Landlords of the Parish

A Tithe was a tax on all agricultural land except for Church lands, Glebes and Urban areas. It was originally calculated at one tenth of the produce and was paid by all leaseholders and occupiers, regardless of religious denomination to the clergy of the Established Church of Ireland. Thus, all agricultural land across the country was required to be surveyed and applotted (valued). During the period 1823 to 1837, a Tithe Applotment Survey was made in each civil parish throughout Ireland to determine the value of tithes payable by different landholders. Two people were appointed in each parish to carry out this assessment. The material was arranged by civil parish and townland in volumes known as TITHE APPLOTMENT BOOKS - the results for each parish can be sourced on-line.

From these records we have procured the landlords for each townland and have reproduced them below. You will note we were overwhelming ruled by Absentee Landlords with only Jones (Benada), Robinson (Cloonbarry), Simpson (Corray) and Taaffe (Gleneask) resident in the parish.

Estate land was held in freehold or outright ownership by the landlord and then rented or leased in small or large parcels to tenants. Many tenants were also landlords, subletting to smaller landholders. Frequently a tenant would hold a lease for 21 years or for 3 lives mentioned on a lease, on the otherhand some agreements were for less and often only secured on a year-by-year basis. Sometimes unwritten arrangements were not uncommon, moreover longer leases of 99 years were extremely rare except if the tenant family was related to the Landlord.

Invariably where the landlord resided elsewhere, a land agent was appointed to carry out the day to day management of the estate. This would have entailed the setting of rents, collection of rents and arrears, and ensuring that tenants carried out the stipulations made in their leases such as the growing of certain

crops, the planting of trees or other improvements. The eviction of tenants for non-payment of rent was not altogether uncommon in the parish and often these Agents had little sympathy for the poor unfortunates who were cast from their properties.

Invariably, tenants in this district had little protection from unscrupulous landlords or agents unlike their English compatriots who held long leases and thus had security of tenure.