Introduction
In this second blog post, I would like again to take readers with me on a leg of the journey to discover where my Liston ancestors were born and lived before leaving for North America. This story involves more than a year of study in Irish records and the help of a new friend and cousin whom I met because of DNA testing. This friend, John Melia, discovered that we share a small segment of DNA on chromosome 5, and that this segment is shared in some degree or other by all my Liston relatives who have had autosomal DNA testing. It turns out that John's family comes from an area of County Limerick just outside and to south of Limerick city. It was with this DNA connection and John's interest in who my family might have been that my foray into Irish genealogical research began in earnest.
Irish Records
When researching in Ireland, one is
immediately confronted with the sad destruction of many important genealogical
records. Documentation of those that were lost, mainly in fires, can be found
elsewhere. Here I would rather focus on my research experience with the records
that survive.
Among the records that survive for
the early nineteenth century, when my Liston ancestors were born and eventually
departed for America, are Catholic parish registers for baptisms and marriages,
which begin at various times for different parishes; the Tithe Applotment
Books, which cover a period from 1823 to 1837; Griffith’s Valuation records,
which cover the period from 1847 to 1864 with cancellation books for subsequent
years; and Poverty Relief Loan records, which span the entire period covered by
the Tithe records and Griffith’s Valuation. In addition, there are prison
records and a miscellany of records that I have not yet found useful in my own
family research.
The Liston Surname
In my early attempts to zero in on
my own Listons, I needed to consider the surname Liston and its origin and
where in Ireland it predominated. I learned that Liston was a name connected
with the Norman invasion of England, that it has always been associated with
Limerick in Ireland, and that Listons were staunch supporters of Irish independence. Ancestry.com
provides a little information about surnames, and its entry for Liston is as
follows:
Liston Name Meaning
English: habitational name from a
place in Essex, so named from the Old English personal name Lissa (probably a
pet form of Leofsige; see Livesay 2) + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’. Scottish:
habitational name from places in West Lothian and Midlothian, which probably
have the same origin as in 1. This surname is also found in Ireland. Source:
Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Another source explains the origin related to Lissa a little
differently, claiming that the full original name derived from Lissa + ing
‘people’ + ton ‘settlement’ or ‘town,’ resulting in Lissington, which may have
Lexington as a variant. Liston would be a reduction of these names. The
information at Ancestry matches part of the following information gathered by a
company that sells surname-related artwork. While the source is suspect, the
information is probably an accurate summary of what can be known about the
surname and some early figures of the name. According to The Internet Surname Database:
This name is of locational origin
either from Liston in Essex or from the old barony of Liston, now included in
the parish of Kirkliston, Scotland. The former, recorded as Lissington in
Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, dated 995, and as Listuna in the Domesday Book of 1086,
is so called from the Old English pre 7th Century personal name Lissa, itself a
pet form of Leofsige, plus "ing", people of, and "tun", a
farm or settlement, hence, "the settlement of Lissa's people". The
Scottish Liston probably has the same origin and the surname from this source
has [sic], in fact, an earlier recording than the English one, (see below).
Around 1260 a Robert de Liston was chaplain to William, Bishop of St. Andrew's.
One, Godfrey de Liston of Essex was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of that county,
dated 1272, and a Johannes de Liston in "The Calendarium Genealogicum of
Essex", dated 1303. Robert Liston (1794 - 1847), educated at Edinburgh
University was a skilful surgeon, best known in connection with the
"Liston splint". His chief work "practical surgery"
appeared in 1837. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be
that of Roger de Liston who witnessed a charter by Richard, bishop of St.
Andrew's, which was dated 1163, in the "Chartulary of the priory of St.
Andrew's", during the reign of King Malcolm IV of Scotland, 1153 - 1165. © Copyright: Name Origin Research www.surnamedb.com 1980 - 2017
John Grenham’s website, which I cite later related to Limerick
parishes has a page for the surname Liston with some interesting data. The URL
is https://www.johngrenham.com/findasurname.php?surname=Liston. The website http://www.irishidentity.com/lists/l.htm claims that Liston derives from de Lexinton and that settlement was in Limerick and North Kerry, but it provides no sources. Lexin[g]ton and Lissington probably have the same origin.
Figure 1 provides a map showing the distribution of the surname Liston in Ireland, at some undisclosed time, along with some additional data from Tyrone Bowes’ Irish Origenes:
Figure 1 provides a map showing the distribution of the surname Liston in Ireland, at some undisclosed time, along with some additional data from Tyrone Bowes’ Irish Origenes:
 |
| Figure 1. The Surname Liston in Ireland, Source: http://www.irishorigenes.com/liston |
How Did the Listons Get to Ireland?
In the 12th century,
there was an Anglo-Norman (sometimes referred to as Welsh-Norman or
Cambro-Norman) invasion of Ireland, and County Limerick was one area settled by
the invaders, along with the South Riding of Tipperary and the county of Meath,
among others. The year given is 1169. In 1170, Richard fitz Gilbert de Clar, the
second earl of Pembroke, called Strongbow, led another invasion to support the
aims of the 1169 effort. Henry II, great grandson of William the Conqueror, was king of England and ruler of the Angevin
Empire, which included all of England, Wales, and vast territories in France.
The invaders of Ireland intended to establish their own realm there, but Henry
personally invaded the country with a large army in 1171 and exerted lordship
over them and the Irish kings. In 1175, the treaty of Windsor secured Ireland
to its high king, except for Leinster and Waterford, in exchange for an oath of
fealty to Henry. Limerick was formed into a county as early as the reign of King John, A.D. 1210. Despite the treaty, the Anglo-Normans continued to acquire lands
appropriated from the Irish, and the Listons presumably obtained some of this
land (Your Irish). In fact, Rev. Patrick Woulfe (1923) indicates that the “family
settled in the 13th century at Kilscannell (92 in Figure 3) in Co. Limerick, which
they held down to the year 1595 [37 Elizabeth I] when it was confiscated and
granted to Captain Robert Collum. The Listons are still numerous in Co.
Limerick” (Woulfe). This dispossession probably reduced the Listons’ circumstances.
