1869 - 1870 AD
"Disestablishment of the Enforced Tithes - 1st Irish Land Act - Issac Butt."
1869 AD -
1874 AD January:
William Ewart Gladstone the Scotsman and Statesman who was now the
British Liberal Prime Minister informed the German Hanoverian
British Queen
Victoria
that it was his intention to deal with
Ireland
as
a
"Free Country"
were the "will of the majority" would now rule not the
will of the "minority"
Ascendancy.
March 1st: William Gladstone the British Liberal Prime Minister endeavouring to "disestablish" the power of the Ascendancy Church of England / Ireland to finally benefit the "majority" of the population in Ireland, by removing the "Enforced Tithes," introduced his Bill into the British Westminster House of Commons much to the ire of the Conservative Ascendancy whose opposition was very loud and very "bitter" and among the opponents of the Bill was Edward Saunderson a non - Catholic Whig member from the Ulster Province, who was a hard - line anti - Catholic, who "resigned" from the Liberal Party over the issue and joined in with the Ascendancy Conservatives.
May 3rd: The
Disestablishment Church of England / Ireland Act
passed the
third reading due to the "majority" members in the
Liberal Government although it met
with "great opposition" from the
Ascendancy Conservatives.
July 3rd: The Conservative controlled Westminster "unelected" House of Lords also accepted the Bill but "reluctantly," after pressure was brought to bear, and the payment of financial "concessions" guaranteed for the Ascendancy Church of England / Ireland clergy, and the Act would eventually come into effect from 1871 AD, which was to also mean further freedom of their religion for the Catholic priests.
The old
St. Patrick's Cathedral
in
Dublin
was now to become
the national cathedral in
Ireland
for the
Ascendancy
Church of England / Ireland.
September:
William Gladstone
the British Liberal Prime Minister now turned his attention to
Irish
"land reform,"
and
to this end he had the
British Liberal Chief
Secretary
Fortescue
prepare the proposals to be introduced
with the first of these being, "To
legalise the custom of
the "tenant farmers" in the
Ulster Province,"
and
the second, "That should the
other "tenants"
in
Ireland
"not be" entitled to the
Ulster
custom, then on "eviction" they would
be entitled to an amount for compensation, plus
disturbance."
The situation
of the "majority" of the "tenant farmers" in Ireland
was finally to be reversed, and the
onus was to be placed on the
Land Lords. William Gladstone
was to continue to work on the
proposals for the next
3 months
to try and get them right.
Fortescue the British Chief Secretary, received reports from the "Poor Law" inspectors, informing him that the "tenant farmers" and their families in Ireland were still suffering "great hardship" under their new Land Lords, so they were now allowed to "purchase" their own lands, if it was economically possible for them to do so.
Charles Joseph Kickham the Irish revolutionary who had previously given his all for "Irish Freedom" from the British Imperial Government's domination was "released" from prison due to his failing health.
Jeremiah O Donovan of Rossa won an Irish bye - election, but was then declared "ineligible" as a convicted felon.
Phillip Johnson
from the
Kanturk Labourers Club
tried to bring about an improvement for the lot of labourers in
Ireland.
November: Isaac Butt the non - Catholic M.P. and lawyer publicised a proposal in "The Nation" newspaper to form an Irish United Nationalist Party as he was convinced that those representing the "upper classes," including the Land Lords and middle classes may still be capable of "controlling" Ireland for the British Imperial Government.
St. Patricks
Catholic Cathedral
in
Co. Armagh
in the
Ulster Province
became the National Cathedral
of the
Catholic Church in
Ireland
and all "religious" tests
were finally "abolished" to enter
Trinity College in
Dublin.
1870
AD There were by now
20,000
Land
Lords still in control of 48,000
confiscated Estates in Ireland
under "lease," and unpredictable
"evictions" were still beig carried out against the
"tenants" and their families.
Michael
Davitt's / Devitt father
had initially been "evicted," by his particular Land Lord of his
confiscated Estate, along with
his family in
Co. Mayo
in the mid - west of the
Connacht
Province
when he was only
4
year old,
and his family had gone over to
Lancashire
in
England where he was reared, and because of
this
personal family history he was
to fight hard for the, "rights" of the individual
"tenant farmers" in
Ireland
and the return
of the "land"
of
Ireland
to the
people of
Ireland
themselves and with this endeavour constantly in his mind to achieve his goal he
had become
an
I.R.B.
Fenian member of the
I.R. Brotherhood
and because of this
he was sentenced to
7 / 15
years imprisonment by the
British Imperial Government
this year. They sent him over to
"Dartmoor
Prison" in
England to get him out of
Ireland,
but in time he would
see his goal begin to
materialize when he was to later found the
"Irish
Land League" on behalf of all
the "tenants" in
Ireland
but in the meantime while he was incarcerated in England
"Irish Farmers' Clubs"
were also beginning to form to try and do the same and bring about "rural tenant reform."
