Ulster Records - Irish Flax Growers, 1796

Ulster Records - Irish Flax Growers, 1796

Because there are few early census records and parish registers available to genealogists looking for ancestors in Ireland, other sources must be consulted. The 1796 Irish Flax Growers list is anexcellent one.

Flax was very important in Ulster (Northern Ireland) in the eighteenth century. It was a crop well-suited to the soil and the climate, and when grown, it provided employment for both farmers and workers involved in the production of linen for which Ireland was famous. At times, the government gave spinningwheels and looms to encourage the growth of flax.

In 1796, the Irish Linen Board recorded the names of about 60,000 individuals who had received spinning wheels; the number of wheels was based on the acreage devoted to flax . One acre planted meant that 4 spinning wheels would be granted. Five acres received a loom.

These are the Peacocks and Waggots who appear in these records.

Robert Peacock, Ahoghill, Antrim ( a little west of Balleymena)
Alexander Peacock, Ahoghill, Antrim
Chesnut Peacock, Ballymoney, Antrim (between Coleraine and Ballymena)Thomas Peacock, Ballymoney, Antrim
William Peacock, Kilcronaghan, Derry (Tobermore, Magherafelt, Derry)Waggot John, Tedavnet, Monaghan