In the 13th century, the
Fitzgeralds of Offaly were established in Shanid, Croom, and Pallas Grean. Maurice
Fitzgerald (Orpen, p. 164) had three sons, Thomas, progenitor of the house of
Desmond, who was settled with the cantred of Shanid; Gerald, who married a
daughter of Hamo de Valognes, ancestor of the earls of Kildare, and obtained
Croom in the valley of the Maigue; and William of Naas, who was granted the castle
of Karrickittle in Kilteely (Table 3: 93 west) (Orpen, p. 164). Thus, the
ruling Fitzgerald family held lands in the east, center, and west of Limerick,
where we find three distinct clusters of Listons in the early 19th
century. The history of the granting of land to Anglo-Norman knights by kings
Henry II and John in the late 12th and early 13th
centuries is complex, and the Listons did not have the same stature as the
ruling families of Fitzgerald, de Burgh (Burke), de Valognes, de Lacy, and de
Braose, so it is not easy to find records pertaining to the Listons in Ireland
at that time. I would like to study the period more and see what might be
available in its records, but I am satisfied for the moment that the Listons in
Limerick County, once part of the kingdom of Thomond, ruled by the O’Briens,
did come and settle there in conjunction with the Anglo-Norman conquest (Orpen).
The Listons in 19th-Century Ireland
Where were the Listons in
nineteenth-century Ireland? The Tithe Applotment records include forty-five
Liston land holders in Limerick, one in Clare, and two in Tipperary. By the
time of Griffith’s Valuation, there was not only an increase in the number of
land holders with the name Liston, but also a dispersion to or emergence in other
counties. The numbers were as follows:
 |
Figure 2. Liston land holders in Ireland (1847-1850) < http://www.spirited-ireland.net/map/_counties/> (not used by permission)
|
In some cases, one land holder might have land in more than one location, so these numbers may not reflect 132 different Liston family heads. The numbers do, however, give an idea of the distribution of Listons in Ireland at the time. The increase and spread of Liston holdings between about 1830 and 1847 is impressive, from 48 to 132, almost two-thirds more. It may be useful to do some further calculations. If we estimate five children per family as a reasonable average and add a spouse, then the Liston population in the 1820s might have been 288, and by 1850, 792. Clare, Kerry, and Tipperary are neighboring counties in the province of Munster, and it is interesting that the population of Listons in Tipperary grew seven-fold compared to the nearly three-fold growth in Limerick. This may be due to out-migration from Limerick to Tipperary in addition to the maturation of children born from 1810-1830. It is possible that the Listons found in the province of Ulster at this time were from Scotland where, as already seen, another Liston family were established in the Lothians.
Clearly,
Limerick can be considered the ancestral homeland of the Listons in Ireland and
a good starting place to find my own family. I located a map of Limerick, and its
parishes online and shaded the parishes where Listons were living at the time
of the Tithe Applotments and at the time of Griffith’s Valuation. In the
not-very-attractive map which is Figure 1, the blue shading indicates the
Listons at the time of the Tithe Applotments, and the greenish shading
indicates the additional parishes housing Listons at the time of Griffith’s
Valuation.
 |
Figure 3. Distribution of Listons in Limerick 1823-1850.
|
What immediately stood out to me as I squinted at the map,
were three areas of “settlement,” east, central, and west. It seems that the
eastern cluster of Listons centers on the parish of Grean, and this may be the
source of the Tipperary Listons, who understand that their family was
originally from Limerick. The central cluster occupies an area from Mungret,
just outside the city of Limerick, southward to Croom. The western cluster
radiates from Newcastle West, and represents the largest population of Listons
in Limerick County. Farm laborers traveled to find work, and it is possible that
their seasonal migrations account for the spread of Listons during the 1840s,
but at least some of their distribution probably represents movement of maturing
sons into parishes adjacent to those where they were born and raised to set up
their own households.
If readers
are researching their Liston ancestry in Limerick, they will want to know the
names of the (mostly) men who held land and houses in the period from
about 1820 to 1850 and where they were living and working. Using a couple of
websites, one can easily do this, so I will provide a breakdown of the numbers
by parish and the names of the landholders as found in the records.
The Tithe Applotments
In the
Tithe Applotment records (1823-1837), as indicated on the map in Figure 3, the Listons
indexed can be found in the townlands and parishes of Limerick as shown in Table 1. I
have arranged the parishes according to the clusters I have identified (east,
central, and west) and alphabetically within those designations (the numbers in
parentheses refer to the map in Figure 3):
Parish
|
Number
of Holdings
|
Townland
|
Coordinates
|
Date
(if any)
|
Forenames
|
EAST
|
4
|
||||
Grean (61)
|
2
|
Kilduff
Kilduff
|
52° 33' 32" N, 8° 20' 10" W
|
1834
|
Catherine
James
|
Kilcullane* (73)
|
2
|
Herbertstown O’Grady
Herbertstown Powell
|
52°
31' 5" N, 8° 28' 29" W
52°
30' 42" N, 8° 28' 19" W
|
1833
|
John
John
|
CENTRAL
|
29
|
||||
Cahernarry (Mungret) (28, 111)
This has to be an error.
|
8
|
Castlemungret
Castlemungret
Castlemungret
Cunnigar
Cunnigar
Cunnigar
Cunnigar
Loughane
|
52°
38' 32" N, 8° 41' 15" W
52°
38' 47" N, 8° 41' 55" W
52°
38' 16" N, 8° 42' 32" W
|
1825
|
Patrick
Michael
Michael
Michael
John
Michael
John
Thomas
|
Crecora (41)
|
1
|
Logavinshire
|
52°
35' 5" N, 8° 40' 58" W
|
1827
|
John
|
Croom (43)
|
2
|
Toryhill and Honeypound
Dollas Lower
|
52°
32' 15" N, 8° 41' 37" W
52°
31' 58" N, 8° 42' 26" W
52°
29' 56" N, 8° 45' 51" W
|
1826-1833
|
Thomas
James
|
Donaghmore* (46)
|
1
|
Borheen
|
52°
38' 11" N, 8° 35' 22" W
|
1825
|
Widow
|
Drehidtarsna (49)
|
4
|
Drehidtarsna
Drehidtarsna
Drehidtarsna
Drehidtarsna
|
52°
32' 24" N, 8° 47' 53" W
|
1826
|
James
William
James
James
|
Limerick (Mungret) (111)
|
3
|
Cameheen
Cameheen
Cunnigar
|
52°
37' 39" N, 8° 42' 30" W
52°
38' 47" N, 8° 41' 55" W
|
1824
|
Patrick
John
Patrick
|
Mungret (111)
|
10
|
Ballydwane
Camheen
Loughane
Loughane
Cameen
Cunnigar
Cunnigar
Castlemungret
Mungrett
Mungrett
|
52°
37' 56" N, 8° 42' 59" W
52°
38' 7" N, 8° 41' 27" W
|
n.d.
