Britain and Ireland in the Eighteenth-Century Crisis of Empire

This text examines the British government's policy towards Ireland during the imperial crisis of 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 reassesses the importance of Townshend and constant residency, the impact of the North ministry on Irish policy, the significance of legislative independence, the nature of British party attitudes toward Ireland, and the influence of Irish public opinion.