Between 1830 and 1864 every piece of property in Ireland was valued, from houses on tiny plots of land to the great landed estates. The work of valuation created a large volume of archives that recorded the occupiers of land and houses as well as details of the location, extent and quality of their property. The valuation archives date from a period when few sources cover the whole country and are a rich resource for research ranging from family history to socio-economic study. The guide will assist researchers in understanding these complex documents.