|
Michael
Patt
John
John
Patrick
John
Michael
Michael
Michael
Michael
|
WEST
|
15
|
||||
Clonelty (36)
|
3
|
Lissaniska West
Kilgullibon
Kilgullibon
|
52°
27' 14" N, 8° 59' 45" W
52°
27' 0" N, 8° 56' 35" W
|
1833
|
James N
Terence
John
|
Cloncagh (34)
|
1
|
Gortnacrehy
|
52°
26' 14" N, 8° 55' 38" W
|
1833
|
Michael
|
Grange (60)
|
4
|
Ardrine
Ardrine
Evegallyhow
Grange Lower
|
52°
26' 54" N, 9° 0' 37" W
52°
28' 31" N, 8° 59' 50" W
52°
28' 3" N, 9° 0' 34" W
|
1830
|
Michael
Maurice
Terence
Edm[und]
|
Kilmoylan (88)
|
1
|
Clounlehard
|
52°
31' 33" N, 9° 13' 18" W
|
1833
|
James
|
Mahoonagh (107)
|
4
|
Ballinakilmore
Cloundiheeny
Curragh
Mahoonagh Beg
|
52°
26' 24" N, 8° 59' 0" W
52°
25' 16" N, 8° 59' 8" W
52°
25' 55" N, 8° 59' 46" W
|
1833
|
James
James
James
James
|
Newcastle (113)
|
1
|
Dromin Basom
|
52°
27' 35" N, 9° 6' 21" W
|
1829
|
Garret
|
Rathronan (118)
|
1
|
Dromadda
|
52°
26' 59" N, 9° 10' 3" W
|
1833
|
Edmond
|
Table 1. Listons holding land and houses in
Limerick County according to the Tithe Applotments 1824-1833.
Some explanation is needed here.
The parishes marked with an asterisk seem to lie between clusters, and I have
arbitrarily inserted them where I have in the list. The Mungret townlands have
been separated into three “parishes,” Cahernarry, Limerick, and Mungret, in the
Tithe Applotment books. It is clear from the repetition of townlands in each of
these “parishes” that all of them should be designated Mungret. Until I
understand why this was done this way, I wanted to show them as they appear in
the indexes. Again, it is quite possible that some of this land was held by one
person. For example, five Michaels in the same parish might actually be the
same man with five different holdings. We look through a glass darkly, and it is
difficult to discern. An excellent website that allows exploration of the
Catholic and Civil parishes is John Grenham’s https://www.johngrenham.com/browse/counties/rcmaps/limerickerc.php#maps/.
This address is a direct link to eastern Limerick County. I see no overlap of
Catholic and Civil parishes to account for the confusion over Mungret townlands
in the Tithe Applotment book indexes.
The data in Table 1 is interesting because it shows that
there was a greater concentration of Listons in the central cluster, holding
land in a greater number of townlands than in either the east or the west of
the county. Based on the Tithes data alone, this could indicate that the Listons started in the central
parishes, possibly Mungret, which has the largest number of households, and
spread from there. It is interesting that in the western cluster the forenames
Terence, Maurice, Edmond / Edmund, and Garret appear. Since these names are a
departure from the usual Michaels, Jameses, Patricks, and Johns that
predominate everywhere and particularly in the central cluster, they might be
helpful for identifying the origins of later Liston families in Ireland and
abroad. The name William appears as an outlier in the central cluster in
Drehidtarsna. Women also appear as land holders, and whenever a woman’s name
appears, she is likely to be a widow, which is also helpful
information for the researcher.
In addition
to the Listons in the Tithe Applotment books cataloged so far, there were also
landholders by the name Lyston (probably just a spelling variation). Their
information follows in Table 2. Spelling variations are common for the name
Liston. Very early records have de Liostún, Listoun and Listun. Modern records include
variants like Lyston, Listen, Listin, Listan, and occasionally Lister. The
<i> in the first syllable may also be spelled <e>. When searching
in handwritten records, the similarity between capital L and capital S, as
noted earlier, has to be considered. In some records, the name Sexton can give
the Liston researcher pause, but the <x> generally stands out as very
different from <s>. Nonetheless, Syston, Sisten, Siston, Sistin, and the
like should be checked when they are found in transcriptions and indexes, just
in case. The spelling Lyston made it across the Atlantic to the United States,
and a small number of families using the spelling can be found in American
records. Some of the other variants are just choices made by clerks, clergymen,
and census takers, but do include them in your searches or use wildcards when
possible (*, ?: L?st*) in search engines or databases.
Parish
|
Number
of Holdings
|
Townland
|
Coordinates
|
Date
(if any)
|
Names
|
EAST
|
4
|
||||
Ballynaclogh
(19)
|
3
|
Kilduff
Ballyhust
Lackanascarry
|
52°
33' 13" N, 8° 19' 30" W
52°
33' 48" N, 8° 22' 0" W
|
1832
|
Edmond
James
Edmond
|
Caherconlish
(25)
|
1
|
Skehil
|
52°35′37″N 8°28′13″W
|
n.d.
|
Michael
|
CENTRAL
|
4
|
||||
Ballingarry
(14)
|
3
|
Ballinlyny
Ballinlyny
Lisduff
|
52° 29' 39" N, 8° 46' 42" W
|
1830
|
Patrick
Patrick
Richard
|
Kilfinny
(77)
|
1
|
BallyMackeymore
|
52° 30' 25" N, 8° 46' 21" W
|
1834
|
James
|
WEST
|
3
|
||||
Cloncrew
(35)
|
1
|
Cloonlara
|
52° 22' 14" N, 8° 52' 51" W
|
1833
|
Nicholas
|
Kilbradran
(68)
|
2
|
Cooltomin
Cooltomin
|
52° 33' 2" N, 9° 1' 0" W
|
1833
|
Michael
John
|
Table 2. Lyston in Tithe Applotment Books, Limerick County
1830-1834
There are also some listings in the Tithe Applotment books under several other spelling variants, including Listin, Lysten, and Leston, and they are shown in Table 3:
Parish
|
Number
of Holdings
|
Townland
|
Coordinates
|
Date
(if any)
|
Names
|
WEST
|
4
|
||||
Dunmoylan
(53)
|
2
|
Knockdromoroon
Knockdromoroon
|
?
