Tithe Defaulters Lists: Do They Hold Clues For You? By Sherry Irvine, MSC CG FSA Scot

Origins recently added the 1831 Tithe Defaulters Database to their Irish resources. These records have an interesting past, generated by the determination of many not to pay tithes for the support of the Church of Ireland. For more than a hundred years the forced payment of these tithes had been a serious issue for Irish Catholics, and after Catholic emancipation in 1829 it was a focal point of discontent.

The authorities seized goods and property from people who defaulted and some of those not wanting to pay went to extremes, burning property and committing robbery and murder. It took until 1838 to bring the "tithe wars" to an end.

When tithes were not paid there was less, and in some cases, no income for ministers of the Church of Ireland. The ministers had to make a determined effort to collect tithes and only then could they apply for help. Their applications had to describe how they had tried collect tithes and include a list of the names of those refusing to pay.

Contents of the Database
The Tithe Defaulters database contains almost exactly 29,000 names from 232 parishes in twelve counties. Almost 20,000 of these names are from two counties; about 10,000 each from Kilkenny and Tipperary. There are nearly 3000 names from Wexford and about 2000 each from Cork and Waterford. Seven other counties have fewer names; Kerry, Meath and Offaly have just two or three dozen.

For each entry you learn the details listed below, and sometimes more. The items marked with * appear in the list of results to your search in this Origins database. For any name of interest you can choose to see the details of the minister's statement and the list of all defaulters named, which could be a way that helps you spot other family members.

Facts in Defaulters' Lists: Kilkenny and Tipperary Researchers Take Note
If your research involves these two counties you have a better chance than anyone of finding valuable data among the lists of tithe defaulters because there are so many entries.

Those of you researching in County Tipperary already know that access to Roman Catholic Church records is difficult. They are not open to view in the National Library of Ireland in Dublin. Kilkenny researchers are more fortunate. Catholic records are more accessible and for a few parishes there are some mid-nineteenth century census fragments available. In other words, results from this database may correspond to information in other records and help you identify ancestors.

Both counties suffered in the famine and large numbers of people emigrated. Perhaps your Irish ancestor, of unknown origin, was among them. The population of Kilkenny in 1841 was 202,400, and in 1861 it was 124,500. It is estimated that 27,000 died during the famine. For Tipperary it was much worse. The pre-famine population was over 435,000 and nearly 70,000 died. Post-famine the rural population plummeted by roughly 60 percent. Nearly 200,000 left Tipperary in the second half of the 1800s.

Those with research in Tipperary and Kilkenny have good reason to check the lists of tithe defaulters: to look for evidence that is hard to find or does not exist elsewhere; to find evidence that can be used with other records; and, to look for emigrants.

Look at Your Research
Anyone who suspects their Irish ancestors came out of south central Ireland during or before the years of the famine should search this database with care. Anyone who knows they have Tipperary or Kilkenny connections should also search it. Some fortunate genealogists among you know the name of the parish of origin - if you are one of them check the county and parish lists of this database and take a close look if any of the places match or lie close to your ancestors' places of origin.

This particular database offers some valuable lessons for everyone. You need to know the details of database contents, particularly what places and time periods are contained in them. You need to know whether your own research faces problems because records are either missing or inaccessible, and you should relate these details, and the story behind the record, to your own research.

See also: About The 1831 Tithe Defaulters


Sherry Irvine, who lives in Courtenay, British Columbia, is an internationally known speaker and writer. She is the Course Director for Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd. She is author of Your English Ancestry and Scottish Ancestry: Research Methods for Family Historians. Her activities in 2007 include lectures at the Society of Genealogists in London, and a seminar course on British migration in Salt Lake City for the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History. She is a past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists.