Old ledgers provide snapshot of rural life in Cork before Famine

A collection of three ledgers, detailing Midleton Distillery’s Barley Purchase Books from the 1800s, have been published for public viewing.

Irish Distillers, known for producing some of the world’s most successful Irish whiskeys, partnered with Ancestry.ie to publish the records from James Murphy & Co at Midleton Distillery, documenting barley purchases from Co Cork farmers during the pre-Famine period of 1825 to 1834.

The unique volumes recorded the names of local farmers who supplied the distillery in its early years, along with the quantities of barley sold, offering a rare insight into the early history of Midleton Distillery and the farming communities that supported the production of Irish whiskey.

The records are available to search for free up until September 29 via the Ancestry website.

With few, if any, individual records of farmers surviving from this period, these documents may be the only written trace of many of the families listed, making them an invaluable resource for genealogical research.

Beyond the names, the ledgers provide a rare snapshot of community life before the Famine, having also recorded the names of female farmers who were leading households and managing farms across East Cork.

Carol Quinn, head of archives at Irish Distillers, said the company is “proud to continue our partnership with Ancestry making our archival records available to people around the world”.

“The barley purchase books date back to the foundation of Midleton Distillery, which marks its 200th anniversary this year, and represent a remarkable resource for anyone tracing their roots in East Cork,” said Ms Quinn.

“As they capture a pre-famine period, these may be the only surviving records of some individuals.

“It is very possible that descendants of the farming families recorded in these volumes still live and work in the area today and may even continue to supply barley to Midleton Distillery.

“These records offer a unique bridge to the past, helping the public to explore and connect with their family history,” she added.

“They also show the crucial importance of business archives in filling in the gaps in our documentary heritage.”

Rhona Murray, senior content acquisition manager at Ancestry, said that the company’s mission is to “connect everyone with their past so that they can discover, preserve, and share their unique family stories”.

“We work closely with archives around the world to digitally image and index genealogically relevant historical documents and make them searchable like never before,” Ms Murray said.

“We are proud to work with Irish Distillers to digitise and bring online this unparalleled collection of barley purchase books recording farmers from the pre-Famine era.

“By combining our strengths, Irish Distillers and Ancestry are excited to help unlock new and interesting family history and social history stories for those interested in researching their connections to East Cork.”

This latest release adds to a growing collection of records made available through the partnership between Irish Distillers and Ancestry.

Previous collaborations have seen the digitisation from the firm John Jameson & Son of more than one million employee records, spanning more than a century, and also historical agreements with Irish publicans.