SubSection 2 - Act of Union 1800-1802

5 items

Four letters from Lord Altamont [John Denis Browne 3rd Earl of Altamont], to Richard 2nd Earl, describing the agitated state of the country at the time of the Act of Union. Lord Altamont was prominent in the pro unionist lobby in Ireland and was rewarded for his exertions on behalf of the Union by being made 1st Marquess of Sligo on 29 Dec 1800. The letters cover the most vital time for the passage of the Union. They refer to the anti-unionists' efforts to hold meetings in the country, to send out petitions and to raise funds to buy borough seats. They include comment on the creation of new Irish peerages and such incidents as that concerning the barrister Thomas Sinclair in the Irish House of Commons. Prominent members of the anti-unionist camp mentioned in the letters are Arthur Hill, 2nd Marquess of Downshire, John Foster, Speaker of the House of Commons 1785-1800 and James Moore O'Donel of Newport, Co Mayo. Also includes a letter relating to the development of Castlebar after the Act of Union.

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See Brigid Clesham, 'Lord Altamont's letters to Lord Lucan about the Act of Union', "Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society", 54 (2002), 25-34.

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03/01/2017
29/07/2025