I have recently received - via Interlibrary loan - the 3-volume set of William Shaw Mason's "Statistical account, or Parochial survey of Ireland", published between 1814 and 1819 by different publishers in Dublin. The OCLC number is 316363313. I have now copied the books (over 2200 pages !!!) and returned the originals......and am now in the process of re-binding the copies. The author was Secretary to the Board of Public Records. Although the author and most of his sources were Church of Ireland (perhaps still C of E at that time ???), the content doesn't seem show any bias in favor of the Established Church - in fact, what I have read so far seems quite sympathetic to the general RC population. The volumes contain information on 79 Parishes/Unions of the Established Church, 18 of which are in the Northern six-counties. They do not represent anything like totality of coverage of Ireland, and what parishes/unions are described don't seem to follow any pattern. For example, there are 10 Co. Cork parishes, but not a single entry for Kerry. Some parishes receive only 6 or 7 pages while most of them are 15 or so pages. Some parishes have townland maps, most from the Down Survey, and nearly all have individual townland information, such as acreages, proprietors, translations of townland name, etc. I would guess that the townland information could be helpful, as this data is from a period prior to the start of the Ordnance Survey.....and a decade before Griffith's Boundary Department started "operating" on the townlands and parishes and redefining (in some cases) the boundaries, etc. Here is the "Table of the Sections" for the books: "TABLE OF THE SECTIONS, According to which the account of every parish is arranged in this volume. I - The name of the parish, ancient and modern; its situation, extent, and division, climate and topographical description. II - Mines, minerals, and all other natural productions. III - Modern buildings both public and private, including towns, villages, gentlemen's seats, inns, &c. - the roads, scenery, and superficial appearance of the parish. IV - Ancient buildings, monastic and castellated ruins, monuments and inscriptions, or other remains of antiquity. V - Present and former state of population; the food, fuel, and general appearance; mode of living and wealth of the inhabitants; diseases and instances of longevity. VI - The genius and dispositions of the poorer classes; their language, manners and customs, &c. VII - The education and employment of their children, schools, state of learning, public libraries, &c. collection of Irish MSS, or historical documents relating to Ireland. VIII - State of the religious establishment, mode of tythes, parochial funds and records, &c. IX - Modes of agriculture, crops, stocks of cattle, rural implements, chief proprietors' names, and average value of land, prices of labour, fairs and markets, &c. X - Trade and manufactures, commerce, navigation and shipping, freight, &c. XI - Natural curiosities, remarkable occurrences, and eminent men. XII - Suggestions for improvement; and means for ameliorating the situation of the people. APPENDIX - Consisting of statistical tables, containing the value of the stock, annual produce of the parish, &c.&c." As it would be impractical for me to enter much of the information into e-mails, I tried to see if these volumes are available on-line. Google Books seems to have only volume 2, which seems odd. But perhaps it's because of my slow dial-up connection and have difficulty accessing sites meant for broadband access. However, for those interested - and on a suitable connection - it might be worthwhile to check it out. For me, I'll choose a printed book any day.........especially the old ones. The two-hundred-year-old smell is fabulous. Too bad I wasn't able to also copy the aroma [gr]. I plan on sending this general information to most of the Republic's county mailing lists over the next week or so, with added specific comments on the parts of that particular county described in the books. Although I no longer have much in the way of "free time", I'd be willing to answer questions that don't require a lot of typing (reading is OK, lotsa typing isn't). Co. Waterford has three entries. The first two below are in vol. 1, the third is in vol. 3. Drumcannon parish also includes the civil parishes of Ballygunner, Kilmacleague, Kilmacomb and "the impropriate rectory of Kilbarry". Twenty-two pages. The second parish in this volume is Lismore (now Lismore and Mocollop). This entry of 11 pages does not include an itemization of the townlands (too many of them, probably). The entry in vol. 3 is Stradbally, which also includes Ballylaheen and Clonlea civil parishes. The townland names and their meanings are listed, but no details of the townlands beyond that. Pete - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pete Schermerhorn, in the glorious Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts </HTML>

