General Expectations Of The Catholics & Their Emancipation
May 14th, 2008 | by indo |
Above : Painting Of Sir Francis Burdett
There can be no doubt that, amongst the Irish Catholics, it was the almost universal belief that the passing of the Act of Union would practically at once be followed by the removal of their remaining disabilities and their establishment on a footing of all around equality with their fellow-subjects. It is equally certain that it was mainly this belief which prevented them from offering a steady and united opposition to a measure which very few of them really liked.
It is true that no public and official assurance of speedy emancipation had been given them, though it had been asserted that Pitt made positive promises of this in private letters and in personal interviews with those Catholics whose support was regarded as most important. Representations in the same sense were, moreover, made by persons of no less position than the Lord Lieutenant, Cornwallis, and the Secretary, Lord Castlereagh.
The extent of the King’s hostility to the Catholic claims, he had, as long ago as 1795, positively declared that he would not under any circumstances concede what was asked, was carefully concealed. His expressed view was that the placing of the Catholics in regard to political status on the same footing as the Episcopalian Protestants would, in effect, be a violation of the Coronation Oath by which he had promised to maintain the privileges of the Established Church. Had this been known to the Irish generally, they would certainly have realised how small was the likelihood of shaking the determination in such a case of a man so dull, so obstinate and withal so conscientious as was George III.
In the pamphlets, the writers of which were paid by Government the same argument was constantly used to win the support of the Catholics, that an Irish Parliament could not dare to grant them emancipation, but that, in an assembly representative of the entire British Isles, and consequently of a great Protestant majority, their case would wear a very different aspect.
The Catholic question slumbered for several years. Not until 1805 was it revived. In that year an extensively signed petition for emancipation was presented to both Houses of the Imperial Parliament. Both in the Lords and in the Commons there were long debates. In the latter Grattan upheld the cause of the petition in a most eloquent speech. Pitt, however, had not only refused port on this particular occasion, but declined even to declare himself in favour of the principle involved. The petition was rejected by a very large majority.
After this the Catholics frequently renewed their attempts, so frequently indeed, and with such discouraging results, that Sir Francis Burdett once designated their petitions to Parliament as ” the annual farce ” Grattan steadily supported their cause till his death in 1820, but petitions and bills were alike rejected. It was not till Daniel O’Connell took the virtual command of the Catholic Committee that new vigour and hope were infused into the organisation, and new spirit into the Catholic community at large.
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Tags: act of union, castlereagh, catholic claims, catholic petitions, cornwallis, episcopalian protestant, geroge III, Irish Catholics, sir francis burdett