Previously the Irish - Americans in the U.S.A. had been "excluded" from the "Democratic Party" there, but this year they were allowed to finally "join in," and given a chance to bring forward the ongoing terrible situation still existing in Ireland, through "democratic" principles there, but despite the opportunities to introduce dialogue through "democracy" there, the ongoing British Imperial Conservative Governments though were to continue to teach the Irish population that the only way they had any hope of achieving any consistent normal Irish rights in Ireland would be through "violence."
In desperation to gain further "publicity" for
their cause in
Ireland
the
Irish
- Americans and their supporters in America were to make another attempt to invade
Canada this year
hoping to highlight the
ongoing plight of those still living in
Ireland
under
the British Imperial Conservative Governments
authority and the
"Immoral Union," but once again it was
"stopped" by the forces of the
American Government.
February 15th: William Gladstone the British Liberal Prime Minister now placed his 1st Irish Land Act before the Westminster House of Commons although he came up against the wishes of his own Cabinet, who were composed of the upper echelons from the propertied class and were also the proponents of Laissez - Faire (Let the Market Rule), but despite their opposition he was well aware that he had to do something to alleviate the "terrible problems" that were continuing to occur in Ireland, so he pushed on with his 1st Irish Land Bill although they were all "reluctant" to introduce any type of "land reform" into Ireland. Once again it was not to be by "democratic" means, but by "violence" that made the members of the British Imperial Government eventually reconsider some type of "reform" for the "tenant farmers" in Ireland, as the "murders," that were committed in Co. Tipperary in the north - east of the Munster Province at this time, made it necessary to have to get on and finally do something "tangible." William Gladstone the British Liberal Prime Minister had previously discussed the problems in Ireland with other parties who were "genuinely" concerned, and he listened to their advice to give the "tenants farmers" some "legal" rights to the land they were working, and his 1st Irish Land Bill would also further allow the personal investment by the "outgoing tenants" in their particular holding to be actually "recognised" at last. He included "compensation" provisions for the "improvements" they had made if they should be "evicted," and also for any other reasons, except the "non - payment" of rent and this was to be known as Disturbance Compensation based on from 1 to 7 years "rent" up to a maximum of 250 pounds, but if they were "evicted" for non - payment of "rent" there was to be no compensation for Disturbance, but should the annual value of the land not exceed 25 pounds then their was a proviso that payment may be"ordered." If the leases were for 31 years or more, there would be "no entitlement" to any compensation for Disturbance if the lease was not renewed, with the further proviso that there would only be compensation for any "permanent" buildings, which the tenant had "constructed." By including this provision in the 1st Irish Land Bill he had hoped to induce the Land Lords to feel that it was in their interest to grant the "tenants" longer leases. John Bright in England who had been about the same "tenant rights" there, really understood that the Irish population wanted their "own land" returned to them as the "original owners," and he was for "nationalization" of all the land in Ireland, so that it could be actually placed back into the hands of the 600,000 "tenant farmers" in Ireland, so that they could do their own thing. William Gladstone tried to encompass the intention of John Bright, and to this end he included in the 1st Irish Land Act a clause," That if a "tenant" wished to "purchase" the land he would be able to borrow "two thirds" on security of the farm, which was to be paid back over 35 years @ 5 pound a year for every 100 pounds that was borrowed." Although it was a step in the right direction, what it missed was the fact that due to the provision that there had to be a "one third cash" deposit most of the "tenants" were naturally economically "excluded." Only 877 "tenant farmers" in Ireland out of the 600,000 "tenant farmers" working the Land Lord's confiscated Estates were eventually "financially able" to be in a position to "purchase" their land back, but despite this it was a beginning of a positive plan finally.
Although
William Gladstone's
1st
Irish Land Act
did not really
"solve"
Ireland’s
real "rural"
problems it was to be directly "opposite" to the British Imperial Government's previous
"Acts,"
which
had "allowed compensation"
only by an agreement,
which had to be signed anyway under the
"duress" of the
Land Lord, but it did
"eliminate" the
confiscation of any "improvements" made,
that had been previously carried out by the "tenant farmers" themselves, while on the
"negative" side
also it did not remove "rent increases" or the
Land Lord's
right to "restrict"
the sale of the "tenant’s" goodwill in the land, as it had been mainly designed to
"reduce" the Land
Lords'
"opposition" towards leasehold "tenancies." Large "tenant farmers"
of 50 pounds
or over could also contract to "opt out" of the legislation and they seized on this
"loophole" and it was eventually passed into law.
The other part, that completely missed out altogether
was that the
Ulster
Tenant
Farmers
Customs
provision, previously mentioned, were not
"made clear or specific" being only
referred to as
"Usages" and
were left to the
"courts" to sort out, making it "expensive" and
a long drawn out procedure to arrive at any final
conclusion, while another factor "against" this unclear provision, was that the
Land Lords
in the
Ulster Province
over the last
20 years had
taken every "opportunity" to
remove or reduce what had been
"fairer" customs there.
Also the
Land Lords still had the power to
"increase"
the "rents" and therebye get an "eviction" anyway, because the "tenant farmers" were not
then financially able to pay the "increased" charges.
