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Ireland 1778–1803

The Catholic Relief Acts and the Fitzwilliam episode

  • 3 things to know
  • A2 Unit 2

Overview

The Acts of 1778, 1782 and 1793, the Catholic Convention of 1792, and the recall of Earl Fitzwilliam in 1795.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What did the Catholic Relief Act of 1793 give?

Key term

Why was Fitzwilliam recalled?

Numbers

What part did Wolfe Tone play in the Catholic Committee?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What did the Catholic Relief Act of 1778 grant?

    Model answer

    Gardiner's Act of 1778 allowed Catholics who swore an oath of allegiance to take leases of 999 years and to inherit land on the same terms as Protestants, ending the compulsory division of Catholic estates.

  2. 2

    Why did the government promote Catholic relief in 1778?

    Model answer

    With the army stretched by the American war, ministers wanted Catholic recruits and Catholic loyalty, and Catholic spokesmen had been careful to profess allegiance to the Crown.

  3. 3

    What did the Relief Act of 1782 add?

    Model answer

    Gardiner's second Act allowed Catholics to buy and hold freehold land outside parliamentary boroughs, to keep school under licence, and to worship and maintain clergy without the old registration penalties.

  4. 4

    What did the Catholic Relief Act of 1793 give?

    Model answer

    Hobart's Act gave the county vote to Catholic forty-shilling freeholders, opened the bar, juries, the university and the lower civil and military offices to Catholics, and allowed them to bear arms subject to a property qualification.

  5. 5

    Why did the Irish Parliament pass so large a measure in 1793?

    Model answer

    War with France had just begun, and Pitt pressed a reluctant Irish Parliament to conciliate the Catholics before they combined with the United Irishmen and looked to France for help.

  6. 6

    What remained closed to Catholics after 1793?

    Model answer

    Catholics were still excluded from parliament, from the Privy Council, from the judgeships of the superior courts and from the highest offices of state.

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