Cultural/Religious Context
Catholic Emancipation
In society where you have more than one religion groups in a denomination, usually they’re divided. One group will dominate over another. The opposing group is subject to social, economic and political discrimination. They can be barred from gaining prominent positions in occupational hierarchy of society. Catholic Emancipation in the 18th century and 19th century process by which the Roman Catholics in Britain were relieved of civil disabilities. This act allows room for Catholic’s to experience some of the freedom that they had not experience before. There was a time when the Catholic’s had been prohibited from owning
land, voting, holding political office, from living in a corporate town, getting education in Dublin, seeking professional careers like medical, military and law. They were under such strict rules dating all the way back to Henry VIII. In 1607 Catholics were barred from holding public office, in 1613 constituencies of the Irish House Commons were altered to give plantation settlers majority. Any profession that would give them a good quality of life they were restricted from doing it. This was do to fact that penal laws were in
place. These were laws imposed in attempt to force Irish Catholics and Protestant dissenters (Presbyterians) to accept the reform Christian faith as English as they would state, established by Anglican church. Catholic were fined if they didn’t attend Anglican services, they could worship privately but if they worshiped in public they were arrested.. In 1641 Irish Rebellion took place were the Catholic tried to overthrow the English Administration to force change but they were unsuccessful. Change begin to take place. In 1778 the first Relief Act allowed Roman Catholics in Britain to purchase, inherit land and join the army. Because of these decisions in 1779 riots ensued in Scotland. In 1782 the establishment of Roman Catholic schools and bishops were allowed and in 1793 the Irish Parliament with the relief Act, which granted Irish Roman Catholics the right to vote and hold most offices.
In 1800 Act of Union between Ireland and Breat Britain (Jan. 1, 1801), legislative agreement uniting Great Britain ,England and Scotland and Ireland under the under the name United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1823 Daniel O’Connell a lawyer started the Catholic Association; he won the seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. In 1829 the Roman Catholic Relief Act was passed, this removed the rest of the restrictions on Roman Catholics throughout the U.K of Great Britain and Ireland. Maria Edgeworth sympathized with this Emancipation and gradually supported.
Absentee Landlords and Tenants
Following the Act of Emancipation there was a new system put in place for managing the landlord’s property; this was called the middleman system. Despite the fact the Act was passed 1829 some Catholics still lived in poverty. There was a chain of command in place, this social ladder with the English Angelo Irish family at the top, who owned most of the land. They were the privileged social class in Ireland. They held majority of the power over the housing situations and the tenant was at the mercy of the landowners. Many of them lived in England and were called absentee landlords. Some of these landlords would only come to their properties maybe twice in a lifetime. During this transaction the middlemen would lease a huge piece of land from the owners at a fixed rate then re-leased to a tenant for whatever they saw fit. They would collect the rent and send it to England. Sometimes the tenants would work for the landlords, only to be paid minimal wages to raise crops and livestock for export. Often times the tenants would be evicted because they would afford the high rent and if any improvement were made to the property the tenant wasn’t
entitled to those improvements. The British Government set up Royal Commission, to inquire about land in Ireland, Daniel O’Connor deemed as unfair because it was only made of landlords and no tenants. The tenants were expected to live in
these unfair conditions. Their homes were not weather protected; the landlords weren’t there to ensure the home was maintained. Maria wasn’t a stranger to home ownership her family owned land in Longford. Maria Edgewoth had her view on this middleman system. She believed the reason Irish agricultural was having a problem was because it was being mismanaged rather than the returns falling low. She thought the problem was due in part of the lazy landlords with lack of concerns for their estates therefore they felled to make enough investment in the agricultural improvements. Edgeworth wrote Castle Rackrent, it was a satire on Anglo-Irish landlords. She based this novel around the things that she saw with the slumlords not taking care of the properties, yet making
profits and completely destroying the Rackrent family fortune. However Maria was far from the moral of her satire Castle Rackrent she was very forgiving with her tenants and was very good at maintaining their estate. She believed that better management of agriculture would raise food production and lower prices.
