As part of a government scheme to encourage the linen trade, free spinning-wheels or looms were granted to individuals planting a certain area of land with flax.  The lists of those entitled to the awards, covered almost 60,000 individuals, and were published in 1796.  They recorded only the name of the individual and the civil parish in which he lived.  Some names appear in every county except Dublin and Wicklow, however, 64% of the total were in Ulster.

Index entitled "surname index for the 1796 spinning wheel premium entitlement lists of Ireland"    --       FHL microfilm # 6341104

A list of persons to whom premiums for sowing flax-seed in the year 1796 have been adjudged by the trustees of the Linen Manufacture   --  FHL microfilm # 1419442