March:
As the "agitation" in the
"rural" areas in
Ireland
still
continued
on, the
Catholic Bishops
in
Ireland
informed
William Gladstone,
the British Liberal Prime Minister, that only
"permanent" tenure on their
Irish
lands would ever bring any real satisfaction to the
"majority" of the "tenant" population in
Ireland
on the Land Lord's confiscated Estates.
April: William Gladstone
the British Liberal Prime Minister realised that the
Tories /
Conservatives, the
Whigs
and some of the
Radicals had been
"frightened" by the
1st Irish Land Bill
in case it should ever be brought in,
in
England, but despite
this once again "democracy" was to be put aside and "violence" was once again to be the
result and
precipitator for any further "reform,"
as they were by now well aware that further "reform" had to be instigated to halt
the ongoing "violent
attacks" by the
I.R.B.Fenians,
but unfortunately
William
Gladstone at this point in time decided to
"panic."
Instead of
continuing on with the "democratic" pathway that he had previously begun to introduce, he
brought in another
Irish
Coercion Bill
to try and restore the
overall
British Imperial Government control under the
"Immoral Union"
over the population in
Ireland,
which only
further "aggravated" the existing harsh conditions that were still occurring there.
May:
Isaac Butt
the non - Catholic M.P.
and
barrister who had "defended" the
Fenians
/ Irish Republican Brotherhood / I.R.B.
members became the first
"leader" of the "Irish
Parliamentary Party
/ I.P.P."
until
1877 AD, and he
called a meeting to consider the previous proposals he had put forward in
"The
Nation"
newspaper for a peaceful
Irish Home Rule
movement
(Irish Home Government Association),
as he had noted that the
British Imperial
Government
in
England did not give to the
Cork Famine Relief
that which
would have been granted to
Cornwall in Britain for instance. The meeting was attended by many
non - Catholics
and
Conservatives,
and to
accommodate their views a few months later the
Irish Home Government Association /
Irish Home Rule League
was formed as a non - parliamentary party to
consider putting forward the idea of an "Irish Parliament,"
which would be
responsible for the affairs of
Ireland,
yet still be represented in the
Westminster Parliament.
He believed
that in the interests of "safety" for
England and "peace" in
Ireland
it would be best served to bring in "self - government"
in
Ireland,
and to this end he continued to support
William Gladstone,
expecting him to bring forward more
"reform"
in
Ireland
as he was
"involved" with the non - Catholic
Land
Lords in the "Home Government Association / Irish Home Rule League,"
who only represented the "upper classes,"
as he
knew full well that
Irish Home Rule
could only be achieved under the
British Imperial Government by "democratic" means by action in the
Westminster Parliament.
There were to be a series of
Bye - Elections held from this year
until
1873
AD, which were contested
by those who "supported"
"Irish
Home Rule,"
but
only 6
of them were to be "successfully elected," as the
others
were either "defeated" or "withdrew" due to
a lack of support,
while the
6 that were
"successful" were those
who also ran on other "local issues" that were
popular at the time, which included
Isaac Butt
who had won his seat
at
Limerick
in
Co. Limerick
in the mid - north - west of the
Munster Province
on "tenant rights",
highlighting the fact that
"Irish
Home Rule"
was not so important at this time
to the general
population in
Ireland.
The
Conservatives
in Isaac Butt's
Irish Home Rule League had "only" wanted
"Home Rule
for Ireland,"
while those other supporters of "Irish Home Rule"
who included more "personal" tangible improvements in their platforms, such as "land reform" and
"denominational education"
were
the ones who proved to be the most successful.
December: William Gladstone the British Liberal Prime Minister eventually persuaded his Cabinet to release the I.R.B.Fenian prisoners who they were holding in their prisons to try and bring about further "conciliation" with the general population in Ireland, but it would still be another 15 years before he would come to fully realise that the population in Ireland actually wanted to "govern" their own Country and in the meantime all Irish industries and resources would be continued to be "depressed" as usual by the "merchants" in the British Westminster Parliament in England during the next 53 years of the ongoing forced "Immoral Union." Only 1/3 of Irish revenues were to be actually spent in Ireland, and the other 2/3 in England, which continued to do "nothing" for the economy in Ireland, with the cost of governing Ireland set at 100 million pounds compared to the whole of England at 210 million pounds up to 1870 AD.
Another "castle" was constructed this year by the Engish third Marquis of Donegal on Cave Hill at Belfast in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province.
Thomas Power - O Connor the Irish journalist, who was to become the M.P. for Liverpool in England and have outstanding success in his endeavours to bring about "Irish Freedom" now joined the London Daily Telegraph.
James Connolly, was born this year near Clones in Co. Monaghan in Southern Ulster, who was to play a "major" role in the coming Irish 1916 Easter Uprising, which was to finally bring about :Irish Independence" in 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland from the stranglehold of the British Imperial Conservative Coalition Government in England still under the auspices of the Immoral Union.