The Irish Land Issue

Ireland

What was Conacre?

Legal practice of leasing farms to tenants- usually ST leases for a small plot of land to grow a single crop

How long were conacre leases usually and why?

11 months, LL had no legal obligations to tenants

What happened as a consequence of conacre?

evictions, poor land security, high rents → vulnerability

What are the three F’s?

Fair rent, fixity of tenure, free sale

Who was the first to agitate for the ‘three F’s?

Irish Tenant League 1850-59

Define fair rent

stop arbitrary/exploitative rent increase

Define fixity of tenure

guaranteed tenure of land over period of time- stop evictions if rent paid, increase security

Define free sale

freedom to sell ‘interest’ in their holding to next tenant or compensaton for improvements made to holding

What was the significance of the Irish Tenant League?

declined as increased prosperity undermined united front but ‘demonstrated ability to mobilise’

What was the Ulster custom?

customary rights of fixity of tenure so no eviction if tenant pays rent, free sale with compensation for work tenant put into land

What did Gladstone want to do when he became PM in 1868?

broad desire for harmonious Anglo-Irish relations

What act did Gladstone introduce to pacify Ireland?

1869 Church Act- disestablished the church of Ireland and reduced religious tensions

When was the Tenant League formed and by whom?

1869, Isaac Butt

What was the Dublin Land Conference?

conference involving farmers, TL and politicians including 14 MPs, lasted 2 days and demanded tenant rights

Who refused to attend the Dublin Land Conference and why?

Liberal politicians- position complicated by need for loyalty and own ownership of land but were sympathetic

Who was John Gray?

protestant nationalist supporter of O’C and owned the Freeman’s Journal, spread the message of the conference including demand for 3Fs

What was the significance of the Dublin Land Conference?

Gladstone committed to settling the issue in response to increasing politicisation of the farmers

What was the political gain from the 1970 Land Act?

Gladstone gain support in party and with Cons, one off bill to uphold customs rather than attack property rights

What was the 1870 Land Act?

Ulster custom recognised formally in law wherever agreed existed already, compensate tenants evicted for reasons other than non-payment + compensate for improvements, rents charged not ‘exorbitant’

What was the Bright Clause?

option to buy land by borrowing 2/3 of price, 5% interest over 35 years

Who did the 1870 Land Act not apply to?

tenants of leases 31 years+ as assumed sufficient protection under lease

What were the economic conditions in the early 1870s?

relative prosperity, evictions rare, agriculture profitable

What was the rate of evictions in the early 1870s?

1\.36 per 1000

What did the value of production increase by in the early 1870s?

12 million

What did Gladstone declare in 1877 when visiting?

pleased with progress

What was successful about the 1870 Land Act?

first occasion where gov intervened in land issue on behalf of tenants- previous legislation on behalf of landowners, well received by farming community

What was wrong with the phrasing of the 1870 Act?

‘exorbitant’ too loose- no numerical value so could be interpreted in any way, no fixed guideline on high rents

What was wrong with the 1870 Act’s free sale conditions in practice?

Landlords often didn’t adhere to free sale, and the tenants couldn’t afford to take them to court over it

What was wrong with the 1870 Land Act’s Bright Clause?

at landowner’s discretion, had to have 1/3 ready in cash to pay which wasn’t accessible to many

What was wrong with 1870 Act’s lack of protection of tenants with leases over 31 years?

landlords changed their leases to be 31 years or more so no protections applied and then increased the rent so tenants were thrown out

What was wrong with the 1870 Act’s protections of the Ulster custom?

informal, no proof where it was already in practice and to prove it you had to go to court

What was wrong with the 1870 Act’s limitations on rents?

could raise rents because of economic necessity- subjective

How did the 1870 Act damage relationships between tenants and landlords?

some taken to court- tenant farmers asserted rights more

What was wrong with the 1870 Act’s protection of Ulster custom and lease lengths?

Ulster custom didn’t apply to leases over 31 years, but most of those leasers were over 31 years so it got rid of the protections immediately

What was change in unemployment in the 1870s due to a drop in Irish exports to Br?

1% in 1800 to 11% in 1870s

What was the cause of the 1871 economic boom?

end of American Civil War and Franco-Prussian WarH

How did the economic boom lead to the depression in 1877?

led to overspeculation and loss of confidence, investors cut back, valye of stocks declines, 1873 crash- slow economic growth and lay-offs

Why were prices low in the LD?

decline in export trade, competition with America for wheat and meat markets push prices down, foreign imports of butters (Connacht)

Why were there low yields during the LD?

Weather 1877 + poor harvest affects agricultural performance, low yields potato

How did the value of Irish tillage fall 1876-79?

£14 million

Why did Land value fall in the LD?

falling prices results in decline in value of land as not generating profit, especially affects small tenant farmers as land becomes worthless, tenants cannot pay rent

Who was most affected by the LD?

West- more traditional farming, Connacht and West Munster mini-famine

How were wealthier farmers affected by LD?

faced higher rents and lower incomes

How did the LD expose the failure of the Land Act?

no provision for fixed rent, some LL reduce rents, some increased to offset poor relief costs, some offered loans with interest added to rent

How many evictions were there in 1877?

400

How many evictions were there in 1880?

2000

Where was Michael Davitt born?

