DjVu Plugin
Our Grand Jury maps have been created in DjVu format and are also available via MapBrowser. The DjVu Browser Plug-in is the primary means of viewing DjVu documents. It runs inside most modern browsers including IE, Firefox and Safari.
More info >>

DjVu version of the 1787 Grand Jury Maps
When you have the DjVu plugin installed,
Click here for the online maps in DjVu format >>

Mapbrowser version of the 1787 Grand Jury maps
These maps can also be viewed via MapBrowser, our new integrated online maps system which runs in most browsers without the necessity to install plugins.
Tip: click on the slider to zoom in and out, and select the pan cursor button to move around the map.
Click here for the 1787 Grand Jury maps in mapBrowser >>

Grand Juries
The Grand Jury was the most important local body in rural Ireland during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, and was empowered to raise money by means of county rates. Its responsibilities included the construction and repair of roads and bridges and the upkeep of local institutions.

Grand Jury Map of Clare (1787)
In 1779, the Grand Jury of County Clare commissioned Henry Pelham to make a map of the county. The map was completed in 1787 and measured 6 feet by 6 feet. It was drawn on a scale of 1½ inches to the mile, and included roads, rivers, lakes and large houses. Hills and mountains were indicated by heavy shading. Barony and parish boundaries are shown and some townland names are included.

Henry Pelham
Henry Pelham (1749-1806) was born in Boston, Massachusetts and was a painter, engraver and cartographer. Pelham was connected to County Clare through his mother, Mary Singleton, who lived at Quinville House, near Quin, and was the half-brother of the artist John Singleton Copley. The script on the Grand Jury Map was designed and engraved by T. Harmar and the topographical elements engraved by I. Cheevers.