|
1833
|
Michael
Listin
John
Listin
|
Kilfergus
(75)
|
2
|
Ballydonohoe
Ballygiltenan
Lower
|
52° 34' 4" N, 9° 20' 51" W
52° 33' 19" N, 9° 16' 25" W
|
1830
|
? Listin
David
Listin
|
CENTRAL
|
3
|
||||
Dysert
|
2
|
Carrigeen
|
52° 31' 8" N, 8° 44' 43" W
|
1833
|
James
Lysten
James
Lysten
|
Croom
|
1
|
Dunnaman
|
52° 31' 35" N, 8° 46' 2" W
|
1826-1833
|
John
Leston
|
Table
3. Listin in Tithe Applotment Books, Limerick
County 1826-1833
With the spelling variants represented in Tables 2 and 3 added to those in Table 1, the total number of landholders of the name is sixty-six, which changes the estimate of all Listons living in the county, but since we do not know that each entry represents a unique person, the estimate is only interesting and not entirely useful. If they were unique, then an estimate of the number of Listons in Limerick County between 1823 and 1837 might be 462. Thus, descendants of the Listons of Limerick today trying to trace their family history only have about that number of potential ancestors among whom to search, primarily in three distinct areas of the county. Since about half of the Listons were women, the number can be reduced to 231 men who passed along the surname and their Y-DNA. Again, this is only an estimate. A further complication is that the records only include the name of the holder of the land, not the members of his or her household, and it is possible that some Listons were laboring on the land for other families and living with them. These records are not censuses; they are lists of tithables, a fraction of the population. “[S]ince the commissioners were concerned only with those occupiers liable for the payment of the tithe, they would not generally have included cottiers, laborers holding conacre land, or landless people such as weavers, farm servants and vagrants” (http://www.deliapublications.com/SacredTenth.htm). Figure 4 shows the townlands where there were tithable Liston households from 1823 to 1837.
 |
Figure 4. Limerick Townlands where Listons (and Variants) Lived per the Tithe Records (1823-1837), Plotted with
Geographical Coördinates |
Griffith’s Valuation
By 1847,
Griffith’s Valuation showed an increase in the number of Listons in Limerick
County in a somewhat different configuration from that in the Tithe Applotment
Books, reflecting perhaps expansion of some kind in the west and some shrinkage or
redistribution in the center and east of Limerick County. We have already seen
that there was a significant cluster of Listons in the North Riding of
Tipperary, but the extreme southeast and southwest of the county of Limerick
have no Listons, and from the Shannon in the north to the Cork border in the
south, there is a corridor of parishes in which no Listons are recorded. The
index of Griffith’s Valuation for Limerick at Ask About Ireland (http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameSearch)
has the following Listons as land holders, including Listen, Listin, and
Lyston, distributed as shown in Table 4:
Occupier Surname
|
Occupier Forename
|
Parish
|
Map Number
|
Cluster
|
Townland
|
Landlord
|
Coordinates
|
LYSTON
|
JANE
|
ADARE
|
3
|
Central
|
Blackabbey, Main Street
|
Michael Sullivan
|
52° 33' 57" N, 8° 47' 31" W
|
LISTON
|
WILLIAM
|
ANHID
|
5
|
Central
|
Anhid West
|
Anne Lee
|
52° 30' 6" N, 8° 43' 19" W
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
ATHLACCA
|
10
|
Central
|
Rathcannon
|
Rev. Carew Smith O'Grady
|
52° 27' 38" N, 8° 37' 20" W
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
CROOM
|
43
|
Central
|
BallinFreera
|
James D. Lyons
|
52° 28' 36" N, 8° 41' 34" W
|
LISTON
|
WILLIAM
|
CROOM
|
43
|
Central
|
Croom
|
John Croker
|
52° 30' 48" N, 8° 43' 51" W
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
CROOM
|
43
|
Central
|
Dollas Lower
|
John Piggott
|
52° 29' 56" N, 8° 45' 51" W
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
CROOM
|
43
|
Central
|
Dollas Lower
|
James Liston
|
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
CROOM
|
43
|
Central
|
Dunnaman
|
James D. Lyons
|
52° 31' 35" N, 8° 46' 2" W
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
CROOM
|
43
|
Central
|
Dunnaman
|
James D. Lyons
|
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
CROOM
|
43
|
Central
|
Dunnaman
|
Earl of Dunraven
|
|
LISTIN
|
THOMAS
|
CROOM
|
43
|
Central
|
Toryhill
|
Court of Chancery
|
52° 32' 15" N, 8° 41' 37" W
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
DYSERT
|
54
|
Central
|
Carrigeen
|
Earl of Dunraven
|
52° 31' 8" N, 8° 44' 43" W
|
LISTIN
|
JOHN
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Ballymacashel
|
R.W. Studdart
|
52° 38' 20" N, 8° 43' 14" W
|
LISTIN
|
MICHAEL
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Castlemungret
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
52° 38' 32" N, 8° 41' 15" W
|
LISTIN
|
PATRICK
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Castlemungret
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
|
LISTIN
|
JOHN
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Castlemungret
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
|
LISTIN
|
MARGARET
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Castlemungret
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
|
LISTIN
|
MICHAEL
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Castlemungret
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
|
LISTIN
|
PATRICK
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Castlemungret
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
|
LISTIN
|
JOHN
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Castlemungret
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
|
LISTIN
|
MARGARET
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Castlemungret
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
|
LISTIN
|
MICHAEL
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Castlemungret
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
|
LISTIN
|
HONORIA
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Loughanleagh
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
52° 38' 16" N, 8° 42' 32" W
|
LISTIN
|
HONORIA
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Loughanleagh
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
|
LISTIN
|
PATRICK
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Loughanleagh
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
|
LISTIN
|
JOHN
|
MUNGRET
|
111
|
Central
|
Loughanleagh
|
Robert W. Studdert
|
|
LISTON
|
PATRICK
|
ST LAWRENCE
|
98
|
Central
|
Spital Land
|
Bridget Donahoe
|
52° 39' 14" N, 8° 36' 18" W
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
ST LAWRENCE
|
98
|
Central
|
Spiital Land
|
William Halliday
|
|
LISTON
|
BRIDGET
|
ST MICHAEL
|
100
|
Central
|
Prior's Land
|
Zacharia Myles
|
52° 40' 23" N, 8° 38' 1" W
|
LYSTON
|
BRIDGET
|
ST MICHAEL
|
100
|
Central
|
Prior's Land
|
Geo. Wm. Pinchin
|
|
LYSTON
|
CATHERINE
|
ABINGTON
|
2
|
East
|
Cloghnadromin
|
George Westropp
|
52° 37' 28" N, 8° 29' 23" W
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
BALLYNACLOGH
|
19
|
East
|
Tullabeg
|
Trus. E. Smith's Charities
|
52° 33' 29" N, 8° 19' 25" W
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
GREAN
|
61
|
East
|
Kilduff
|
Michael Cronin
|
52° 33' 32" N, 8° 20' 10" W
|
LISTON
|
BARTHW.
