Central Board
Encyclopedia
After the Act of Union 1800
, Ireland was under direct rule from England. The Act of Emancipation
had slightly improved the position of the Catholics. However the campaign for Repeal of the Union led by Daniel O'Connell
had failed.
The struggle for reform of land ownership had taken center stage. Land reform
was important as it directly affected the lives of ordinary people.
However there was still a need to create meaningful political structures which would have introduced a measure of self-government
to Ireland. The form of these structures was a matter of division and debate.
The Central Board scheme was developed by Joseph Chamberlain
in 1884-1885. This would have offered a form of local government which it is argued would have fallen considerably short of legislative independence. The exact structure of the Board was subject to negotiation, however it was proposed to be indirectly elected with membership drawn from the existing county councils and powers mainly over local government issues. Chamberlain had received some support from the Catholic bishops. His contact with Charles Parnell
was ironically Captain O'Shea who led him to believe that this would be acceptable as a final settlement.
However Chamberlain's proposal was too radical for Gladstone
who had not yet accepted the merits of Home Rule for Ireland. Lack of support led him to tender his resignation. Later in 1886 he was an opponent of the Home Rule Bill. Rejection of his Central Board scheme may have created personal feelings of bitterness towards the Irish Parliamentary Party
.
Joseph Chamberlain was a leading Liberal
who had been a successful businessman and had led the reform of the administration of the City of Birmingham
, England
. He also served in the important post of President of the Board of Trade
.
Act of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...
, Ireland was under direct rule from England. The Act of Emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
had slightly improved the position of the Catholics. However the campaign for Repeal of the Union led by Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847; often referred to as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century...
had failed.
The struggle for reform of land ownership had taken center stage. Land reform
Irish Land Acts
The Land Acts were a series of measures to deal with the question of peasant proprietorship of land in Ireland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Five such acts were introduced by the government of the United Kingdom between 1870 and 1909...
was important as it directly affected the lives of ordinary people.
However there was still a need to create meaningful political structures which would have introduced a measure of self-government
Self-governance
Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of organization.It may refer to personal conduct or family units but more commonly refers to larger scale activities, i.e., professions, industry bodies, religions and political units , up to and including autonomous regions and...
to Ireland. The form of these structures was a matter of division and debate.
The Central Board scheme was developed by Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....
in 1884-1885. This would have offered a form of local government which it is argued would have fallen considerably short of legislative independence. The exact structure of the Board was subject to negotiation, however it was proposed to be indirectly elected with membership drawn from the existing county councils and powers mainly over local government issues. Chamberlain had received some support from the Catholic bishops. His contact with Charles Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...
was ironically Captain O'Shea who led him to believe that this would be acceptable as a final settlement.
However Chamberlain's proposal was too radical for Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
who had not yet accepted the merits of Home Rule for Ireland. Lack of support led him to tender his resignation. Later in 1886 he was an opponent of the Home Rule Bill. Rejection of his Central Board scheme may have created personal feelings of bitterness towards the Irish Parliamentary Party
Irish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons at...
.
Joseph Chamberlain was a leading Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
who had been a successful businessman and had led the reform of the administration of the City of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He also served in the important post of President of the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
.