Until the productions of Pigot and Company in the early 19th century, very little exists which covers the entire country. Three works may be used in a similar way for the country gentry:

The earliest countrywide directory covering more than the gentry was Pigot's Commercial Directory of Ireland, published in 1820. It goes through the towns of Ireland alphabetically, supplying the names of nobility and gentry living in or close to the town and arranging the traders of each town according to their trade.

Pigot published a subsequent edition in 1824 and his successors, Slater's, issued expanded versions in 1846, 1856, 1870, 1881 and 1894. These followed the same basic format, dividing the country into four provinces, and then dealing with towns and villages alphabetically within each province. With each edition the scope of the directory was steadily enlarged, including more towns and villages.

The best single collection of these directories is in the National Library, where most of the early editions have now been transferred to microfiche.

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