|
BALLINGARRY
|
14
|
West
|
Common
|
In Fee
|
52° 28' 14" N, 8° 49' 20" W
|
LISTEN
|
JOHN
|
BALLINGARRY
|
14
|
West
|
Common
|
David Dove
|
|
LISTON
|
PATRICK
|
CHAPELRUSSELL
|
32
|
West
|
Pallas
|
Thos. McNamara
|
52° 38' 40" N, 8° 51' 39" W
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
CLONELTY
|
36
|
West
|
Ballynoe
|
Reps. Garret Maum
|
52° 26' 32" N, 8° 57' 5" W
|
LISTON
|
TERENCE
|
CLONELTY
|
36
|
West
|
Ballynoe
|
Reps. Garret Maum
|
|
LISTON
|
NICHOLAS
|
CLONELTY
|
36
|
West
|
Kilgolban
|
Bernard Sheehy
|
52° 27' 0" N, 8° 56' 35" W
|
LISTON
|
NICHOLAS
|
CLONELTY
|
36
|
West
|
Kilgolban
|
Brian Sheehy
|
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
CLONELTY
|
36
|
West
|
Knockaderry
|
Maurice Quaide
|
52° 28' 3" N, 8° 58' 43" W
|
LISTON
|
HONORIA
|
CLONELTY
|
36
|
West
|
Lissaniska West
|
John C. Locke
|
52° 27' 14" N, 8° 59' 45" W
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
CLONELTY
|
36
|
West
|
Lissaniska West
|
John C. Locke
|
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
CLONELTY
|
36
|
West
|
Lissaniska West
|
John C. Locke
|
|
LISTON
|
HONORIA
|
CLONELTY
|
36
|
West
|
Lissaniska West
|
John C. Locke
|
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
CLONELTY
|
36
|
West
|
Lissaniska West
|
John C. Locke
|
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
CLONELTY
|
36
|
West
|
Lissaniska West
|
John C. Locke
|
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
DUNMOYLAN
|
53
|
West
|
Gortadroma
|
Henry Roslime
|
52° 32' 17" N, 9° 9' 2" W
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
DUNMOYLAN
|
53
|
West
|
Gortadroma
|
George Hodges
|
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
DUNMOYLAN
|
53
|
West
|
Gortadroma
|
Captain Dickson
|
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
DUNMOYLAN
|
53
|
West
|
Knockfinnisk
|
Richard M. Yeilding
|
52° 29' 25" N, 9° 11' 19" W
|
LISTON
|
THOMAS
|
DUNMOYLAN
|
53
|
West
|
Park
|
George Crow Hodges
|
52° 31' 38" N, 9° 9' 27" W
|
LISTON
|
MICHAEL
|
DUNMOYLAN
|
53
|
West
|
Park
|
Thomas Liston
|
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
DUNMOYLAN
|
53
|
West
|
Park
|
George Crow Hodges
|
|
LISTON
|
MICHAEL
|
DUNMOYLAN
|
53
|
West
|
Park
|
John Liston
|
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
GRANGE
|
60
|
West
|
Arddrine
|
Reps. Viscount Guillamore
|
52° 26' 54" N, 9° 0' 37" W
|
LISTON
|
TERENCE
|
GRANGE
|
60
|
West
|
Evegallahoo
|
Thomas Evans
|
52° 28' 31" N, 8° 59' 50" W
|
LISTON
|
TERENCE
|
GRANGE
|
60
|
West
|
Grange Lower
|
William H. Franks
|
52° 28' 3" N, 9° 0' 34" W
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
KILBRADRAN
|
68
|
West
|
Ballylin
|
Mary Gorman
|
52° 32' 36" N, 9° 2' 6" W
|
LISTON
|
DENIS
|
KILBRADRAN
|
68
|
West
|
Ballyneety
|
Charles P. Roche
|
52° 32' 4" N, 9° 3' 17" W
|
LISTON
|
THOMAS
|
KILBRADRAN
|
68
|
West
|
Ballyneety
|
Charles P. Roche
|
|
LISTON
|
DANIEL
|
KILBRADRAN
|
68
|
West
|
Cooltomin
|
Standish O'Grady
|
52° 33' 2" N, 9° 1' 0" W
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
KILBRADRAN
|
68
|
West
|
Cooltomin
|
Standish O'Grady
|
|
LISTON
|
CORNELIUS
|
KILBRADRAN
|
68
|
West
|
Cooltomin
|
Standish O'Grady
|
|
LISTON
|
ELLEN
|
KILCOLMAN
|
71
|
West
|
Glensharrold
|
Richard M. Yeilding
|
52° 30' 40" N, 9° 8' 15" W
|
LISTAN
|
PATRICK
|
KILCORNAN
|
72
|
West
|
Summerville
|
Thos. McNamara
|
52° 38' 45" N, 8° 52' 40" W
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
KILFERGUS
|
75
|
West
|
Ballydonohoe
|
Thomas Fitzgerald
|
52° 34' 4" N, 9° 20' 51" W
|
LISTON
|
EDMUND
|
KILFERGUS
|
75
|
West
|
Ballygiltenan North
|
Knight of Glin
|
52° 33' 54" N, 9° 16' 41" W
|
LISTON
|
EDMUND
|
KILFERGUS
|
75
|
West
|
Ballygiltenan North
|
Geo. M. Goggin
|
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
KILFERGUS
|
75
|
West
|
Ballygiltenan Upper
|
Edmund Liston
|
52° 32' 2" N, 9° 16' 36" W
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
KILFERGUS
|
75
|
West
|
Tooraree Upper
|
Patrick Normoyle
|
52° 31' 21" N, 9° 14' 58" W
|
LYSTON
|
THOMAS
|
KILFERGUS
|
75
|
West
|
Killacolla (Barker), Main Street
|
Denis McElligott
|
52° 34' 17" N, 9° 16' 48" W
|
LISTON
|
BRIDGET
|
KILKEEDY
|
82
|
West
|
Ballyanrahan West
|
George Tuthill
|
52° 35' 45" N, 8° 43' 47" W
|
LISTON
|
THOMAS
|
