Between 1848 and 1864, all of the land of Ireland was surveyed for the purpose of establishing the level of rates (local tax) to be paid by each landholder or leaseholder. The survey became known as Griffiths Valuation after the survey's director, Richard Griffith. The date of the survey for Boyle Union which includes much of the MacDermot Roe country was April 20, 1858.

In the survey, 39 entries can be identified as MacDermots Roe. However, a person may be listed more than once if he had property in more than one townland. For example, at least 3 of the 4 listings for William probably belong to William French MacDermot Roe who resided at Alderford, Kilronan Civil Parish. Consequently, the actual number of MacDermot Roe households is less than 39.

Although Griffiths Valuation lists only head of household, it is the best census of Ireland in the 19th century. All Irish censuses prior to 1901 were destroyed. Thus, Griffiths Valuations along with parish records constitute the main source of genealogical information for 19th century Ireland. Where known to this researcher, the total acreage in an individual's entry is shown.

The number of MacDermot Roe actual households shown in Griffiths appears a bit less than the approximately 40 MacDermot Roe households shown in mid-19th century parish records. It may be that parish priests were more diligent than government clerks in noting the appellation because of their greater familiarity with the families.

The MacDermots Roe represent about 6% of the total listings of McDermotts in Griffiths Valuation. This indicates a significant decrease from the approximately 50% figure reflected in the 1617 lease of Brian MacDermot of the Rock. See MacDermot of Moylurg (1996), Sir Dermot MacDermot, pages 458-464. The decline is attributed to the tendency of descendants to drop the appellation in the 18th and 19th centuries.

If you know of any corrections or additions, please contact Ken MacDermotRoe at ken@macdermotroe.com.