6C. The Land Wars Flashcards
What were the problems with Ireland’s conacre system?
By 1870, Ireland had 500,000 tenant farmers, 80% of whom held leases shorter than 1 year.
- Tenant had no legal claim to the land they rented.
- Leases granted under this system also created short claims to the land, usually 11 months.
- Small holdings, short tenancies, often only a single crop type, tenants vulnerable to eviction and rack-renting.
What were the three ‘F’s?
Fair rent
Fixity of tenure*
Free sale
*This meant that a tenant could not be evicted if they had paid their rent
What was the Ulster custom?
A set of informal rights enjoyed by Ulster tenants, such as fixity of tenure and the ability to sell the right of occupancy to any new tenant approved by the landlord.
These rights were asserted in Ulster due to the importance of the role they played in maintaining and improving the land during times of economic and political turmoil in the 17th Century.
When was the Irish Tenant League first founded?
When did it reform?
1850
1868*
*Isaac Butt as President
What was organised in February 1870?
In February 1970, due to rumours that Gladstone was preparing a bill, a national land conference was organised in Dublin as forum for discussion and a popular demonstration of the will of Ireland’s agricultural community.
Who attended the February 1870 Dublin Land Conference?
Attendees of the event came from across the country and even from Ulster farms where the Ulster custom was in force.
Notable figures include:
- President of the Tenant League, Isaac Butt
- Sir John Gray, a Protestant nationalist, veteran reformer and owner of the Freeman’s Journal
- Around 14 MPs
- Lords Portsmouth, Granard, Greville and Bellew
Irish liberals were noticeably absent from the conference as they were primary landowners in Ireland, who were unwilling to endorse it.
What was promoted at the February 1870 Dublin Land Conference?
Demonstrated desire to extend Ulster custom to all of Ireland, especially fixity of tenure and freedom to sell their interest.
Why was the 1870 Dublin Land Conference significant?
Significant for bringing together representatives from different parts for Ireland to discuss land laws and put pressure on the new Gladstone who had come into power in 1868 to carry through land reform.
Why did Gladstone pass the First Irish Land Act 1870 (Landlord and Tenant (Ireland) Act)
- Reduce antagonism in Ireland and concerns within his party that not addressing the issue could create future unrest
- Create a fairer land system
What did the First Irish Land Act 1870 impose?
- Ulster custom was recognised in law wherever it was agreed that it existed
- Compensation offered for tenants evicted on any ground other than non-payment of rents, and for any improvements to land the tenant might have made
- Protection afforded by legislation would not apply to tenants with leases over 31 years, as it was assumed that sufficient protection already existed for those tenants under the terms of their leases
- Rents must not be exorbitant
Bright Clause:
- Any tenant who wished to by their holding could do so, and could borrow 2/3 of the price from the government to pay back at 5% interest over 35 years
What was the significance of the First Irish Land Act 1870?
- First occasion that the British government had intervened in Irish land affairs on the behalf of tenants
This set the way for future land reforms in Ireland
What were the limitations of the implementation of the Ulster custom under the First Irish Land Act 1870?
The decision as to where the Ulster custom currently existed was left vague, relying on the tenant to claim their own rights and prove that they were included in the custom.
This led to a more combative attitude between some tenants and their landlords.
What were the limitations of the Bright clause under the First Irish Land Act 1870?
Only 877 people took advantage of the opportunity. This was because:
- The general conditions of the clause were not particularly favourable
- Not many farmers could afford the 1/3 deposit
- Many landlords simply did not want to sell their holdings
What were the limitations of compensation under the First Irish Land Act 1870?
Landlords could evict tenants without having to provide compensation by simply waiting until their lease ended, then increasing the rent beyond any possible means of payment.
- This circumvented the provisions of the Act as technically the rent was not increased during the lease.
Alternatively, landlords could simply withhold compensation, requiring tenants to take legal action to claim it, which they could likely not afford to do.
