Difference between revisions 120893544 and 120893546 on dewiki

[[Image:Teeshanrd.jpg|thumb|250px|A road-sign in [[County Antrim]], noting that this part of the road lies within Teeshan townland]]
[[File:Townland boundary marker - geograph.org.uk - 108106.jpg|thumb|A (rare) townland boundary marker]]
A '''towunland''' or '''bally''' is a small geographical division of land used in [[Ireland]]. The townland system is of [[Gaelic Ireland|Gaelic]] origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the [[Norman invasion of Ireland|Norman invasion]] and most have names derived from the [[Irish language]].<ref name="Barry114">{{cite book |title=A history of settlement in Ireland |last=Barry |first=Terry |year=2000 |publisher=Routledge |page=114 |chapter=Rurallering settlement in medieval Ireland |quote=She argued that Ireland’s town  land system, which pre-dated the Anglo-Norman conquest, worked against the creation of sizeable nucleated settlements.}}</ref><ref name="Colfer29">{{cite book |title=The Hook Peninsula |last=Colfer |first=Billy |year=2004 |publisher=Cork University Press |page=29 |chapter=Prehistoric and early Christian landscapes |quote=The townland network provides the most pervasive landscape survival from the Gaelic era. Most townlands, many retaining their Gaelic names, are believed to predate the arrival of the Anglo-Normans.}}</ref><ref name="Graham149">{{cite book |title=A companion to Britain in the later Middle Ages |last=Graham |first=Brian |year=2003 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |page=149 |chapter=Ireland: Economy and Society |quote=The manor was the basic unit of settlement throughout the Anglo-Norman colony. Anngret Simms and others have argued that the constraint of the pre-existing Gaelic-Irish network of townlands (the basic subdivision of land in Ireland, a townland was originally the holding of an extended family) pre-empted the formation of large villages on the Anglo-Norman manors of Ireland.}}</ref><ref name="Surveying">{{cite book |title=Surveying Ireland’s Past |first1=Howard |last1=Clarke |first2=Jacinta |last2=Prunty |first3=Mark |last3=Hennessy |year=2004 |publisher=Geography Publications |page=113 |chapter= |quote=It is clear that the Gaelic townland system of territorial organisation exerted a powerful centripetal force on the evolving settlement pattern.}}</ref><ref name="Canny89">{{cite book |title=Kingdom and Colony: Ireland in the Atlantic world, 1560-1800 |last=Canny |first=Nicholas |year=1988 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |page=89 |chapter= |quote=The original Gaelic townland divisions were still in use in 1660 as boundaries for the several tenancies on the estate}}</ref> However, some townland names and boundaries derive from [[Hiberno-Norman|Norman]] [[manor]]s, [[Plantations of Ireland|plantation]] divisions, or later creations of the [[Ordnance Survey Ireland|Ordnance Survey]].<ref name="Connolly2002p577">Connolly, S. J., ''Oxford Companion to Irish History, page 577. Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN 978-0-19-923483-7''</ref><ref name="Maxwell2009pg16">Maxwell, Ian, ''How to trace your Irish ancestorsover it in pencil'', page 16. howtobooks, 2009. ISBN 978-1-84528-375-9</ref> There are currently 61,402 named townlands in Ireland, covering the whole island.<ref>[http://www.logainm.ie/ Placenames Database of Ireland / Bunachar Logainmneacha na hÉireann]</ref> The term was at one time also used in [[Scotland]]. 

==Etymology==
In Gaelic times, the Irish name for (what we now know as) townlands would have changed as one travelled through the island. The [[English language|English]] term ''townland'' was later adopted as a standard name to replace the various local forms.

One of the commonest names used in Irish was ''[[wikt:baile|baile]]'' (plural ''bailte''); a general term for "homestead" or "settlement". The modern official term for ''townland'' in Irish is ''baile fearainn'' (plural ''bailte fearainn''). The term ''fearann'' means "land, territory, quarter" — from a Proto-Indo-European root *''wer-'' which is also related to the English word ''ware'', a valuable commodity. ''Baile'' is usually anglicised as ''bally'' (for example in [[Ballymena]]) and ''Fearann'' as ''farran'' (for example in [[Farranfore]]). Although not its original meaning, ''baile'' was later adopted as the Irish term for "town".

The [[Scottish Gaelic]] form is ''baile'' (plural ''bailtean''), while the [[Manx language|Manx]] form is ''balley'' (plural ''baljyn'').

