I know I just read about this recently. It seems to me that if a farmer agreed to grow x number of acres of flax, they received a spinning wheel and if they grew y number of acres, they received a loom. Whether or not this was in addition to being paid for the flax, I am not sure. Joan Griffin Rusk -----Original Message----- From: J T Pearson Outdoor Training [mailto:jtpoutdoor@xtra.co.nz] Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 2:58 PM To: IRL-CAVAN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [IRL-CAVAN] Flax Growers List Flax growing was the big industry in the area, so this is a list of those producing the raw material. i'm not sure if they were getting any payment subsidy as well? i saw an explanation somewhere but can't remember all the details. It doesn't list everyone, just those producing more than a certain amount. And if anyone out there knows any way of getting more info on the people listed i would like to know as well> regards Jane Pearson jtpoutdoor@xtra.co.nz ----- Original Message ----- From: "E.Sharp" <bellemarco@hotmail.com> To: <IRL-CAVAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 10:43 AM Subject: [IRL-CAVAN] Flax Growers List > Can anyone explain the 1796 Irish Flax Growers List? I am interested in > the following: > > Patrick Farley ID 6039 Cavan > > Elaine > > > > >

From Genealogy.com; Importance of Flax in 18th Century Ireland During the 18th century Ireland, and in particular Ulster, established a reputation as a producer of fine linen. The economic implications were extremely important in that both agriculture and industry benefited. The climate and soil of Ireland were well suited to growing flax, the raw material for linen, so farmers and landowners naturally turned to the crop. Processing the flax through various stages on its way to linen - scutching, spinning, bleaching, beetling and weaving - provided work for many thousands in mill-towns across the country, and so linen became a major industry as well. At various times the government introduced special incentives to encourage the production of linen, usually in the form of spinning-wheels and looms. The Flax Growers Bounty List In 1796 the Irish Linen Board published a list of almost 60,000 individuals who had received awards for planting a specified acreage of flax. Those who planted one acre were awarded 4 spinning-wheels, and those growing 5 acres were awarded a loom. The two counties with the highest number of awards were Donegal and Tyrone. The Flax Growers List is arranged by civil parish in each county except for Dublin and Wicklow, which were not included in the list. (In a few instances, the barony is listed instead of the parish.) While there is no indication of townland, this is still an extremely useful record source that goes back over thirty years earlier than the commencement of Tithe Applotment Books. Anyone researching their Irish ancestry will be able to pinpoint a forebear living in a particular parish at the end of the 18th century. More About this Data Set You will find the following information about an individual indexed: Name - In some records, you will find three question marks in place of the given name or surname. This indicates that the name was not listed on the original record. You may also find question marks in place of missing letters. A question mark after a name indicates that the name spelling was unclear. County - This was the county in which the individual grew flax. A collection of baronies, from five in Co. Leitrim to twenty-two in Co. Cork, make up a county. Please note that Dublin and Wicklow counties were not included in the list. Parish - This was the civil parish in which the individual grew flax. A civil parish is made up of anything from five to thirty townlands. Collected together, civil parishes form baronies. In the Flax Growers List, sometimes a barony is listed instead of a parish. Civil parishes are no longer in use as administrative units. ----- Original Message ----- From: joanrusk To: IRL-CAVAN-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 6:54 PM Subject: RE: [IRL-CAVAN] Flax Growers List I know I just read about this recently. It seems to me that if a farmer agreed to grow x number of acres of flax, they received a spinning wheel and if they grew y number of acres, they received a loom. Whether or not this was in addition to being paid for the flax, I am not sure. Joan Griffin Rusk -----Original Message----- From: J T Pearson Outdoor Training [mailto:jtpoutdoor@xtra.co.nz] Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 2:58 PM To: IRL-CAVAN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [IRL-CAVAN] Flax Growers List Flax growing was the big industry in the area, so this is a list of those producing the raw material. i'm not sure if they were getting any payment subsidy as well? i saw an explanation somewhere but can't remember all the details. It doesn't list everyone, just those producing more than a certain amount. And if anyone out there knows any way of getting more info on the people listed i would like to know as well> regards Jane Pearson jtpoutdoor@xtra.co.nz ----- Original Message ----- From: "E.Sharp" <bellemarco@hotmail.com> To: <IRL-CAVAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 10:43 AM Subject: [IRL-CAVAN] Flax Growers List > Can anyone explain the 1796 Irish Flax Growers List? I am interested in > the following: > > Patrick Farley ID 6039 Cavan > > Elaine > > > > >