KILMOYLAN
|
88
|
West
|
Knocknagornagh
|
Edward L. Masey
|
52° 29' 25" N, 9° 15' 46" W
|
LISTON
|
THOMAS
|
KILMOYLAN
|
88
|
West
|
Knocknagornagh
|
Trustees Earl of Carrick
|
|
LISTON
|
ELLEN
|
KILMOYLAN
|
88
|
West
|
Knocknagornagh
|
Edward L. Masey
|
|
LISTON
|
ELLEN
|
KILMOYLAN
|
88
|
West
|
Knocknagornagh
|
Trustees Earl of Carrick
|
|
LISTON
|
THOMAS
|
KILMOYLAN
|
88
|
West
|
Tooreendonnell
|
Samuel A. Dixon
|
52° 29' 49" N, 9° 13' 9" W
|
LISTON
|
MICHAEL
|
KILSCANNELL
|
92
|
West
|
Coolybrown
|
George M. Maunsell
|
52° 30' 33" N, 9° 1' 10" W
|
LISTON
|
MICHAEL
|
LOGHILL
|
105
|
West
|
Carrowbanebeg, village of Loghill
|
Thomas Shaughnessy
|
52° 35' 29" N, 9° 11' 46" W
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
LOGHILL
|
105
|
West
|
Knocknabooly West
|
Thomas Royce
|
52° 34' 51" N, 9° 9' 41" W
|
LISTON
|
NICHOLAS
|
LOGHILL
|
105
|
West
|
Derreen (cannot find it) Coordinates are for Loghill.
|
Edward L. Masey
|
52° 35' 39" N, 9° 10' 57" W
|
LISTON
|
NICHOLAS
|
LOGHILL
|
105
|
West
|
Derreen
|
Trustees Earl of Carrick
|
|
LISTON
|
DANIEL
|
LOGHILL
|
105
|
West
|
Derreen
|
Trustees Earl of Carrick
|
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
MAHOONAGH
|
107
|
West
|
Curragh
|
John Meagher
|
52° 25' 16" N, 8° 59' 8" W
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
MAHOONAGH
|
107
|
West
|
Curragh
|
John Meagher
|
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
MAHOONAGH
|
107
|
West
|
Curragh
|
John Meagher
|
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
MAHOONAGH
|
107
|
West
|
Mahoonaghbeg
|
John Meagher
|
52° 25' 55" N, 8° 59' 46" W
|
LISTON
|
DANIEL
|
MAHOONAGH
|
107
|
West
|
Mahoonaghbeg
|
John Liston
|
|
LISTON
|
NICHOLAS
|
MAHOONAGH
|
107
|
West
|
Shanrath
|
William ? Holland
|
52° 24' 57" N, 9° 0' 40" W
|
LISTON
|
MICHAEL
|
MONAGAY
|
108
|
West
|
Garryduff
|
Reps. William Leake
|
52° 26' 14" N, 9° 8' 20" W
|
LISTON
|
EDWARD
|
MONAGAY
|
108
|
West
|
Knockane
|
Trustees Earl of Devon
|
52° 26' 33" N, 9° 3' 56" W
|
LISTON
|
EDMOND
|
MONAGAY
|
108
|
West
|
Rathnaneane
|
Trustees Earl of Devon
|
52° 26' 45" N, 9° 3' 11" W
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
NEWCASTLE
|
113
|
West
|
Churchtown
|
Trustees Earl of Devon
|
52° 27' 44" N, 9° 4' 4" W
|
LISTON
|
PATRICK
|
RATHRONAN
|
118
|
West
|
Athea Upper
|
Wyndham Goold
|
52° 27' 9" N, 9° 18' 41" W
|
LISTON
|
MICHAEL
|
RATHRONAN
|
118
|
West
|
Ballyegny
|
James Moylan
|
52° 31' 46" N, 9° 4' 21" W
|
LISTON
|
PATRICK
|
RATHRONAN
|
118
|
West
|
Clash North
|
Wyndham Goold
|
52° 27' 19" N, 9° 13' 55" W
|
LISTON
|
EDMUND
|
RATHRONAN
|
118
|
West
|
Cool West
|
Wyndham Goold
|
52° 26' 44" N, 9° 15' 28" W
|
LISTON
|
THOMAS
|
RATHRONAN
|
118
|
West
|
Crataloe West
|
James Richard Woulfe
|
52° 25' 41" N, 9° 15' 45" W
|
LISTON
|
PATRICK
|
RATHRONAN
|
118
|
West
|
Gortnagross, Village of Athea
|
Honoria Roche
|
52° 26' 59" N, 9° 16' 54" W
|
LISTON
|
MICHAEL
|
RATHRONAN
|
118
|
West
|
Gortnagross, Village of Athea
|
Honoria Roche
|
|
LISTON
|
PATRICK
|
RATHRONAN
|
118
|
West
|
Gortnagross, Village of Athea
|
Honoria Roche
|
|
LISTON
|
JUDITH
|
SHANAGOLDEN
|
122
|
West
|
Ballycormick
|
William Hishon
|
52° 34' 24" N, 9° 6' 42" W
|
LISTON
|
EDMUND
|
SHANAGOLDEN
|
122
|
West
|
Shanagolden
|
Arthur Vincent
|
52° 34' 21" N, 9° 5' 47" W
|
LISTON
|
EDMUND
|
SHANAGOLDEN
|
122
|
West
|
Shanagolden
|
Arthur Vincent
|
Table 4. Liston and Variants in Griffith's
Valuation, Limerick (1847-1851)
The index has a total of 102 Listons (and variants: in the
parish of Mungret, all were recorded with the spelling Listin). Of those, 29
are in the central cluster, 3 in the eastern cluster, and 70 in the western
cluster. Were the Listons in the west more prolific than those in the center and
east of the county? Was there migration from the east and center, and was some
of that migration to the west? These were my initial questions about the data. As noted earlier, the Anglo-Norman Listons
settled in Kilscannell (Table 3: 92), which is at the heart of the western
cluster of Listons (Woulfe). Most of my early queries about the surname Liston
resulted in answers that pointed me to Newcastle West and vicinity, so the name
has become associated with that city and the western part of Limerick County.
