townland
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.7|Map of Rathlin Island with townlands A townland (; Ulster-Scots: toonlann) is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and most have Irish-derived names. However, some townland names and boundaries come from Norman manors, plantation divisions, or later creations of the Ordnance Survey. Townlands cover the whole island of Ireland, and the total number of inhabited townlands in Ireland was 60,679 in 1911. The total number recognis
Article
12 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Regional variation
- Size and value
- Historical use
- Irish Ordnance Survey and standardisation
- Current use
- Explanatory footnotes
- References
- General and cited references
- Citations
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|upright=1.7|Map of Rathlin Island with townlands A townland (; Ulster-Scots: toonlann) is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and most have Irish-derived names. However, some townland names and boundaries come from Norman manors, plantation divisions, or later creations of the Ordnance Survey. Townlands cover the whole island of Ireland, and the total number of inhabited townlands in Ireland was 60,679 in 1911. The total number recognised by the Placenames Database of Ireland as of 2014 was 61,098, including uninhabited townlands.
==Etymology== The term "townland" in English is derived from the Old English word tūn, denoting an enclosure. The term describes the smallest unit of land division in Ireland, based on various forms of Gaelic land division, many of which had their own names.