This thesis investigates aspects of the large-scale disorder that occurred in Ireland in the forty years or so after the end of the Williamite war. It examines the people who caused the disorder, what motivated them to get involved, and where and how often it occurred. It focuses on the large-scale organised violent activity associated with mobs, tories or rapparees, and privateers. It also explores the impact made by the people who were used by authorities to maintain order: civil law enforcers, militiamen, troops, and bands of 'irregulars'. Shining a light on law enforcers not only reveals many of the problems that they faced but also the effects on Irish society of their abuses. It also highlights the conflict between authorities enforcing laws and mobs enforcing popular notions of justice, and changes taking place in the ethics of law enforcement. The thesis examines the effects on people in Ireland of war in Europe, and Great Britain's transformation into what John Brewer has termed a 'fiscal-military state'. It shows the extent to which Franco-Irish privateers threatened Irish authorities in coastal regions during the Nine Years War and the War of Spanish Succession, and how increased amounts of taxes collected by the Irish government, used mainly to pay the cost of the British army, resulted in a proliferation of violent protests in most parts of Ireland in the early eighteenth century. Finally, this study attempts to shine light on popular attitudes and belief systems. A study of the conduct of rioters and members of the forces of order reveals the moral compasses used during violent confrontations, on both sides of the legal divide. In essence, the investigation of large-scale disorder helps us to a better understanding of the relationships between rulers and the ruled in Ireland.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:677850 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Watt, Timothy David |
| Publisher | Queen's University Belfast |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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