Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 facts for kids
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| Long title | An Act for the Relief of His Majesty's Roman Catholic Subjects. |
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| Citation | 10 Geo. 4. c. 7 |
| Introduced by | Duke of Wellington |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 13 April 1829 |
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Status: Current legislation
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| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, also known as the Catholic Emancipation Act 1829, was a very important law passed in 1829. It was created by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This Act was the final step in a long process called Catholic emancipation. This process aimed to give Roman Catholics more rights across the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
In Ireland, this new law removed older, unfair laws. These included the Test Act 1672 and other Penal Laws. These laws had been in place since 1728. The Act was passed after a strong campaign led by an Irish lawyer named Daniel O'Connell. He warned of possible unrest if the laws were not changed.
The British Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington, and the Home Secretary, Robert Peel, were against the Act at first. However, they realized it was needed to prevent serious trouble. The Act allowed members of the Catholic Church to become Members of Parliament (MPs).
Daniel O'Connell had won an election in Clare in 1828. But because he was Catholic, he was not allowed to take his seat in Parliament. Home Secretary Peel, who was known for being against Catholics, changed his mind. He said that "emancipation was a great danger, civil strife was a greater danger." Fearing a revolution in Ireland, Peel helped create the Catholic Relief Bill. He then guided it through the House of Commons.
The Duke of Wellington worked hard to get the law passed in the House of Lords. He even threatened to resign as Prime Minister if King George IV did not approve the law.
Contents
The Fight for Change
The campaign to give Catholics more rights in Ireland was very active in 1828 and 1829. It was led by Daniel O'Connell (1775–1847). He was the leader of the Catholic Association. Many other people were also involved, both for and against the changes.
The Marquess Wellesley, who was the Duke of Wellington's brother, helped set the stage for the Act. He was in charge of Ireland from 1822 to 1828. He wanted to bring peace and restore rights for Catholics. But he also wanted to protect the rights of Protestants. He used force when riots threatened peace. He also tried to stop public protests from both the Protestant Orange Order and the Roman Catholic Society of Ribbonmen.
Bishop John Milner was an English Catholic leader and writer. He worked hard to promote Catholic rights until he died in 1826. He had a big influence in both England and Ireland. He helped shape the Catholic response to earlier attempts to pass similar laws.
Meanwhile, Protestants in Ulster started to organize against the changes. By late 1828, Protestants of all groups began to act. This happened after Jack Lawless, a supporter of O'Connell, arrived. He planned many meetings and activities to support Catholic rights. This made Protestants form clubs, share leaflets, and collect petitions. However, their protests did not have enough money or support from the British government.
After Catholics were given more rights, the Protestant opposition split. The rich and noble families became quiet. But the middle and working classes celebrated Protestant power. They did this through Orange parades.
The Compromise Act
Another law, the Parliamentary Elections (Ireland) Act 1829, was passed at the same time. It was the main "security" measure that came with the Catholic Relief Act. This Act took away the voting rights of many small landowners in Ireland. These were called the Forty Shilling Freeholders.
Before this, any man who rented or owned land worth at least 40 shillings (two pounds sterling) could vote. The new Act raised this amount to ten pounds. This meant fewer people could vote.
The Act also tried to stop Catholic bishops from using titles already used by the Church of England. It said that anyone not allowed by law who used such a title would have to pay £100. This rule was later removed in 1978. Other rules in the Act, like those against Catholic religious groups and public processions, were removed in 1926.
Political Changes
Historian J. C. D. Clark (1985) believed that before 1828, most people in England believed in the divine right of kings. They also believed in the rights of the Anglican Church. Clark thought this system suddenly broke down in 1828. He felt that Catholic emancipation weakened the main idea of Anglican power. He argued that this led to a "shattering of a whole social order."
However, many other historians disagree with Clark. They point out that there was a lot of continuity before and after this time.
Eric J. Evans (1996) highlighted the political importance of the Act. He said it caused a major split among those who were against reform. This made it harder for them to stop future reform laws. This included the big Reform Act of 1832.
It was surprising that Wellington's success in passing the Act led some very conservative politicians, called Ultra-Tories, to demand changes to Parliament. They saw that the votes from "rotten boroughs" had helped the government pass the Act. Rotten boroughs were places with very few voters but still had MPs.
Because of this, an Ultra-Tory, the Marquess of Blandford, introduced a major reform bill in 1830. He wanted to move seats from rotten boroughs to larger towns. He also wanted to stop non-resident voters and Crown office-holders from being MPs. He even suggested paying MPs and allowing more men who owned property to vote. The Ultra-Tories thought that a wider group of voters would support their anti-Catholic views.
Later Changes to the Act
Some parts of the Act are still in force in the United Kingdom today. Some parts remain in England, Wales, and Scotland. However, they were removed for Northern Ireland in 1980. The entire Act was removed in Ireland in 1983.
See also
- Papists Act 1778
- Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791
- Ultra-Tories