==Townlands in Ireland==
===Size===
In Ireland, a townland is the smallest officially-defined geographical division of land, smaller than a [[parish]], [[barony (Ireland)|barony]] and [[county]]. Townlands vary in size from the smallest, of less than an acre (Old Church Yard, parish of Termonmaguirk, [[County Tyrone]]), up to {{convert|7012|acre|km2}} or 28.3&nbsp;km² (Sheskin, parish of Kilcommon, [[County Mayo]]).<ref name="Connolly2002p577"/> Typically 200 to {{convert|400|acre|km2}} is a reasonable average.<ref>[http://www.bob-sinton.com/townlands.php List of Ulster townlands, and note on size]</ref>

The reason for this great variation in size is because townlands were based on the fertility of the land; hence an area of very fertile land will have smaller townlands than an area with little fertile land.<ref name="Evans">{{cite book |title=Irish Folk Ways |last=Evans |first=E Estyn |year=2000 |publisher=Courier Dover Publications |pages=28–29 |chapter=Bally and Booley |quote=Their size varies considerably, since they were based on the fertility of the land rather than its acreage, and it seems that many moorland tracts were not divided until fairly recent times, for they were formerly shared as a common summer pasturage by the people of a whole parish or barony.}}</ref> It seems that many [[moorland]] areas were not divided into townlands until fairly recently. These areas were "formerly shared as a [[common land|common summer pasturage]] by the people of a whole parish or barony".<ref name="Evans"/>

===Origin of townland system===
The townland system is of [[Gaelic Ireland|Gaelic]] origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the [[Norman invasion of Ireland|Norman invasion]] (which began in 1169) and most have names that are [[anglicisation|anglicised]] forms of earlier [[Irish language|Irish]] names.<ref name="Barry114"/><ref name="Colfer29"/><ref name="Graham149"/><ref name="Surveying"/><ref name="Canny89"/> However, the names and boundaries of some townlands derive from [[Hiberno-Norman]] [[manor]]s, [[Plantations of Ireland|Plantation]] divisions, or later creations of the [[Ordnance Survey Ireland|Ordnance Survey]].<ref name="Connolly2002p577"/><ref name="Maxwell2009pg16"/>

The first official evidence of their existence can be found in church records from before the 12th century.<ref name="Senses">{{cite book |title=Senses of Place: Senses of Time |last=Reid |first=Bryonie |year=2005 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |pages=47–60 |chapter=Identity, locality and the townland in Northern Ireland |quote=The first official evidence of their existence occurs in church records from before the twelfth century.}}</ref> A townland or ''baile'' was originally the holding of an extended family.<ref name="Graham149"/>

The term ''townland'' is a standardised form, often replacing earlier local terms such as ''tate'' (in [[Fermanagh]] and [[County Monaghan|Monaghan]]), ''cartron'' (in [[Connacht]]) or ''ploughland''. These terms represent a variety of native land divisions, varying in name from one part of the country to another, and forming a hierarchy of sizes.

The nineteenth-century surveyor [[Thomas Larcom]], who was the first Director of the [[Ordnance Survey of Ireland|Irish Ordnance Survey]], summarised the hierarchy as follows:{{fact|date=September 2010}}

<blockquote>''10 acres - 1 Gneeve; 2 Gneeves - 1 Sessiagh; 3 Sessiaghs - 1 Tate or Ballyboe; 2 Ballyboes - 1 Ploughland, Seisreagh or Carrow; 4 Ploughlands - 1 Ballybetagh, or Townland; 30 Ballybetaghs - [[Trícha cét|Triocha Céad]] or [[Barony (Ireland)|Barony]].''</blockquote>

However, as noted previously, land was measured in terms of its economic potential. Therefore the size of an "acre" in this system could vary greatly depending on the quality of the land.

===Under English rule===
Townlands were first named and their boundaries defined under the English legal system during the process of [[Plantations of Ireland|plantation]]. The unit from the hierarchy of land divisions that was chosen to represent a "townland", however, might vary from county to county; in Fermanagh and Monaghan, the tate was chosen, resulting in relatively small townlands, while in other areas, larger units such as ploughlands were chosen, resulting in larger townland units.{{fact|date=September 2010}}

In many areas of Norman settlement, townland boundaries tend to follow [[open field system|field]] or individual property boundaries and may reflect the holdings of monasteries or churches or the boundaries of [[common land|commonage]]. In these areas, townlands often have apparently irregular boundaries and are of small size. In contrast, townlands in areas of traditional Gaelic settlement tend to be larger in area and usually have apparently regular boundaries determined by streams, rivers or roads.{{fact|date=September 2010}}

