Townlands

The townland is the lowest-level officially-defined geographical unit in Ireland, and dates back to pre-Norman times. Townlands vary in size from 0.5 acres to 7,000 acres, though the average size is probably around 60 acres. In Gaelic times, land was measured in terms of its economic potential, rather than in fixed units, for example by the number of cattle an area of pasture land could support. Townlands therefore tend to be smaller on good, productive land, and larger in upland areas with poor soils.

The earliest references to townlands as a unit are in 11th century pre-Norman legal documents, referring to grants of “bailte” to monasteries. Townlands were first named and their boundaries defined under the English legal system during the process of plantation. The term “townland” is a standardised form, often replacing earlier local terms such as “tate” in Fermanagh, or “ploughland.”

Because they are mostly small divisions of land, and were mapped from the Plantation period onwards, townlands are extremely useful in researching woodland history. For example, the Bodley maps of 1609 show townlands, sometimes with tree symbols, which in some cases can be correlated with woodland on more recent maps. The majority of historical documents are organised by townland, and thus townlands are essential in locating the appropriate record for a wood.

The townland name continues to be an important element in postal addresses in Northern Ireland. In 2001, the Northern Ireland Assembly passed a motion requesting all Government departments to make use of townland addresses in their correspondence and publications. Interestingly, townlands also existed in Scotland but boundaries were generally disregarded and lost during 19th century agricultural improvements, so it is only really in Ireland that this ancient system of land division persists.