Search

Using the Search box

All the records are listed alphabetically by surname, and then by location (or townland).

To find an individual listed in the transcribed Coolattin Records go to Search in the left hand panel. Click on the word ‘Surname’ and begin typing the surname you want to find. As you type, the database will begin suggesting any names with similar spellings that are contained in our lists. (For example, if you are looking for ‘Mulhall’ as you type ‘Mul’ you will be offered Mulhall; Mullary; Mullen etc.) You can select the surname you want from this list. If the database does not offer you any suggested surnames then that name did not appear in the particular records that formed Coolattin Lives. Remember – surnames were often spelt differently in the nineteenth century, and the Land Agent or his clerk could write down an incorrect spelling (e.g. Trainer, Trainor and Traynor could easily lead to the same family or individual) so be optimistic and check out names that are similar to the one you want.

When you select a surname from the list offered, you will be asked to pick from a list of townlands where that surname appears. A townland is a smaller local district, it might be just a few fields with only one or two houses, or it may stretch to hundreds of acres and include many homes. The names of townlands have generally remained unchanged from the nineteenth century to today, but spellings may vary (e.g. the townland of Toberpatrick may also appear as Tubberpatrick).

Select a townland and then click on ‘Search’. The results appear as a pop-up in the centre of the screen showing the records for all people with that surname recorded in that townland. If your search produces large numbers of results (more than 9) use the scroll bar on the right hand side of the results screen to move down through all the results boxes. To understand the details in these results boxes see ‘Results’ below.

A surname can be listed in a large number of townlands, so your search may mean looking through a few townland lists to find the person you want.

Results

Each individual results box gives a transcription of the basic records relating to an individual tenant, or members of a tenant’s family. This includes the forename or ‘given name’, the family surname, the townland where they lived and the year of the particular record. Click on the results box to see any further details.

The Coolattin Estate recorded its tenants for a variety of reasons, sometimes simply to list who and where all the tenants were (as in the ‘Maps of Cashaw Estate’ compiled in 1841- 1842, and ‘Tenant Lists’ compiled in 1868). These two sets of records show only the name of the head of the household and the townland location. For the tenants listed on the 1841- 42 maps of the estate you can view images of the original documents. Where the ‘image’ icon [insert example of image icon here] appears in a results box you can click on the box to view the original page from the estate record books. Zoom in using the + and – symbols to the bottom right of the document screen to search for your chosen surname. To understand the headings and terms used on this printed lists see the Glossary below.

Land Measurement

Land was measured in acres, roods and perches (abbreviated as ‘a : r : p’); there were four roods in an acre, and forty perches in a rood. In the Coolattin Lives records the measurements are given in both Irish and English Acres. An Irish Acres is larger, the equivalent of 1.62 statute (English) acres in use today. An Irish Acre is equal to 7840 square yards and approximately 0.66 of a metric Hectare.

Other ledgers recorded those tenants who failed to pay their rent and were threated with eviction (‘Ejectment Books’, compiled between 1845 and 1860). These records may contain the dates of court hearings, whether the tenant settled the outstanding amount and – if they had not paid up the ledgers show the instruction to evict. Frequently these are short entries, often only a single word, but they help us to build up a picture of that tenant family’s experience.

The most detailed records relate to tenants who were selected for the assisted migration scheme (‘Emigration Records’, 1847-1856). These records list all the members of a household, their age and relationship to the head of the household (usually - but not always - the father). The amount of land rented from the landlord (their holding) and any additional notes, often noting if they will bring a trunk on board ship. The Emigration Details record the date of departure, the port of embarkation in Ireland and the name of the ship which carried them to Canada. Finally, the date and port of disembarkation are shown.

Browse by Surname

Click on ‘Browse by Surname’ to see a list of all surnames in the database, arranged alphabetically. Select any surname to view the results box containing the details recorded for that tenant.

Browse by Townland

Click on ‘Browse by Townland’ to see a list of all townlands names in the Coolattin Lives records. Select a townland to see all tenants recorded in that location across all four sets of records books. Where a townland name has a place locator you can click on the locator to jump to that location on the map.

Browse by map

Click + drag the map to find a location. Clicking on any place locator symbol will bring up the details for all tenants listed in that location. Move the cursor across a place locator to see the name of the that townland. The place locators turn from light to dark as you click on them, so you can see which townlands you have already viewed.

