In 1826 a law was passed that allowed for a uniform valuation of property in all of Ireland. This meant that the same rules would be used all around the country to decide the value of property so that Grand Jury taxes and rates could be calculated and charged.
In 1848 the Valuation Office was set up to decide the valuation of property around the country. Richard Griffith oversaw the first all-Ireland valuation of property. The General Valuation is based on Griffith's Valuation or the Tenement Valuation. Debtor's Management in Donegal County Council now manage valuations at local level.
Archival History ↴
The collection was held in the old courthouse in Lifford prior to being accessioned by Donegal County Archives in 2001.
Immediate Source Acquisition ↴
Official Transfer
Content & Structure
Scope & Content: Valuation Office ↴
Each volume in this collection represents a district electoral area. Each volume is subdivided into townlands; entries give the name of the head of each household; details of reference to map; names of occupiers/lessors; description of tenement; and observations. The volumes include a townland index at the front with the corresponding page number. Each plot of land is listed, described and valued. Details include plot number, names of occupiers and landowners, description of tenement, acreage of land and buildings and value of land and buildings.
The value of the property was updated on a yearly bases and as a result of this corrections were made to the valuation books, these were normally in a different colour of ink with the year of the revision marked in. These books were then cancelled when no further amendments could be clearly made, hence the term commonly used term – ‘cancelled books’.
Appraisal Destruction ↴
Permanent Retention
Accruals ↴
Further accruals expected, probably electronically.
Arrangement ↴
Arranged by townland alphabetically.
Conditions of Access & Use
Access Conditions
Full access.
Conditions Governing Reproduction
Photocopying of bound volumes not permitted. Digitisation of archives permitted under certain circumstances.
Creation Dates
1874-1990
Extent Medium
345 registers
Material Language Script
English
Allied Materials
Originals Information
Held at Donegal Archives.
Copies Information
Not photocopied.
Descriptive Control Area
Archivist Note
Niamh Brennan
Rules/Conventions
ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottawa: International Council on Archives, 2000.