Pete: Nice to see you surface again on the internet. Remember me? I had the pleasure of meeting you several years back... You shared some of your fabulous wirk and we talked about the old Ardo House ruins in Ardmore... great visit. I see now that you have new resources.... Do you have any info on the old townland of Mongagh in Lissonuffy Parish, Roscommon ... near Scramogue? I have very little data...and wonder if anyhting is available pre... griffiths.... pre ordin maps. The size has been listed as 341 acres... more than half in bog land. My great grandfather and great great grandfather were listed there. Patrick Kelly was the name... then his son Luke. Just interested if you have a chance?? Hope all is well. You sound as busy as ever... Eileen Myers 630 Holmes Road Pittsfield, MA ( in case this helps you to remember :) -----Original Message----- From: PeteScherm@aol.com To: waterford@rootsweb.com Sent: Sat, Mar 19, 2011 5:58 pm Subject: [WATERFORD] An interesting set of books I have recently received - via Interlibrary loan - the 3-volume set of illiam Shaw Mason's "Statistical account, or Parochial survey of Ireland", ublished between 1814 and 1819 by different publishers in Dublin. The OCLC umber is 316363313. I have now copied the books (over 2200 pages !!!) and eturned the originals......and am now in the process of re-binding the copies. The author was Secretary to the Board of Public Records. Although the uthor and most of his sources were Church of Ireland (perhaps still C of E at hat time ???), the content doesn't seem show any bias in favor of the stablished Church - in fact, what I have read so far seems quite sympathetic to the general RC population. The volumes contain information on 79 Parishes/Unions of the Established hurch, 18 of which are in the Northern six-counties. They do not represent nything like totality of coverage of Ireland, and what parishes/unions are escribed don't seem to follow any pattern. For example, there are 10 Co. ork parishes, but not a single entry for Kerry. Some parishes receive only 6 r 7 pages while most of them are 15 or so pages. Some parishes have ownland maps, most from the Down Survey, and nearly all have individual ownland nformation, such as acreages, proprietors, translations of townland name, tc. I would guess that the townland information could be helpful, as this ata is from a period prior to the start of the Ordnance Survey.....and a ecade before Griffith's Boundary Department started "operating" on the ownlands and parishes and redefining (in some cases) the boundaries, etc. Here is the "Table of the Sections" for the books: "TABLE OF THE SECTIONS, According to which the account of every parish is arranged in this volume. - The name of the parish, ancient and modern; its situation, extent, and ivision, climate and topographical description. II - Mines, minerals, and all other natural productions. III - Modern buildings both public and private, including towns, villages, entlemen's seats, inns, &c. - the roads, scenery, and superficial ppearance of the parish. IV - Ancient buildings, monastic and castellated ruins, monuments and nscriptions, or other remains of antiquity. V - Present and former state of population; the food, fuel, and general ppearance; mode of living and wealth of the inhabitants; diseases and nstances of longevity. VI - The genius and dispositions of the poorer classes; their language, anners and customs, &c. VII - The education and employment of their children, schools, state of earning, public libraries, &c. collection of Irish MSS, or historical ocuments relating to Ireland. VIII - State of the religious establishment, mode of tythes, parochial unds and records, &c. IX - Modes of agriculture, crops, stocks of cattle, rural implements, chief roprietors' names, and average value of land, prices of labour, fairs and arkets, &c. X - Trade and manufactures, commerce, navigation and shipping, freight, &c. XI - Natural curiosities, remarkable occurrences, and eminent men. XII - Suggestions for improvement; and means for ameliorating the situation f the people. APPENDIX - Consisting of statistical tables, containing the value of the tock, annual produce of the parish, &c.&c." s it would be impractical for me to enter much of the information into -mails, I tried to see if these volumes are available on-line. Google Books eems to have only volume 2, which seems odd. But perhaps it's because of my low dial-up connection and have difficulty accessing sites meant for roadband access. However, for those interested - and on a suitable connection t might be worthwhile to check it out. For me, I'll choose a printed book ny day.........especially the old ones. The two-hundred-year-old smell is abulous. Too bad I wasn't able to also copy the aroma [gr]. I plan on sending this general information to most of the Republic's county ailing lists over the next week or so, with added specific comments on the arts of that particular county described in the books. Although I no onger have much in the way of "free time", I'd be willing to answer questions hat don't require a lot of typing (reading is OK, lotsa typing isn't). Co. Waterford has three entries. The first two below are in vol. 1, the hird is in vol. 3. Drumcannon parish also includes the civil parishes of allygunner, Kilmacleague, Kilmacomb and "the impropriate rectory of Kilbarry". Twenty-two pages. The second parish in this volume is Lismore (now ismore and Mocollop). This entry of 11 pages does not include an itemization f he townlands (too many of them, probably). The entry in vol. 3 is tradbally, which also includes Ballylaheen and Clonlea civil parishes. The ownland names and their meanings are listed, but no details of the townlands eyond that. ete - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ete Schermerhorn, in the glorious Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts /HTML> lease double-check subject line & snip your messages when replying. Please search the Archives of this list for your surnames at ttp://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=waterford ------------------------------------- he Ireland GenWeb County Waterford website is up for adoption. Check it out t: http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlwat/ f you would like to take this site over, contact: Waterford-admin@rootsweb.com ------------------------------ o unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to WATERFORD-request@rootsweb.com ith the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of he message