The Historical Statistics Recovery (HSR) initiative began in 2022 in the CSO. The purpose of this initiative is to recover and make accessible high value statistics contained in Irish historical statistical publications. The Census of Ireland, 1911 is the first publication in this initiative where a selection of high value tables are being digitised.
This initiative is driven by volunteers and is led by Eimear Crowley (hsr@cso.ie).
The Wealth indicator – Valuation per Person – presented in this release is an indicator only and should not be interpreted as a precise measure of wealth. The numerator ‘Valuation’ only relates to land and buildings and where they are geographically located. It does not include all wealth and does not incorporate where an owner resides. The denominator (population) is also based on where people reside rather than ownership of the land and buildings included in the numerator.
However, it is reasonable to consider that wealth in 1911 primarily consisted of land and buildings that wealthy persons owned land and they resided on that land. Therefore, Valuation per Person while not a direct measure of wealth is a good indicator of wealth in a geographic area.
In 1911, valuations (or a price) for each property in Ireland was recorded to form the basis of local taxes. The concept of valuing each property for local tax purposes began around 1830. Today the valuation archives are a rich and valuable historical/genealogical resource for researchers.
Useful links:
Guide to the archives of the Valuation Office - National Archives
About Valuation Revision Books - nidirect
Archive Research - Valuation Division, Tailte Éireann
Griffith's Valuation - Ask About Ireland
The Census of Ireland, 1911 was conducted throughout the Island of Ireland. The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 formed the basis urban/rural districts and District Electoral Divisions (DEDs) used in the 1911 Census (also for 1901). These geographic units then formed the basis for local government and political representation. The 1911 Census reports also contain tables disaggregated by parish and townland.
Dublin and Belfast city data was merged with respective county data for the county map in this release. The map uses county boundaries as defined today for illustrative purposes. In general, there has been very little change in county boundaries since 1911. Dublin City and Belfast City are reported separately in the online Statistical tables in PxStat.
In 1911, the currency was the pound sterling (£). The pound was made up of shillings (s) and pennies (d) with 20 shillings in a pound and 12 pennies in a shilling.
Land was measured in acres with four roods in an acre and 40 perches in a rood.
Censuses have been taking place for thousands of years all over the world, with the first known census undertaken nearly 6000 years ago by the Babylonians in 3800 BC. There are records to suggest that this census was undertaken every 6 or 7 years and counted the number of people and livestock, as well as quantities of butter, honey, milk, wool and vegetables.
The most famous historic census like exercise in Europe is the Domesday Book which was undertaken by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book has been digitised to preserve its historical value and is available in an accessible way to all.
The Down Survey of Ireland (1656-1658) was undertaken by William Petty with the purpose of transferring land ownership to Cromwellian soldiers and supporters. This census like survey was the first ever detailed land survey on a national scale in the world. The data in this survey has been digitised and is available online.
On the 5th December 1991, Mr Thomas P Linehan, a former director of CSO Ireland, read his paper “History and Development of Irish Censuses” before a meeting of the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland (SSISI). The paper provides a historical record of the Census in Ireland.
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