Historic Map layer

The map shown is the modern digital map of County Wicklow. By using the historic map layer tool you can view the same location on the Ordnance Survey map from the early 1840s. The place locators behave in the same way on the historic map layer.

Word or Abbreviation	Explanation
‘a. r. p.’	Acres, Roods and Perches - measurements of land with Acres being the largest unit and perches the smallest.
1795 / 1808 / 1840 etc.	This appears to be the date that the tenant or their family first began renting this landholding.
Acre /Acres Irish - English	Land was measured in acres, roods and perches (abbreviated as ‘a : r : p’); there were four roods in an acre, and forty perches in a rood. E.g. an area of land shown as '5. 3. 34' = 5 acres, 3 roods and 34 perches. One Irish acre was equal to 1.62 English (or Imperial) acres. Unless stated otherwise, all acres in Coolattinlives are Irish acres.
Age	Individuals did not always know their correct age and 'rounding up' to the nearest 5 or 10 years was not uncommon.
als.	Alias, or 'also know as'
America	Could refer to North America, including Canada, in general in this period.
Arrears	The amount of unpaid rent owed, usually over a longer period of time. Values are shown in Pounds Sterling (£) which was the currency of the time. You can convert this to a modern-day equivalent on: www.measuringworth.com
Arrival	The name of the port of arrival in Canada, and in some cases the date the ship docked.
Assize Court	A local court which passed judgment on a range of legal matters such as evictions and disputes over landholding.
Cabin	A small cottage, typically with a thatch, windows and a door. However, the quality of cottages in rural Ireland at this time could range from humble to squalid.
Cabin to come down.	The cabin will be torn down after the family have emigrated.
Chest	Luggage chest to be brought on board ship to Canada.
Chief tenant	Many families rented land directly from the landwoner Earl Fitzwilliam, but often their immediate landlord was a neighbour (a Chief tenant) who rented a larger area of land from the owner and and then sublet smaller parcels to under-tenants.
Collop	An area of land on which multiple tenants shared grazing or turf-cutting rights. On the Coolattin Estate common land was usually poorer quality, boggy or mountainous land used for grazing sheep.
Comments	Additional notes made at the time the original record was created. It is not possible to establish a clear meaning for some of these entries.
Common	An area of land on which multiple tenants shared grazing or turf-cutting rights. On the Coolattin Estate common land was usually poorer quality, boggy or mountainous land used for grazing sheep.
Costs	Legal costs arising from the landlord's efforts to obtain overdue rent.
Court Session	This is the month or season in which the courst case took place.
Daughters	The number of daughters living with the Head of the Household
Decree	A legal order made by the court allowing the landlord to evict a tenant for specific reasons.
Defer/Deferred	The landlord has decided to postpone the legal proceedings, possibly because the tenant has paid some or all of the rent due.
Delapidation	A breach in the terms of the lease where the tenant has not kept the property in good repair.
Demand of possession	Eviction
Departure	The name of the emigrant ship, and in some cases the date of departure, from New Ross, Co. Wexford.
Did not go	The tenant decided not to take the offer of assisted migration on this occasion.
Do.	Abbreviation for 'Ditto' in list, meaning 'the same as above'.
Duplicate ticket	This appears to record the land agent issuing a replacement (duplicate) ticket if the first one was misplaced.
Earl Fitzwilliam	The landowner in ultimate control of the Coolattin Estate. Charles William Wentworth Fitzwilliam, 5th Earl Fitzwilliam, inherited the title in 1833. When he died in 1857 - during the period of our records - his son William Thomas Spencer Wentworth-FitzWilliam became the sixth earl.
Ejectment	A legal process for removing a tenant in possession of land but who has not paid rent, or whose lease has expired. An Ejectment is necessary before a tenant can be evicted. A tenant receiving an Ejectment order might pay the overdue rent or arrange a new lease, thus avoiding eviction.
Estate	Earl Fitzwilliam had a number of estates in south County Wicklow; Cashaw, Coolattin and Shillelagh. Tenant records from all three are shown in this database.
Exors.	Abbreviation for 'Executors' (sometimes described as 'Representatives') - When a tenant died, the executors were the person or people responsible for handling their will or other legal affairs. Executors were usually the next-of-kin of the deceased.
Fields	A tenant could rent one or more fields which combined to form his or her 'holding' - the total amount of land rented. Fields could be any size from under 1 acre to hundreds of acres.
Forename	Forenames may not be spelled in a standard way, abbreviations and nicknames were common e.g. Pat for Patrick and 'Molly' for Mary.
