Anti-Catholic and anti-Whig poster, 1830
| The Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829 was introduced against the
wishes of many Protestants, including the king. It was prompted by
the Irish reformer Daniel O'Connell. In 1828 he had been elected Member
of Parliament for County Clare, but as a Catholic was unable to sit
in the House of Commons. By allowing Catholics to serve as Members
of Parliament, the Act ended their exclusion from political life.
Although this measure made the Prime Minister (the Duke of Wellington)
and Home Secretary (Robert Peel) unpopular and caused the collapse
of the Tory government, it stopped Ireland from falling into civil
war. Catalogue reference: HO 44/19, nos. 114 -15 (21 January 1830) |
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