Irish Potato Famine
Irish Potato Famine took place were over one million people died from starvation and disease and millions emigrated from Ireland. The potato was the man source of food for the peasants. The cause for this famine was a fungus
that infected the potatoes which left the land destitute. The population dropped tremendously. The effects changed the demographically and politically. This cause the peasants to rent a small piece of land from absentee landlords
for their survival but this wasn’t enough. There was tension that arose because it was said that British government was slow and inadequate in responding (Kinealy 1994). British government led by Sir Charles Trevelyan was more concerned with making money than saving lives. British colonism introduced these free market trade reforms, where peasants were hired to build unnecessary roads in order to earn money to buy food. The wages wasn’t enough to match the high food prices, enforced by British government in order to attract imports to Ireland from America. During the famine Maria worked hard to help with the efforts of the peasants. She wrote benefit relief letters to the Quaker Relief Committee, insisted that those who paid their rent in full would receive relief. She used some of her own money to help with the famine and receive donations as well
In society where you have more than one religion groups in a denomination, usually they’re divided. One group will dominate over another. The opposing group is subject to social, economic and political discrimination. They can be barred from gaining prominent positions in occupational hierarchy of society. Catholic Emancipation in the 18th century and 19th century process by which the Roman Catholics in Britain were relieved of civil disabilities. This act allows room for Catholic’s to experience some of the freedom that they had not experience before. There was a time when the Catholic’s had been prohibited from owning
land, voting, holding political office, from living in a corporate town, getting education in Dublin, seeking professional careers like medical, military and law. They were under such strict rules dating all the way back to Henry VIII. In 1607 Catholics were barred from holding public office, in 1613 constituencies of the Irish House Commons were altered to give plantation settlers majority. Any profession that would give them a good quality of life they were restricted from doing it. This was do to fact that penal laws were in
place. These were laws imposed in attempt to force Irish Catholics and Protestant dissenters (Presbyterians) to accept the reform Christian faith as English as they would state, established by Anglican church. Catholic were fined if they didn’t attend Anglican services, they could worship privately but if they worshiped in public they were arrested.. In 1641 Irish Rebellion took place were the Catholic tried to overthrow the English Administration to force change but they were unsuccessful. Change begin to take place. In 1778 the first Relief Act allowed Roman Catholics in Britain to purchase, inherit land and join the army. Because of these decisions in 1779 riots ensued in Scotland. In 1782 the establishment of Roman Catholic schools and bishops were allowed and in 1793 the Irish Parliament with the relief Act, which granted Irish Roman Catholics the right to vote and hold most offices.
In 1800 Act of Union between Ireland and Breat Britain (Jan. 1, 1801), legislative agreement uniting Great Britain ,England and Scotland and Ireland under the under the name United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1823 Daniel O’Connell a lawyer started the Catholic Association; he won the seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. In 1829 the Roman Catholic Relief Act was passed, this removed the rest of the restrictions on Roman Catholics throughout the U.K of Great Britain and Ireland. Maria Edgeworth sympathized with this Emancipation and gradually supported.
Absentee Landlords and Tenants
Following the Act of Emancipation there was a new system put in place for managing the landlord’s property; this was called the middleman system. Despite the fact the Act was passed 1829 some Catholics still lived in poverty. There was a chain of command in place, this social ladder with the English Angelo Irish family at the top, who owned most of the land. They were the privileged social class in Ireland. They held majority of the power over the housing situations and the tenant was at the mercy of the landowners. Many of them lived in England and were called absentee landlords. Some of these landlords would only come to their properties maybe twice in a lifetime. During this transaction the middlemen would lease a huge piece of land from the owners at a fixed rate then re-leased to a tenant for whatever they saw fit. They would collect the rent and send it to England. Sometimes the tenants would work for the landlords, only to be paid minimal wages to raise crops and livestock for export. Often times the tenants would be evicted because they would afford the high rent and if any improvement were made to the property the tenant wasn’t
entitled to those improvements. The British Government set up Royal Commission, to inquire about land in Ireland, Daniel O’Connor deemed as unfair because it was only made of landlords and no tenants. The tenants were expected to live in
these unfair conditions. Their homes were not weather protected; the landlords weren’t there to ensure the home was maintained. Maria wasn’t a stranger to home ownership her family owned land in Longford. Maria Edgewoth had her view on this middleman system. She believed the reason Irish agricultural was having a problem was because it was being mismanaged rather than the returns falling low. She thought the problem was due in part of the lazy landlords with lack of concerns for their estates therefore they felled to make enough investment in the agricultural improvements. Edgeworth wrote Castle Rackrent, it was a satire on Anglo-Irish landlords. She based this novel around the things that she saw with the slumlords not taking care of the properties, yet making
profits and completely destroying the Rackrent family fortune. However Maria was far from the moral of her satire Castle Rackrent she was very forgiving with her tenants and was very good at maintaining their estate. She believed that better management of agriculture would raise food production and lower prices.
Irish Potato Famine
Irish Potato Famine took place were over one million people died from starvation and disease and millions emigrated from Ireland. The potato was the man source of food for the peasants. The cause for this famine was a fungus
that infected the potatoes which left the land destitute. The population dropped tremendously. The effects changed the demographically and politically. This cause the peasants to rent a small piece of land from absentee landlords
for their survival but this wasn’t enough. There was tension that arose because it was said that British government was slow and inadequate in responding (Kinealy 1994). British government led by Sir Charles Trevelyan was more concerned with making money than saving lives. British colonism introduced these free market trade reforms, where peasants were hired to build unnecessary roads in order to earn money to buy food. The wages wasn’t enough to match the high food prices, enforced by British government in order to attract imports to Ireland from America. During the famine Maria worked hard to help with the efforts of the peasants. She wrote benefit relief letters to the Quaker Relief Committee, insisted that those who paid their rent in full would receive relief. She used some of her own money to help with the famine and receive donations as well