

 * Ireland Court Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Argentina, Buenos Aires, Catholic Church Records, 1635-1981,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 28 February, 2012), La Plata &gt; San Ponciano &gt; Matrimonios 1884-1886 &gt; image 71 of 389 images, Artemio Avendano and Clementina Peralta, 1884; citing Parroquia de San Ponciano en la Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Matrimonios. San Ponciano, La Plata, Buenos Aires.