Summary of depth topic 4 (3.6 in textbook)
The Irish Land issue
Not properly titled in bold etc, but split into sections eg. the different risings or by Prime Minister
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Introduction:
- Ireland's only significant natural resource was the fertile soil
- By the mid-19th century there was an unequal balance wherein the majority of Ireland’s
rural inhabitants existed on small plots of land let to them either by the landowner of through
a middleman
- Legal foundation on which leasing was based was known as conacre and it provided the
prospective tenant with no legal claim to the land - rent paid only in cash, labour or a
combination of the two
- Tenants very vulnerable, left to the mercy of the landowners
- After 1870 attempts were made to reduce tension periodically
- Due to challenging economic conditions generated by farmers’ traditional enemy - poor
weather - and growing markets in the USA made this increasingly difficult
- These problems weakened the position of Irish smallholders who relied on the scale of their
produce to pay rents which hastened a deterioration in landowner-tenant relations
- This decline led to the Land Wars which began in 1879 and lasted 3 years
- Only came to an end following the a deal between the leaders of the protesting farmers and
the British government
- The question of land became a symbol of British oppression since ownership lay primarily
with the British or Anglo-Irish
- Land reform adopted first by the Young Irelanders (1848) and then in a more peripheral
manner with the IRA after 1858
- Land question had to be addressed to keep Ireland pacified
- Following the Fenian uprising (1867), Gladstone made it clear of his intention to settle the
broader Irish question
- One means he sought to achieve this was by addressing the issue of land and particularly
tenants’ rights
Tenant Leagues:
- By 1870: 500,000 tenant farmers, 80% held leases of not more than 12 months
- Therefore, they had no legal rights or strong claim to the land they rented and were reliant
upon the mercy of the landowner
- Sense of vulnerability combined with a more determined attitude towards securing land
rights in the post-famine years had resulted in the creation of the Irish Tenant League in
1850
- Nationwide attempt to unite in an organised manner in order to secure the ‘the Fs’ Fair rent,
fixity of tenure and the freedom for tenants to sell their interest in their holding subject to the
landlords’ approval
- With these objectives, the league felt they could empower tenant farmers and equalise the
relationship that currently was so one-sided
- eg. fixity of tenure meant that a tenant would not be evicted if he had paid his rent, gave a
greater degree of security
- League short lived, lasted 9 years. Ended when prosperity dampened the fires of its
members
- It demonstrated an improved ability to mobilise as a unified front in the pursuit of their goals
- Collapse of the Tenant League didn’t see the end of the demand for land reform
, - Ad hoc farmers' clubs grew which sporadically agitated for changes
- Most prominent in the south of the country since farmers in Ulster had a better relationship
with their landlords by virtue of what was known as the Ulster custom
- Here tenants had asserted the right of continuous occupation of their plots by citing the
stability and improvements to the land that their labours and those of their families had
created during and after those difficult times
- Therefore, farmers in the north already enjoyed a number of the rights being sought by
farmers in the south
- Despite the better arrangements in Ulster, the security was based upon convention only
- New Tenant League 1869, sought to win greater support in the south by pointing out the
anticipated fear that any new legislation they themselves were pushing for might jeopardise
the unwritten advantages that were enjoyed in that province
- Ulster did begin to call for a more formal basis for their convention and joined their southern
counterparts in a broader demand for change (although slow to commit)
- By 1870 the Tenant League had a strong following
- Led to Gladstone creating legislation to settle the land question and appease its supporters
The Dublin Land Conference 1870:
- With rumours that Gladstone was preparing a bill, Irish farmers and the Tenant League
were keen to influence its development so as to ensure it offered the measures they sought
- Feb 1870 a national land conference organised in Dublin as a forum in which farmers and
interested parties could openly declare their hopes - issue of tenant rights was the main
focus
- Deliberately a public affair so that it had the effect of a popular demonstration of the will of
Ireland’s agricultural community
- Irish Liberals refused to attend on the grounds that they were primary landowners in Ireland
who, though unwilling to openly oppose land reform, were equally unwilling to openly oppose
land reform
- Sir John Gray (key speaker) Protestant nationalist, strong supporter of O’Connell and
advocate of the ‘three Fs’ - owned the Freeman’s Journal so was well placed to spread the
feelings of the conference on a wider basis. His newspaper recorded the proceedings with
great interest
- Conference sought assurances that eviction would only be performed of rent had not been
paid and for no other reason
- Overall outcome was a wish to extend the Ulster custom - specifically the rights of
fixity of tenure and freedom to sell their interest - across the whole country and
formalise tenant rights in the hope that every tenant farmer would have strong
grounds for legal protection and long-term security
- The conference’s overtly political nature in terms of those who attended and the
manner of its timing almost certainly influenced the preparation of Gladstone’s
legislation which was introduced to parliament in mid-February
Land Act or the Landlord and Tenant Act 1870:
- Land Act 1870 was a product of Gladstone’s broader despite to promote a more
harmonious relationship between Ireland and Britain
- 1868 he had said that his intention was to pacify Ireland and by 1869 he had already taken
steps to address religion - Irish Church Act had disestablished the Protestant Church of
Ireland and gone some way to reduce Catholic and Protestant tensions
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