townland

The Oxford Companion to Irish History | 2007 | 700+ words | Copyright

townland, a division of land of varying extent. The smallest, of around I acre, is Mill Tenement in Co. Armagh; the largest, of 7,012 acres, is Sheskin in Mayo. There are over 60,000 townlands in Ireland, constituting the smallest recognized administrative division. Their origins are various, relating to ancient clan lands, Anglo‐Norman manors, plantation divisions, or later creations of the Ordnance Survery. Though fromerly bases for the levying of tithes and land valuation, they no longer have any administrative significance. Despite their name, townlands do not necessarily contain urban centres. In Northern Ireland a campaing to preserve townland names in postal addresses has received offical backing.

Neal Garnham

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