Taylour

Thomas Taylour was an English surveyor who was closely associated with William Petty the famous author of The Down Survey.[1] He was in fact the Deputy Surveyor General from 1660 to 1667. Shortly after the Cromwellian subjugation of the Irish, Sir William Petty was commissioned to carry out a complete survey of the entire country with a view to deciding the lands of the ‘rebel’ Irish that should be forfeited and made available for distribution to the soldiers and adventurers. Thomas Taylour came to Ireland in 1653 and was in possession of lands in the Kells area before the end of the decade. He got other lands in the country also either by purchase or by grant. In the early 1800s the family owned over 7000 acres in Co. Meath, 14000 plus in Cavan, almost 13,000 in Westmoreland, 4,500 in York and 3,400 in Lancashire. At the time Lord Headfort’s rental rolls brought him in a massive £40,000 per annum.

[1] Most of the Maps of the Down Survey or copies of them are still extant. They are in the National Library of Ireland, The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (P.R.O.N.I.) and some in the Bibliotechque Nationale in Paris.

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