Most of the Listons in America I have corresponded with have traced their
families to the parishes of Rathronan and Shanagolden in the west of Limerick
or to Grean Parish in the east.
When analyzing the data in the two
record sets, another factor to consider is that the compositions of those
documented for the Tithes and those in Griffith’s valuation were
different. As James R. Reilly points out,
It is certain that the farm
servant and the cottier will not appear in the Tithe Books, for they were not
subject to the tax because of their work relationship to their employer; the
landlord, the middleman, the small and the large farmer, and the wage laborer
generally have their names listed in this record. However, one can expect to
find all occupiers of land, whether wage laborer, cottier, small and large
farmer, listed along with landlord, landlord [sic] and the middleman in Richard
Griffith's General Valuation of Ratable Property. (http://www.deliapublications.com/SacredTenth.htm)
If all occupiers of
land had been recorded in the Tithe books, then the number of Listons might
have been much larger than reported, and the numbers reflected in Griffith’s
Valuation, instead of indicating an increase in the number or redistribution of
Listons in the county over the intervening decade, may simply be more accurate.
Based on Reilly’s observations, could it be that the Listons recorded in the
central cluster at the time of the Tithe Applotments were not more numerous but
more prosperous than the Listons in the western parishes?
Working
with Griffith’s Valuation, I learned that there were many records involved during
several years. Over about four years, the “valuators” revisited townlands and
revised the entries in their books, crossing out tenants who had vacated and
adding names of new tenants. The index that produced Table 4 reflects a
snapshot of landholders at the end of the valuation. If you think your ancestor
was in a townland that is not listed or one in which your ancestor does not appear,
you should look at the land and tenure books for the townland of interest, and
you may find the person you are looking for. Do not give up if you do not find the townland you seek immediately. The spelling of townland names have changed over the years, so search the Internet with your spelling, and you may find the townland you are looking for. There are many websites that can help with this search. The time of the valuation
coincides precisely with the potato famine, so the population was undergoing
much change, including mass migration out of Ireland, and the various valuation
books provide relevant clues. Discovering the right townland is an important
step in the research process. Figure 5 shows the townlands where Listons
resided at the time of Griffith’s Valuation.
 |
Figure 5. Townlands in Limerick where Listons (all variants) Lived per Griffith's Valuation (1847-1851), Plotted with Geographical Coördinates
|
Outside
Limerick, there were several occupiers of land with the surname Liston (and
variants) at the time of the Tithe Applotments. A broad search which included
many spelling variants yielded the following results:
Surname
|
Forename
|
Townland
|
Coordinates
|
Parish
|
County
|
Year
|
Liston
|
Tobin
|
Cormackstown
|
52°
40' 6" N, -7° 52' 43" W
|
Holycross
|
Tipperary
|
1834
|
Liston
|
Tobin A
|
Cormackstown
|
Holycross
|
Tipperary
|
1834
|
|
Liston
|
Richard
|
Derryfadda
|
52°
44' 4" N, -7° 39' 32" W
|
Moyne
|
Tipperary
|
1827
|
Leston
|
Michl
|
Gurtussa
|
52°
34' 1" N, -8° 4' 7" W
|
Kilpatrick
|
Tipperary
|
1833
|
Leston
|
Michl
|
Gurtussa
|
Kilpatrick
|
Tipperary
|
1833
|
|
Lesten
|
William
|
Corrogheen
|
52°
36' 14" N, -7° 45' 57" W
|
Ballymurreen
|
Tipperary
|
1827
|
Liston
|
John
|
Ballyhee
|
52°
53' 12" N, -8° 59' 15" W
|
Templemaley
|
Clare
|
|
Liston
|
David
|
Poulavollen /
Poulawillin
|
52°
50' 47" N, -9° 23' 48" W
|
Kilfane / Kilfarboy
|
Clare
|
|
Listin
|
Widow
|
Lacken
|
52°
27' 16" N, -8° 7' 11" W
|
Cordangan
|
Tipperary
|
1830
|
Listin
|
Pattk
|
Lacken
|
Cordangan
|
Tipperary
|
1830
|
|
Listin
|
Thomas
|
Lacken
|
Cordangan
|
Tipperary
|
1830
|
|
Listin
|
Joseph
|
Coolfadda
|
51°
44' 53" N, -8° 45' 15" W
|
Kilbrogan
|
Cork
|
1827
|
Lyston
|
Wm
|
Ardkeenan
|
53°
23' 6" N, -8° 3' 3" W
|
Drum
|
Roscommon
|
1833
|
Listen
|
Thomas
|
Carhniarhagh and
Keelagurteen
|
52°
27' 27" N, -9° 23' 48" W
|
Knockanure
|
Kerry
|
1824
|
Leston
|
Tim
|
Lusk
|
53°
31' 24" N, -6° 10' 5" W
|
Lusk
|
Dublin
|
1833
|
Table 5. Listons outside Limerick’s Borders in the Tithe Books
(1823-1834) with various spellings
Using the coordinates for each townland from the Tithe books, the distribution of Listons in the counties of Clare, Cork, Dublin, Kerry, and Roscommon has been plotted on the map in Figure 6.
