Britain and Ireland in the eighteenth-century crisis of empire

"This study utilises a wealth of archival research and synthesises existing secondary material to produce a major reassessment of Anglo-Irish politics in the second half of the eighteenth century. The author examines the British government's policy towards Ireland during a period of imperial crisis, 1750-83, focusing on its attempts to reassert control over Ireland's increasingly hostile Protestant parliament and populace. Anglo-Irish relations are placed in a wider imperial framework, taking account of British policy towards its colonies, particularly India and America. This book also challenges the characterization of eighteenth-century Ireland as 'an age of undertakers' when political life was static and politics were conducted without a serious purpose. In addition, this study reassesses the importance of Townshend and constant residency; the status and role of the lord lieutenant and chief secretary; the impact of the North ministry on Irish policy; the significance of legislative independence; and the influence of Irish public opinion. Ultimately it is argued that there was a remarkable degree of unanimity amongst British politicians, whatever their party interests, on the issue of Britain's parliamentary supremacy over Ireland."--BOOK JACKET.