What were the limitations of rent reduction under the First Irish Land Act 1870?
Act was extremely vague on maximum rents, stating initially that rents should not be ‘excessive’ without quantifying what this meant.
When the House of Lords came to consider the bill, they were able to substitute the phrase for ‘exorbitant’, granting greater freedom for landlords to be able to charge above what tenants could afford
Why were the weaknesses of the First Irish Land Act 1870 not immediately felt?
Ireland enjoyed relative prosperity in the early 1870s and eviction rates remained low:
- Between 1856 and 1880, the eviction rate only averaged 1.36 per thousand holdings per year
- The value of agricultural output increased to £40.6 million in the years 1871-75 as opposed to £28.8 million 20 years earlier.
What was the original cause of the ‘long depression’ felt in Ireland from 1877?
- Overconfidence in stock markets following successful speculation in aftermath of both the American Civil War in 1865 and Franco-Prussian War in 1871.
- This led to a sudden fear that the investment bubble might burst, causing investors to cut back on investments and subsequent crash in 1873
Although initially shielded from the crash due to trade with Britain, Ireland began to feel the depression from 1877 as exports declined.
How did foreign imports increase the effects of the ‘long depression’ in Ireland?
- A sudden availability of cheap American wheat caused a price fall from $1.70 per bushel to only $0.66, encouraging Britain to buy from the USA rather than from Ireland.
- Continued US competition in other agricultural goods put pressure on Irish farmers to reduce prices.
- The falling price of butter (-3% through the 1870s) particularly affected smallholders, especially in places like Connaught where they sold this to help pay rents.
- Falling goods prices decreased the value of land as profit levels declined.
How did poor weather increase the effects of the ‘long depression’ Ireland?
- Changes in weather patterns led to consecutive poor harvests and subsequent disease of 1877, affecting agricultural output.
- Between 1876 and 1879, the value of Irish tillage fell by £14 million, more than 60% of this was due to the failed potato crop.
How did the ‘long depression’ affect unemployment in Ireland?
- Unemployment rose from < 1% in 1870 to 11% by the end of the 1870s.
To what extent were the effects of the ‘long depression’ on Ireland limited?
- Although the price and quantity of wheat exports fell significantly, this accounted for 10% of the overall agricultural output of the country.
- Equally, the provision of cheap American chilled meats did not significantly harm the Irish economy as the quality of these cuts was far inferior to that of Ireland.
Where was the ‘long depression’ most keenly felt?
West of Ireland (Connacht and West Munster) - this was because tenancies could not convert to pasture farming to the same extent as elsewhere
- In Connacht, 89% of rented smallholdings were valued at less than £15 a year, compared to 65% in Leinster
- Less than 1% of tenants in Connacht rented land worth over £100, in comparison to 4% in Leinster
This meant that Connacht maintained a very heavy reliance on the potato as the primary crop for consumption (other crops were generally sold)
This led to food shortage and significant hunger in 1879 in Connacht
How did the failure of the First Irish Land Act 1870 to fix rents affect tenants in the ‘long depression’?
Declines in income affecting Irish farmers after 1877 was met with increased rents as landlords sought to recover their own losses.
While some landlords did reduce rents to support tenants (e.g. in July 1879, 7 landlords in County Kerry did offer abatements) many did not.
Instead, many took loans from the government (aimed to help with relief) and then added the interest charged to the rents of tenants, or offered these loans to peasants at rates of 6.5% (often refused due to expense)
What was the effect of increased rents during the ‘long depression’ from 1877?
Many tenants fell into rent arrears, leading to higher eviction rates.
- In 1877, 400 families were evicted
- This increased to 1,000 in 1878
- More than 2,000 were evicted in 1880
This led farmers to see landlords themselves as the reason for their suffering, and to make them targets for their frustration.
At first, this took the form of rent strikes by their remaining tenants, but these led to increased rates of eviction rather than the facilitation of compromise.