 |
Figure 6. Listons (and Variants) outside Limerick's Borders in the Tithe Books (1823-1834), plotted with Geographical Coordinates
|
The Listons outside Limerick’s borders at the time of
Griffith’s Valuation (1847-1851) are listed in Table 7:
SURNAME
|
FORNAME
|
COUNTY
|
PARISH
|
TOWNLAND
|
LANDLORD
|
Coordinates
|
LISTON
|
PATRICK
|
CLARE
|
KILFARBOY
|
Breaffy North
|
Burdett Morony
|
52° 51' 25" N,
-9° 24' 52" W
|
LISTON
|
DAVID
|
CLARE
|
KILFARBOY
|
Breaffy North
|
Patrick Liston
|
|
LISTON
|
WILLIAM
|
DOWN
|
GARVAGHY
|
Castlevennon
|
William Waugh
|
54° 20' 11" N,
-6° 10' 25" W
|
LISTON
|
NICHOLAS
|
KERRY
|
LISTOWEL
|
Listowel
|
Earl of Listowel
|
52° 26' 52" N,
-9° 29' 0" W
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
KERRY
|
MURHER
|
Toberatooreen
|
William Sandes
|
52° 30' 1" N, -9°
18' 58" W
|
LISTON
|
PATRICK
|
MONAGHAN
|
CLONTIBRET
|
Doohamlat
|
John Waters
|
54° 7' 39" N, -6°
49' 18" W
|
LISTON
|
MICHAEL
|
TIPPERARY, NORTH
RIDING
|
KILCOOLY
|
Longford Pass North
|
Mary Hackett
|
52° 42' 4" N, -7°
39' 7" W
|
LISTON
|
JOHN
|
TIPPERARY, NORTH
RIDING
|
MOYNE
|
Derryfadda
|
John Maher
|
52° 44' 4" N, -7°
39' 32" W
|
LISTON
|
PATRICK
|
TIPPERARY, NORTH
RIDING
|
BURGESBEG
|
Carriggal
|
?
|
52° 49' 25" N,
-8° 19' 8" W
|
LISTON
|
PATRICK
|
TIPPERARY, NORTH
RIDING
|
BURGESBEG
|
Carriggal
|
?
|
|
LISTON
|
BRIDGET
|
TIPPERARY, NORTH
RIDING
|
BURGESBEG
|
Dromin
|
?
|
52° 49' 5" N, -8°
17' 6" W
|
LISTON
|
BRIDGET
|
TIPPERARY, NORTH
RIDING
|
BURGESBEG
|
Dromin
|
?
|
|
LISTON
|
BRIDGET
|
TIPPERARY, NORTH
RIDING
|
BURGESBEG
|
Dromin
|
?
|
|
LISTON
|
BRIDGET
|
TIPPERARY, SOUTH
RIDING
|
RATHCOOL
|
Coolanure
|
Mrs. Grace Heffernan
|
52° 30' 26" N,
-7° 42' 1" W
|
LISTON
|
JAMES
|
TIPPERARY, SOUTH
RIDING
|
ST JOHN BAPTIST
|
Green
|
Cashel Commissioners
|
52° 30' 50" N,
-7° 53' 9" W
|
LISTON
|
PATRICK
|
TIPPERARY, NORTH
RIDING
|
BURGESBEG
|
Carriggal
|
Patrick Finn
|
|
LISTON
|
BRIDGET
|
TIPPERARY, NORTH
RIDING
|
BURGESBEG
|
Dromin
|
William Finch
|
|
LISTON
|
BRIDGET
|
TIPPERARY, NORTH
RIDING
|
BURGESBEG
|
Dromin
|
William Finch
|
|
LISTON
|
BRIDGET
|
TIPPERARY, NORTH
RIDING
|
BURGESBEG
|
Dromin
|
William Finch
|
|
LESTON
|
LAWRENCE
|
TIPPERARY, SOUTH
RIDING
|
RATHKENNAN
|
Rathkennan Wood
|
Joseph Jones
|
52° 36' 46" N,
-7° 55' 27" W
|
LESTON
|
LAWRENCE
|
TIPPERARY, SOUTH
RIDING
|
RATHKENNAN
|
Rathkennan Wood
|
Joseph Jones
|
|
LISTIN
|
JOHN
|
CLARE
|
KILMANAHEEN
|
Ennistimon
|
Denis Rowan
|
52° 56' 22" N,
-9° 17' 25" W
|
LISTEN
|
ALEXANDER
|
DONEGAL
|
RAPHOE
|
Lismontigley
|
John Alexander
|
54° 51' 14" N,
-7° 34' 36" W
|
LISTEN
|
ALEXANDER
|
DONEGAL
|
RAPHOE
|
Cottown
|
William S. Alexander
|
54° 50' 18" N,
-7° 35' 49" W
|
LYSTON
|
JOHN
|
WEXFORD
|
FETHARD
|
Winningstown
|
Charles Cody
|
52° 13' 50" N,
-6° 51' 39" W
|
Table 6. Listons (and Variants)
outside Limerick, Griffith’s Valuation (1847-1851)
The map in Figure 7 shows the locations of Listons in townlands outside Limerick at the time of Griffith’s Valuation:
 |
Figure 7. Listons (and Variants) outside Limerick at the time of Griffith's Valuation (1847-1851)
|
Conclusion
The paucity of Irish records presents
some problems for genealogists searching for Irish ancestry; however, there are
some important surviving records, such as the Tithe Applotment Books and
Griffith’s Valuation, which can shed light on family origins in the early
nineteenth century, specifically from 1824 to 1851. Liston, found with various
spellings, is a name most common in the county of Limerick. The name is
associated with the period immediately following the Norman Conquest and may
have belonged to someone who accompanied William I from Normandy in 1066. Early
Listons held lands in Essex, England, and the Lothians in Scotland. It is also possible
that its early owners were English and took their name from the locality where
they lived. The Listons apparently accompanied or followed the Cambro-Norman
invasion of Ireland in the late twelfth century and settled in the western part
of Limerick, a county with which they have always been associated. It has been
possible to identify specific households through the Tithe records and
Griffith’s Valuation, which show that the Listons lived in three distinct areas
of the county, the majority in the west, fewer in the center and east.
Demographics imply that the Listons in the center of Limerick were more
prosperous than those in the west while those in the east were less numerous.
Some Listons can be found outside Limerick, scattered over a few nearby
counties, with a small number in the north of Ireland who may be of Scottish
origin. I hope this chapter will prove helpful to others researching the Listons in Ireland. The next chapter will revisit DNA as a tool in genealogical research
and examine another set of records from the early nineteenth century that
helped the author discover the hometown of his Liston ancestors.
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