Gave case to Mr Goodisson	The land agent gave the legal case to Lord Fitzwilliam's legal advisor.
Goodisson, Mr	Lord Fitzwilliam's legal advisor.
Grazing	The tenant has sold the grazing rights on the land to someone else, possibly without the landlords' permission.
Head Age	The age of the Head of the Household
Holdings	This is the entire amount of land which a tenant held within one townland, measured in acres, roods and perches (A.r.p). A tenant may rent a number of fields of different sizes, these combined to form his or her holding. Remember - tenants may have holdings in a number of townlands.
House	A dwelling probably larger than a simple cottage.
House Lot.	A small plot of land big enough to contain a house or cabin, often with enough room for a vegetable garden.
Household	A list of those people living in a given dwelling. Members of the extended family, servants and others counted as part of the household. The 'Head of the Household' is the first name listed.
Joint tenant /Jointly with	Two or more tenants could combine their money to pay the rent on a piece of land, they would then share the work and any income from it.
Junr	Junior
Kitchen Garden	A small aread (perhaps a quarter of an acre) immediately surrounding the cabin, where the tenant grew potatoes and other vegetables for family use.
Late	Previously. E.g. 'late Ellis' means that this land was previously rented by a tenant named Ellis.
Legal Action	Any of the legal steps used to obtain overdue rent, or to have a non-paying tenant evicted. The landlord issued a 'Notice to Quit', if the overdue rent was not paid an 'Ejectment Notice' followed which could result in evicton.
Letting	The tenant may have been renting out part or all of his land to an undertenant, possibly without the landlord's permission.
Lodger	A paying guest living in the cabin or house.
Michaelmas	September 29th: In the religious calendar this is the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel. In business it was a 'quarter day' - the start of the final quarter of the year and commonly the date when rents were paid, and court sessions were held.
Mountain grazing rules	A document signed by a tenant agreeing to abide by the landlord's rules for putting livestock (typically sheep) out to graze on the mountainside.
Mountain in Common	See 'Common' above
MS	Manuscript - any handwritten (as opposed to printed) document.
MS22019-22021	Estate maps with lists of tenants in each townland (1841-42) in the Coolattin Estate. These record the names of Chief Tenants who rented smaller plots out to Undertenants, and they measure the amount of land held in acres, roods and perches.
MS3996-9	The Tenants of Coollattin Estate 1868', four volumes in Fitzwilliam Estate Papers at the National Library of Ireland. They are a survey of tenants living on the Fitzwilliam Estate, Coollattin, Co Wicklow, Ireland in April 1868. To see this collection in isolation visit Ann Hanley's careful transcription at: www.printset.ie
MS4972	Ejectment Books for the Fitzwilliam Estate (1845-1860). Technically, Ejectment was a different from Eviction, but the results were the same. Having first served a Notice to Quit, the landlord then pursued an Ejectment in court to remove a tenant for non payment of rent or for remaining in possession beyond the end of a lease.
MS4974-4975	Emigration books in respect of the estate of the Earl FitzWilliam in county Wicklow, giving particulars of families due to emigrate, 1847-1856.' These record the name and age of each individual, their relationship to the head of the household the location of their home. Often they also show the date and port of departure from Ireland and arrival in Canada, and the name of the ship. Some entries record details of the landholding and what was to happen to the cabin after the family emigrated. If a family took a luggage chest with them this is also recorded. To see this collection in isolation visit Jim Rees's detailed transcription at: www.countywicklowheritage.org
MS4992	Ejectment Books for the Fitzwilliam Estate (1861-1886). Technically, Ejectment was a different from Eviction, but the results were the same. Having first served a Notice to Quit, the landlord then pursued an Ejectment in court to remove a tenant for non payment of rent or for remaining in possession beyond the end of a lease.
Name of Ship	The emigrant ship bound for Canada.
New arrangements	The landlord and tenant have entered into a new lease or have sent a new rent. This suggests that the tenant is not in danger of eviction, provided they keep to the terms of the new arrangement.
NLI Reference	This is the reference number for the original record in the National Library of Ireland
Non payment	Nonpayment of rent. The tenant has missed one or more rent payments and the landlord may begin legal proceedings.
Not to be sent	This tenant's fare to Canada is not to be paid.
