So many ‘Rabbit Holes!!!’, so little time…
Question: Where to now? I wanted to know more about the term “Irish Landed Gentry” and just what exactly was meant by the term “Plantation” and its relevance in my family history so perhaps I would find more avenues of investigations into my Spunner family, which I have researched back to the late 1600’s.
This would give me a greater understanding of the lives of the people at the time. The social history being the energy that paints the picture of my ancestors both gentry, yeoman and tenant.
Please note that I am researching the internet and do not claim anything but putting together some explanation of terminology and assist in creating a timeline for my research.
I have put this together for the readers convenience.
About the Irish Landed Gentry
The landed gentry in Ireland were members of the aristocracy who were involved in politics, law, and the military. They were a wealthy class who didn’t need to work with their hands. The gentry were knights, squires, gentlemen and gentlewomen whose fortunes were great enough that they did not have to work with their hands for a living. Their numbers grew rapidly and became the most important class during Elizabethan time.
Who were they?
- Members of the non-peerage nobility[1]
- Descendants of the medieval feudal class[2]
- Included baronets, knights, squires, gentlemen, and gentlewomen
What did they do?
- Held political power in local areas for generations
- Provided the majority of Members of Parliament
- Were involved in law and the military
Notable Irish landed gentry families: O’Briens, O’Conors, MacCarthys, Kavanaghs, Lawrence, Trench, Seymour, Pollok, and Bagwell.
Resources:
Burke’s Landed Gentry is a genealogical resource that includes pedigrees of the landed gentry of Great Britain and Ireland.[3]
A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland is a genealogical resource that includes pedigrees of the landed gentry of Ireland.[4]
An example of how the Feudal System was organised.[5]
The king was at the top of society, and therefore at the top of the feudal system. When he conquered England, King William took all of the land in the country. To manage this, he gave large areas of land to noblemen, including the clergy, lords and barons, in return for them raising him money and an army.
The nobility were below the king in the hierarchy. This included the clergy, barons, and lords and ladies. They would distribute some of their land to knights, who would raise an army to fight for the king when needed. Noblemen would also let peasants live and work on the land, in return for taxes and food. The nobility became wealthy from rent raised from peasants they let farm on the land.
Peasants were the largest and lowest group in medieval society, making up over 90% of the population. Most peasants were villeins and they were at the bottom of the system. Some peasants were freemen and they had more rights than villeins. Peasants had very few rights and little power on their own, however as a collective group they had the potential to threaten the power of the king. This was shown in the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381.
The feudal system meant that everyone in England, apart from the king, was a tenant. Barons or Lords who were given land directly from the king were known as tenants-in-chief.
The feudal system allowed William to control land in England. In 1087, fearing possible revolts against him, William gathered his tenants-in-chief together at Old Sarum and made them take an oath of loyalty to him. This was a way of William demonstrating his power over England and trying to secure his land.[6]
What is the difference between gentry and landed gentry?
Landed gentry in England were individuals who were a part of the gentry class but were also landowners. These individuals were well-born and of high social status. Landed gentry could maintain their social status purely from the passive rental income obtained from their land.
Definitions of landed gentry. the gentry who owned land (considered as a class) synonyms: squirearchy, aristocracy, gentry.
What is the difference between gentry and yeoman?
The better-off villagers were called yeomen. They owned part of their land and rented the rest from the gentry. Yeomen worked on their own farms, but also employed labourers, and paid them wages. Yeomen made money by selling the corn they grew and the wool from their sheep.
What happened to the Irish nobility?
Today, in the Republic of Ireland, the Irish Constitution precludes the State from conferring titles of nobility and prevents citizens from accepting titles of nobility or honour – except with the prior approval of the government.
Do the landed gentry still exist?
The modern Landed Gentry does still exist in its literal sense, in that there are still wealthy landowners who run country estates while possessing no noble or aristocratic claim or provenance.
Are Irish people indigenous to Ireland?
The Irish (Irish: Na Gaeil or Na hÉireannaigh) are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common ancestry, history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been continually inhabited for more than 10,000 years (see Prehistoric Ireland).
How did 1700s Ireland become so poor? Causes of 18th century Ireland poverty.[7]
The state of 18th Century Ireland Poverty can be partly attributed to the devastation caused in the mid-17th century by the armies of Oliver Cromwell. These armies burned land, crops and food stores in their wake, making farming in Ireland difficult, and in some areas, impossible.
What was a gentleman in the 1600s?
Originally, gentleman was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the rank of gentleman comprised the younger sons of the younger sons of peers, and the younger sons of a baronet, a knight, and an esquire, in perpetual succession.
Who were the gentry and why were they important?[8]
The Irish gentry, often referred to as the Anglo-Irish Ascendancy, emerged as a dominant landowning class during British rule in Ireland. Comprising Protestant elites, they held significant political and social influence while overseeing vast estates. The Irish gentry also played a key role in shaping cultural and literary traditions, as seen with families like the Fitzgeralds and Butlers. However, their prominence waned after Irish independence and land reforms.
What are the three types of poor in the Elizabethan era?[9]
The 1601 Poor Law said there were three categories of poverty: able-bodied (deserving poor), idle poor, and impotent. The Overseers of the Poor distributed poor relief based on these categories.
Why did Irish families drop the O?[10]
English law, for a period of time, forbade the use of O’ and Mac’ in Irish surnames. Fitz was allowed. Not all members of Irish families chose to conform to English laws, hence several forms of a surname often emerged within a single family. By the end of the nineteenth century, use of prefixes resumed.
Why is there no royal family in Ireland?[11]
In April 1949, the former Free State, which covered most of Ireland, declared itself a republic, and withdrew from the Commonwealth of Nations; this left Northern Ireland as the only part of the island that retained a monarchical system.
[1] The peerage is the collective term for peers of the realm. A peer is someone who holds one (or more) of five titles (duke, marquess, earl, viscount, baron).
[2] Feudal society was a social structure in medieval Europe that was based on land ownership and exchange. The classes in feudal society were the nobility, knights and vassals, and peasants.
[3] Available at Genealogical Society of Queensland Resource Centre, Shelving location: Ireland – General: Call Number – IRL/510/002. Not for loan.
[4] Available at Genealogical Society of Queensland Resource Centre, Shelving location: Ireland-General: Call Number – IRL/510/003. Nor for loan.
[5] The feudal system – William’s control of England – KS3 History – homework help for year 7, 8 and 9. – BBC Bitesize
[6] The Feudal System : https://www.studentsofhistory.com/the-feudal-system
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cromwellian_conquest_of_Ireland
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentry
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Relief_Act_1601
[10] https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Ireland_Naming_Customs
[11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland_Act_1949?