Herd's House

Autorotation

Hello all,

I'm trying to figure out what a "herd's house" is as mentioned on Griffith's Valuation? How big or substantial was one? From a distinction point of view, was it better, worse or no difference to the standard house a farmer lived in? Why would someone live in one and not just in a house? I've tried google searches but no luck.

Thank you!

shanew

I dont have any definite source but I would guess smaller than a farmer's house, and possibly intermittently used.


Shane

Ponster

A Herd's house is normally AFAIK a smaller residence than that of a farm house and used by the herdsman who looks after the animals for the owner.

Here's a photo of one :
http://books.google.com/books?id=SwMceBNaB4cC&pg=RA1-PT74&dq=Herd's+House&hl=en&sa=X&ei=D-7hUJmHK8mT0QH64ICwCQ&ved=0CGoQ6AEwCQ

Autorotation

Guys thank you very much for your replies. I'm researching distant relations in the Coll family around Bruree in Limerick. The Edmond/Edward Coll who brought Dev back to Ireland (his nephew) was my brother-in-law's great grandfather. There was a Patrick Coll in the late 1700's who lived in Maidstown Castle, Bruree and owned over 400 acres. He had 6 children (3 male, 3 female) but on Griffith's Valuation a number of Colls were in the area, many with substantial land, but two of them living in these herd's houses. Dev's own account of living in his Coll grandparents and uncle's little cottage in Bruree doesn't seem to fit the idea that the Colls before this were big landowners (a Coll owned Maidstown castle until 1976). So is it possible they are two separate families? I would think unlikely given the name of Coll in a rural area of Limerick! What do ye think!?...

shanew

there can be unrelated families with same surname, even quite rare names, in the same area - I've seen this a number of times.