Starter : Write down 5 or more differences between the Catholic and Protestant (Anglian) faiths

What impact did the 1829 Catholic Emancipation Act have on Britain? By the end of the lesson you will: Have demonstrated the chronology of the events leading to Catholic Emancipation Explained why the Emancipation Act was passed Analysed the impact of the Emancipation Act on Britain

Background to Catholic Emancipation Following the Reformation in England and the establishment of the Church of England, laws were passed which prevented all non-Anglicans from holding public office. Only Anglicans were allowed to vote and sit in parliament. These laws also applied in Ireland even though some 80% of the population were Catholics. Until 1823 the campaign for Catholic Emancipation in Ireland was mainly the preserve of an intellectual minority and there was no informed public opinion on the subject.

1673 - Test Act – excluded Roman Catholics from Parliament, and other senior responsibilities 1782 – Irish Parliament are given greater powers 1793 – Catholics in Ireland are enfranchised 1800 – Act of Union abolishes the Irish Parliament – fear of revolution in USA and France underpin this 1808 – Lord Gratton introduced a Bill for Emancipation. It was defeated 1810 – Catholic board was est. 1819 – Lord Gratton tried and failed again 1821 – A 3rd Emancipation Bill was passed by the Commons, but rejected by the Lords 1823 - Catholic Emancipation led by Daniel O'Connell - he established the Catholic Association. O'Connell understood the social and economic problems of the Irish through his work in the courts. He had seen the effects of English rule on the Irish. He decided to crusade to liberate the Irish socially, economically and politically by taking one step at a time within the system. His ultimate aim was Home Rule. Catholic Emancipation was the first step because it already had support in the House of Commons. O'Connell thought that once there were Catholic MPs in the Commons they could use their influence for Home Rule.

What does this sources tell you about why Emancipation was given in 1829? 'Catholic Petitioners or Symptoms of a Peacable Appeal'. A cartoon depicting Daniel O’Connell leading an angry mob towards London, trampling upon the Oath of Allegiance and holding the Catholic rent roll, the source of funds for the Catholic Association.

Why was the Catholic Emancipation Act passed in 1829? Alarmed by the growing tension in Ireland, the duke of Wellington, the prime minister, allowed the Catholic Emancipation Bill, sponsored by Sir Robert Peel, to pass (1829). Catholics were now on the same footing as Protestants except for a few restrictions, most of which were later removed. The Act of Settlement is still in force, however, and Catholics are excluded from the throne (though the Commonwealth nations where the British monarch is head of state agreed in 2011 to end the ban on the monarch's marrying a Catholic).

Impact of Catholic Emancipation on Britain This act admitted Irish and English Roman Catholics to Parliament and to all but a handful of public offices. With the Universities Tests Act of 1871, which opened the universities to Roman Catholics, Catholic Emancipation in the United Kingdom was virtually complete. Wellington's success in forcing through emancipation converted many Ultra-Tories to demand reform of Parliament. They saw that the votes of the rotten boroughs (a voting area with no / limited electorate, where the MP could therefore do as they wished), had given the government its majority. These leads to the 1832 Great Reform Act. There was an increasing feeling that religion was a private matter and not something that should be interfered with at a political level. For the Irish it was seen as something of a victory and gave the Catholic community a sense of self respect that had been missing since the 17th Century Catholic Emancipation gave many Catholics a new sense of political power and some of this was directed into a new campaign known as the Tithe War. Tithes (a tax of 10% paid on crops and animals by all denominations for the upkeep of the Anglican Church of Ireland) were regarded as an unjust burden, especially by impoverished Catholic tenants. Since the middle of the eighteenth century, various secret societies had been protesting against the payment of tithes. In the 1830s the resistance became more organised, and many refused to pay. Although Catholics were now represented politically, it did not mean full independence. For many Irish Catholics the time was now ripe to start demanding the Repeal of the Act of Union and to fight for Home Rule for Ireland. Rebellions were launched in 1848, 1867, and 1916 to try and end British rule over Ireland.