Ireland

The Irish Church Act, 1869

• Disestablished the Anglican Church in Ireland
• No longer linked to the State by law 
• No longer the official religion of Ireland
• No obligation on the Irish Catholics to pay the tax
• Become a voluntary organisation on the same level as other religious denominations in Ireland
• Financial protection for life for its existing clergymen and officials
• 1/4 of its property and wealth was removed 
• Revenues redirected to help the poor by improving schools, hospitals and workhouses
• Number of effects:
  • First officially sanctioned dent in the union between Britain and Ireland
  • Created unity among a previously divided and largely Nonconformist Liberal Party
  • Won Gladstone the support of the Roman Catholic Leaders
  • Welcomed by the Irish Catholics - addressed a major injustice of religious discrimination
  • Raised expectations among the Irish that the Liberals would address other issues
  • Encouraged the hope among many moderate Irish people that Ireland could achieve political independence 

The Irish Land Act (1870):

• Introduced the principle of fair rent
• Provided for compensation for tenants at the end of their lease if they had made improvements
• Secured fixity of tenure as long as tenants paid their rent
• Made provision for tenants to sell their leases
• Arranged for loans to be made avaliable for tenants to purchase land 

Reactions to the Irish Land Act:

Tenants:

• Fair rent clause was of limited value 
• Clear rent was never defined and mny unjust evictions still took place as a result
• Landlords still had the power to raise rent as they pleased and then evict for non-payment
• No compensation payments for eviction if the tenants were in arrears with their rent
• Land Act could not help the evicted
• Cost of buying land was too high even with a loan scheme
• Ulster Custom was too vague to implement with any regularity

Landlords:

• No incentive for landlords to sell land and allow tenants to become landowners
• Resisted attempts by tenants to purchase land
• Land-owning Whigs saw it as an attack on their property rights