County Mayo- son of a tenant farmer

When did Davitt join the IRB?

1865

When was Davitt imprisoned?

1870-77

Why was Davitt evicted at 6 years old?

non-payment of rent during the famine

When were the Land Wars?

1879-82

What was the goal of the Land Wars?

rent reduction, legal rights re. landowners and holdings

What was the impact of the Land Wars?

pressure + fear forced Br to take action with Land Acts

How did the Land Wars start?

Davitt laid the foundation for the LL at a meeting in Irishtown, Co. Mayo in 1879, meetings spread around nation

What were the Land League’s aims?

put an end to rack-renting, eviction and landlord oppression, radical change to put power into the hands of Irish farmers- restructuring land system so tenant farmers owned their own land

How did the LL use social pressure to fight the Land Wars?

ostracising and exposing rack-renting landlords + landgrabbers

What happened in the Boycott of Captain Boycott’s land?

Sept 1880 he served notices on 11 tenants who had failed to keep up with rent payments, local community encouraged all his workers to leave his estate, 50 Ulstermen arrived under troop escort in Nov 1880 to work his land but eventually he left for England at the end of 1880

How did the LL use intimidation and violence to fight the Land Wars?

attacked workers who refused to boycott- cut off ears of cows as warning, increase of crimes by Ribbonmen, only occasional

What role did Davitt play in organising people?

persuaded Catholic priest Burke to reduce his rent by 25%

What role did Davitt play in inspiring further action through effective strategy?

success in Mayo inspired other direct action elsewhere, second meeting in Westport 1879

What role did Davitt have in establishing links to Parnell and the nationalist movement?

invited Parnell to speak at Westport in 1879 meeting

Who influenced Davitt?

radical ideas of James Finton Lalor- wished to see the nationalisation of land

How many cities did Parnell speak in and how much money did this raise?

60 US cities, £12000 for LL and £60000 for famine relief

How did Parnell influence Ireland?

spoke to encourage non-violent direct action (rent-strikes)

What role did Parnell play in creating broad appeal and awareness?

brought media coverage with Times reports and appealed to both moderates and revolutionaries

How did Parnell unite nationalism?

Became President of Irish National Land League and IPP- nationalism united under singular leader

When were the conservatives in power?

1874-1880

How many seats did the Liberals have in Ireland in the 1880 election?

15 compared to HRL’s 63

What was Forster motivated by?

sense of public duty

Why was the Compensation for Disturbance bill introduced in June 1880?

temporary measure to compensate S/W tenants if evicted even if for non-payment as long as due to depression, last 18 months

Why did the CfD bill not become law?

potential effects it would have for Irish landlords

What did the failure of the C4D bill cause?

increased agitation- Captain Boycott boycott

What was Forster forced to introduce due to increasing hostility from the Irish tenant population?

Protection of Person and Property Act 1881- suspended habeas corpus

How many were arrested under the Protection of Person and Property Act 1881?

995 including Davitt and Parnell in Feb and Oct 1881

What effect did this have on Forster and what happened to his position in 1882?

radical Irishmen plotted his murder and he resigned after a treaty between the League and gov

What was the Bessborough Commission and what did it recommend?

created by Gladstone, recommended granting Irish tenants the ‘three Fs’

Who is now credited for land reform instead of Forster due to the obstacles he faced?

Gladstone

Why was the 1881 Land Act passed?

immediate solution to reduce tensions in the countryside, primarily by reducing rents

What were Gladstone’s key motivations for the passing of this act?

desire to help the country, subdue the LL and promote a better Anglo-Irish relationship

What were the provisions outlined in the 1881 Land Act?

Irish Land Commission to decide levels of rent where disputed, tenant right to sell land holdings if chose, tenants had security of tenure if abide by conditions set out (**statutory tenure**)

How did Gladstone anticipate the Act would be received?

granted the LL’s demands as understood by Gladstone therefore he anticipated a restoration of order

What limitations were there in the 1881 Land Act?

did not redistribute land as the more radical elements of the LL demanded, did not address the issue of rent arrears, no provision for the adjustment of rent levels in event poor harvest/depressed economic conditions

How many small farmers were affected by rent arrears?

150,000

What fraction of the farming population of Co. Mayo were affected by rent arrears?

2/3

What did Parnell write when he was arrested for incitement after giving speeches criticising the Land Act?

‘No Rent Manifesto’- calling for national rent strike to reform Act and keep movement together

Where was Parnell’s NRM published?

front page of LL’s paper United Ireland, which had a circulation of 100,000

How many agrarian outrages were there in the 7 months following the NRM?

3498

What did letters sent with pseudonyms to warn of attacks resemble?

actions of ‘Whiteboys’ in 18th century

How did the NRM contribute to LL suppression?

LL made illegal

What fraction of Irish people were content with the 1881 Land Act?

2/3

Why was there greater violence in the countryside after the NRM?

already struggling due to depression- deepened instability

What was the Killmainham Treaty?

April-may 1882 Gladstone agreed to amend LA to remove requirement to pay arrears and release Parnell and other leaders, Parnell agreed to subdue agrarian discontent

What happened as a result of the Killmainham Treaty?

Forster resigned in protest- gov content as end unpopular coercion

Arrears of Rent Act 1882- cancelled £2 million rent arrears