In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described County Longford like this:
Longford.-- an inland co. of Leinster province, and situated nearly in the centre of Ireland; bounded NW. by co. Leitrim, NE. by co. Cavan, SE. and S. by co. Westmeath, and W. by co. Roscommon (from which it is divided by Lough Ree and the river Shannon); greatest length, NE. and SW., 32 miles; greatest breadth, NW. ...
and SE., 18 miles; average breadth, 15 miles; area, 269,409 ac. (13,675 water), or 13 per cent, of the total area of Ireland; pop. 61,009, of whom 910 per cent, are Roman Catholics, 80 Protestant Episcopalians, 06 Presbyterians, and 03 Methodists. The surface for the most part is flat, and is much interspersed with bog. The principal streams besides the Shannon are the Inny, the Camlin, and the Kerragh. There is a range of bleak hills along the NW. border. Lakes are numerous. Much of the soil is fertile, varying from a light mould to deep loam; limestone and marble are general. (For agricultural statistics, see Appendix.) Flax and oats are the chief crops. Butter is produced in great quantities, the chief market for which is Drogheda. There are some linen and coarse woollen mfrs., and many females are employed in spinning. The Royal Canal, with its branches, traverses a great extent of this county. The co. comprises 6 bars.- Ardagh, Granard, Longford, Moydow, Rathcline, and Shrule; 23 pars, and several parts of pars.; and the towns of Longford, Granard, and Edgeworthstown. For parliamentary purposes the co. is divided into 2 divisions - viz., North Longford and South Longford - each returning 1 member.
Vision of Ireland presents long-run change by redistricting historical statistics to modern units. However, none of our modern units covers an area close to that of County Longford. If you want trends covering a particular location within the county, find it on our historical maps and then select "Tell me more".
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of County Longford | Map and description for the county, A Vision of Ireland through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofireland.org/place/20030
Date accessed: 07th November 2024
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