Catholic Relief Bill becomes law

WE are familiar with Catholic Emancipation being granted in 1829, following Daniel O’Connell’s victory in the Clare election. Prior to that, there had been a slight but gradual erosion of the worst of the Penal Laws.

The Parliament in Dublin adopted the Catholic Relief Act in 1792. This allowed Catholics access to some of the professions that had been denied them. They could join the lower ranks of the army and navy and even some minor roles in the judiciary. They were allowed entry to the universities and to become lawyers. They were also allowed to vote.

Voting, at that time, was mainly determined by property ownership. Following the 1792 act, Catholics who held land with a rental of £2 per year could vote. These became the ‘Fort Shilling Freeholders’, who later elected O’Connell but unfortunately they lost the vote with emancipation when the qualifying rental amount was raised to £10. That was the political price that O’Connell had to agree to in order to get the act passed.

Promises of emancipation were made at the time of the Act of Union in order to get Catholic support for the Act. The prime minister, William Pitt, had promised that emancipation would follow. He did not include it in the Act because he knew it would raise opposition in England. However, the King strongly opposed emancipation and when Pitt realised that he would not be able to fulfil his promise, he resigned.

Apart from being a topic of debate, there were no serious moves to win emancipation until the foundation of the Catholic Association in the 1820s. Founded by O’Connell, it consisted in the main of the newly well-to-do Catholic middle class and their supporters. Its annual membership fee was set at one guinea, which excluded most Catholics. However, in 1824, they introduced associate membership, which cost a penny per month.

This was collected through the parish churches and became known as the Catholic Rent. That same year, they decided use their funds to finance a campaign for emancipation by backing election candidates who supported emancipation.

The Act of Union did not allow Catholics to sit in Westminster as a Member of Parliament but it made no mention of a Catholic standing for election. After a while, it was felt that one of the members of the Catholic Association should actually stand for election. The opportunity arose when William Vesey Fitzgerald, the MP for Clare, was appointed President of the Board of Trade and had to resign his seat, thus causing a byelection in Clare. The Catholic Association decided that O’Connell would stand for election. Many of the forty shilling freeholders of the county marched into Ennis to vote for him.

His election presented the Government with a dilemma. They realised that if they refused to allow him take his seat, there would by widespread unrest in Ireland. They decided to introduce The Catholic Emancipation Bill. While this did not remove all laws against Catholics – some in relation to succession to the throne are still in place – it opened many opportunities and was passed in February 1829.

That Catholic Relief Bill of 1829 became law when it got Royal Assent on April 13, 1829 – 184 years ago this week.