Notes	The land agent's notes or comment on the quality of the cabin, or on the tenant's character or behaviour. It is not always possible to decipher or interpret these notes. Notes in [square brackets] are observations made by the transcriber when copying the entry into the database.
Notice to Quit	A legal document in which the landlord notifies the tenant that a lease has expired. If a Notice to Quit is not issued the lease may continue on indifinitely until the landlord service a Notice. A tenant remaining in possession, and continuing to pay rent, after the ending of a lease is said to be Overholding. A tenant receiving a Notice to Quit might pay the overdue rent or arrange a new lease, thus avoiding eviction.
Occupation	The job or source of income of the tenant (head of household only).
Other Males / Females	Additional members of the household who were neither family members or servants.
Overholding	A tenant remaining possession of a property beyond the end of the lease, but continuing to pay rent, is said to be Overholding.
Parish	This is the Church of Ireland (Anglican) parish, which was an official district usually encompassing a number of townlands. The Roman Catholic parish may have the same name but may not cover precisely the same area.
Perch	The smallest measurement of land. Land was measured in acres, roods and perches (abbreviated as ‘a : r : p’); there were four roods in an acre, and forty perches in a rood.
Poor House	A smaller measurement of land. Land was measured in acres, roods and perches (abbreviated as ‘a : r : p’); there were four roods in an acre, and forty perches in a rood.
Postponed	The legal action, whether Notice to Quit or Eviction, has been postponed, possible because the tenant paid the rent or they made an arrangement with the Land Agent.
Query	This seems to be a note from the agent to check some fact relating to the tenant in question.
R.C.	The intials of Robert Chaloner, Lord Fitzwilliam's land agent who managed the estate for much of this period.
Rejected	The tenant's application for assisted migration to Canada has been rejected by the Lord Fotzwilliam or his land agent.
Relationship	The relationship with the Head of the Household, e.g. brother; daughter; son-in-law; grand-daughter etc.
Relative	Family member.
Rent Owed	The amount of unpaid rent owed to the landlord. Values are shown in Pounds Sterling (£) which was the currency of the time. You can conver this to a modern-day equivalent on: https://www.measuringworth.com/
Rent paid	The tenant has paid the arrears of rent due and is no longer under threat of eviction.
Repts.	Abbreviation for 'Representatives of (sometimes described as Executors or Exors.) When a tenant died, therepresentatives or executors were the person or people responsible for handling their will or other legal affairs. They were usually the next-of-kin of the deceased.
Rood	A smaller measurement of land. Land was measured in acres, roods and perches (abbreviated as ‘a : r : p’); there were four roods in an acre, and forty perches in a rood.
Selling hay	The tenant has sold the hay harvested from the land without the landlord's permission.
Servants	The number of servants living in the household. This was typically a domestic maid who worked in the house and helped with certain duties on the farm.
Settled	The tenant has paid the arrears of rent due and is no longer under threat of eviction.
Ship	The emigrant ship bound for Canada.
Snr	Senior
Sons	The number of sons living with the Head of the Household
Surname	Surnames may not be spelled in a standard way e.g. O'Brien, O'Bryan and Brien may all refer to the same family.
Tenant	A person renting land from the landowner, or from another tenant.
Townland	A district, usually rural. Some townlands might be small with one or two families, others might be far larger with many inhabitants.
Underletting	The tenant may have been renting out part or all of his land to an undertenant, possibly without the landlord's permission.
Undertenant	A tenant who rents land from a Chief tenant rather than directly from Earl Fitzwilliam, the landowner. Usually an Undertenant was the lowest on the economic ladder, renting smaller holdings from neighbouring Chief tenant. In the complicated world of nineteenth-century Irish landholding, however, the same individual could be a tenant, a Chief Tenant and an Undertenant at the same time. An individual might hold some land as an Undertenant from a neighbour, and also rent another piece of land directly from the landowner Earl Fitzwilliam. If they sublet a portion of the Fitzwilliam rental to another smaller tenant - they then became a Chief tenant to that smaller tenant.
Viz.	Abbreviation for the Latin term 'videlicet' meaning 'that is to say' or 'namely', e.g. A tenant listed as 'Samuel Slater's Exors. viz Mat Slater' = 'Samuel Slater's executor, namely Mat Slater'.
Won't go	The tenant has declined the offer of assisted migration to Canada.
Year	This is the year in which the original record was created.
Month	The month in which the original record was created.