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Ireland 1778–1803

The making of the Act of Union

  • 3 things to know
  • A2 Unit 2

Overview

Castlereagh's part in the Union and main terms of the Act of Union.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

How was the majority of 1800 assembled?

Numbers

When did the Union pass and take effect?

Key term

State the main terms of the Act of Union.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Why did the rebellion of 1798 convince Pitt that a union was necessary?

    Model answer

    The rising had shown that Ireland could not be held safely by its own parliament and ascendancy, and that a hostile France would always be able to use Ireland as a back door into the United Kingdom.

  2. 2

    What constitutional weakness of the 1782 settlement did British ministers point to?

    Model answer

    Two independent parliaments under one crown could take opposite decisions, as the Regency Crisis of 1789 had shown, and nothing obliged the Irish Parliament to follow British policy in war or in trade.

  3. 3

    How did the Catholic question form part of Pitt's case for union?

    Model answer

    Pitt believed that Catholic Emancipation was necessary but would never be granted by a Protestant Irish Parliament, whereas in a united kingdom Catholics would be a minority of roughly a fifth and could be admitted without danger.

  4. 4

    What part did Pitt himself play in the Union?

    Model answer

    Pitt conceived the measure as the answer to the Irish problem, drove it forward from London, carried it through the British Parliament, and staked his own ministry on the Catholic relief he intended to accompany it.

  5. 5

    Who was appointed Lord Lieutenant in 1798, and with what policy?

    Model answer

    Marquis Cornwallis was appointed Lord Lieutenant and commander-in-chief in June 1798, with a policy of conciliating the defeated rebels, restraining loyalist reprisals and carrying the Union.

  6. 6

    What was Castlereagh's part in the Union?

    Model answer

    Viscount Castlereagh, as Chief Secretary, managed the measure through the Irish House of Commons, bargaining with borough patrons and office-holders to build a majority for it.

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