1740 protestant householders' returns
About the 1740 Protestant Householders Returns
The Irish House of Commons would appear to have ordered a census of Protestant Householders in 1740 as the returns were originally part of the Irish Parliament records which were then transferred to the Public Record Office of Ireland. The original returns were lost in the destruction of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland but some transcripts made by the antiquarian and genealogist, Tenison Groves, have survived. It is not known what occasioned the census to be taken but it would appear from some of the transcripts to have been carried out by the Hearth Tax collectors or supervisors of the Hearth Money. The Hearth Tax, introduced in 1662, was a tax of 2 shillings on every hearth or ‘other place used for firing’ and was collected over areas known as ‘Walks’. Some of the transcripts of the 1740 Protestant Householders refer to ‘Walks’ which is further evidence that the Hearth Tax collectors were involved in carrying out the census. The returns which are lists of names of heads of households are arranged largely by county, barony and parish and in at least half of the returns there is a breakdown by townland. There is no further information given about the individuals. The typescript copies can be found under the PRONI reference T808/1528 and T716/9 but copies are available on the Search Room shelves in PRONI.
What’s on the 1740 Protestant Householders Returns
The surviving transcripts only relate to parts of Counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Donegal, Londonderry and Tyrone. The following parishes are covered (also indicating those parishes where the information is recorded by townland):Co. Antrim: Ahoghill, Armoy, Ballintoy, Ballymoney, Ballyrashane, Ballywillin, Billy, Clough (Dunaghy) , Culfeightrin, Derrykeighan, Drummaul, Duneane, Dunluce, Finvoy, Kilraghts, Ballymena (Kirkinriola); Loughguile, ‘Manybrooks’ (no parish of this name now); Ramoan, Rasharkin and Rathlin.
Co. Armagh: Derrynoose, Mullaghbrack, Shankill and Tynan
Co. Donegal: Clonca (by townland), Clonmany (by townland), Culdaff (by townland), Desertegny (by townland), Donagh (by townland), Fahan (by townland), Moville (by townland), and Templemore (by townland).
Co. Down: Kilbroney and Seapatrick.
Co. Londonderry: All parishes except for Agivey, Arboe and Derryloran (may be covered in the Co. Tyrone part of Co. Londonderry); the following parishes have information recorded by townland – Aghanloo, Balteagh, Banagher, Bovevagh, Clondermot, Cumber, Drumachose, Dungiven, Faughanvale, Tamlaghfinlagan, Tamlaghtard and Templemore
Co. Tyrone: Derryloran and Kildress.
Placename Spellings on Name Search
The attached table of spellings used in the 1740 Protestant Householders Index on Name Search (60KB) 
provides a list of the modern and original placename spellings used in Name Search as an aid to using the ‘location’ search option. Where the modern spelling of a townland recorded in the Householders records could be identified, this has been used in Name Search and should be used in the ‘location’ search. Where a modern spelling could not be identified (i.e. where a question mark appears in the table attached), the original spelling from the Householders returns has been recorded in the database and should be used for location searching.
