The Nature and Development of Liberal Protestantism in Waterford 1800-42

This thesis examines the development of liberal Protestantism in Waterford between 1800
\nand 1842. Waterford liberal Protestants had much in common with their British Whig
\ncounterparts, but their ideology had been fundamentally altered by the experience of the
\nlate eighteenth century. This thesis focuses on the development of liberalism among the
\nProtestant political élite at local level, examining in particular the liberal values among a
\nsection of Waterford Corporation and Waterford Chamber of Commerce. The
\nparliamentary activities of Waterford’s Whig representatives are an important theme, and
\nthe peculiarly Irish Whiggism of Sir John Newport, an important parliamentary figure in
\nthis period, is examined. The most important and defining feature of Irish liberal
\nProtestantism in these years was their support for the removal of political disabilities
\naffecting Irish Catholics. There was a strong tradition of support among Waterford
\nProtestants for Catholic relief, and this support grew in the early decades of the nineteenth
\ncentury, despite the friction caused by the question of ‘securities’. This support endured
\ninto the 1820s, and liberal Protestants played an indispensable role in the famous 1826
\nelection in County Waterford.
\nDespite this, some Waterford liberal Protestants were wary of what they perceived
\nas O’Connell’s demagogic strategies for advancing the Catholic question, and felt
\nmarginalised when the political impetus passed into Catholic hands after 1828. Few
\nsupported the campaign for a repeal of the union in the 1830s, which left them with few
\nallies on the Catholic side, save for those Catholics who resisted O’Connell’s call for
\nrepeal. This greatly reduced the prospects for a non-confessional approach to politics. The
\n1830s was a difficult decade for Irish liberal Protestants, and this thesis examines the
\nresponses of Waterford liberal Protestants to challenges posed by Catholic and
\npariiamentaiy politics in this decade. Liberal Protestants in Waterford responded to these
\nchallenges in a variety of ways, with some maintaining close relations with Irish Catholics
\nand others moving into a closer alliance with a revitalised Irish Toryism, and others
\nretreated from the political scene.

Récupéré en direct depuis OpenAlex et désinversé. Les résumés ne sont pas conservés dans cette base de données : les index inversés représentent 8,6 Go des 9,3 Go de texte de la base, et le serveur dispose de 13 Go libres.