===Irish Ordnance Survey and standardisation===
During the middle decades of the 19th century, an extensive series of maps of Ireland were created by the Irish division of the Ordnance Survey for taxation purposes, which documented and standardised the boundaries of the more than 60,000 townlands in Ireland. This process often involved dividing or amalgamating existing townlands, and defining townland boundaries in areas such as mountain or bog land that had previously been outside the townland system.
<ref name="Senses"/>
===Current use===
[[File:Finmill Road, Sixmilecross - geograph.org.uk - 133750.jpg|thumb|300px|A typical road-sign in [[County Tyrone]], noting that this part of the road passes through the townland of Cavanreagh]] Townlands form the building blocks for higher-level administrative units such as [[parishes]] and [[District Electoral Division]]s (in the [[Republic of Ireland]]) or [[ward (politics)|wards]] (in [[Northern Ireland]]). Before 1972, townlands were included on all postal addresses throughout the island. However, in 1972 [[Royal Mail]] decided that the townland element of the address was obsolete in Northern Ireland.<ref name="Senses"/> Townland names were not banned but were deemed "superflouous information" and people were asked not to include them on addresses.<ref name="Senses"/> They would be replaced by house numbers, road names, and [[postcode]]s.<ref name="Senses"/> In response, the "Townlands Campaign" emerged to protest against the changes. It was described as a "ground-level community effort". Taking place in the midst of "[[The Troubles]]", the campaign was a rare example of unity between [[Irish Catholic|Catholics]] and [[Protestantism|Protestants]], [[Irish nationalism|nationalists]] and [[Unionism in Ireland|unionists]].<ref name="Senses"/> Townlands and their names "seem to have been considered as a shared resource and heritage".<ref name="Senses"/> Those involved in the campaign argued that, in many areas, people still strongly identified with their townlands and that this gave them a sense of belonging. Royal Mail's changes were seen as a severing of this link.<ref name="Senses"/>

At the time, the county councils were the government bodies responsible for validating such a change. However, as local government itself was undergoing changes, Royal Mail's decision was "allowed ... to become law almost by default".<ref name="Senses"/> [[County Fermanagh]] is the only Northern Ireland county that managed to resist the scheme completely.<ref name="Senses"/> Nevertheless, most road signs in Northern Ireland continue to show townland names (see picture on the right). In 2001 the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] passed a motion requesting government departments to make use of townland addresses in correspondence and publications.

In the Republic of Ireland, townlands continued to be used on addresses. However, in 2005 the [[Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources]] announced that the postcode system is to be introduced (see [[Republic of Ireland postal addresses]]). 

A useful source of information on townlands (with an emphasis on the northern parts of Ireland) is the Federation for Ulster Local Studies.  Its publications include ''Every Stony Acre Has a Name: Celebration of the Townland in Ulster'' by Tony Canavan, and  ''Townlands in Ulster: Local History Studies'', edited by W.H. Crawford & R.H. Foy.

==Scotland==
In Scotland, townland boundaries were generally disregarded and lost during 19th century agricultural improvements.{{fact|date=September 2010}} Townlands were called also '''fermlands''' and many names remain identifiable in farmstead names which include the word ''[[Mains (Scotland)|Mains]]'', and "Bal-" (Baile) in placenames, such as [[Balerno]] or [[Balmoral]].

Townlands in Scotland were often in contradistinction to ''kirktouns'' (''Clachan''), which were settlements with a church, sometimes of ecclesiastical origin.{{fact|date=September 2010}}

See also [[Township (Scotland)]] for the crofting context.

==Isle of Man==
There may be similarities between the notion of townlands in Ireland and the traditional land divisions of '''treens''' (c.f. the Irish word ''trian'', a third part) in the [[Isle of Man]]. Treens are subdivided into smaller units called '''quarterlands'''.<ref>http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/parishes/treen.htm</ref>

==See also==
*[[:Category:Townlands of Ireland by county|Lists of townlands in Ireland by county]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* [http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/history/territorial_divisions/units_land_measurement.htm Discussion of traditional Gaelic units of land measurement]
* [http://www.ulsterplacenames.org/celebrating_ulster's_townlands_exhibition.htm Celebrating Ulster's Townlands Exhibition (Ulster Placename Society)]

==External links==
* [http://www.seanruad.com Searchable database of townlands in Ireland derived from the Index to the 1851 Census of Ireland]
* [http://ims0.osiemaps.ie/website/publicviewer/main.aspx#V1,600000,750000,0 Viewer from [[Ordnance Survey Ireland]] showing townland boundaries on 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Maps]
* [http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmerschemespayments/singlepaymentscheme/categoriesofdisadvantagedareas/ Set of Excel spreadsheets, listing all townlands in the Republic of Ireland and the 1898 District Electoral Division they belong to.]
* [http://www.placenamesni.org/ Database of townland names in Northern Ireland, searchable using both maps and lists, with information about placename origins]
* [http://logainm.ie/?uiLang=en Placenames Database of Ireland, listing English and Irish versions of townland, parish and barony names]
* [http://www.irishhomesteads.com/townland-database/ Lists of townlands by parish in Ulster]
*[http://www.mayolibrary.ie/maps/data/Parishes/index.htm Mayo County Library list of townlands by parish with maps and other details]
* [http://www.kildare.ie/library/townlands Searchable Database of Townlands in Co Kildare]
* [http://www.doonbleisce.com/irish_placenames.htm Irish Placenames Article]
{{Types of administrative country subdivision}}

[[Category:Country subdivisions]]
[[Category:Geography of Scotland]]
[[Category:Townlands of Ireland| ]]
[[Category:Townlands of the Republic of Ireland| ]]
[[Category:Geography of the Isle of Man]]
[[Category:Townlands in Northern Ireland| ]]

[[pt:Townland]]