• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

,AMES CAULFEILD THE EARL OF CHARLEMONT PORTRAIT o FAN IRISH WHIG PEER by Janice C. Vaudry Dcpartment of History, McGi 11 University Montrea l July, 1988 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfi11ment of the requirements for the degree of r~astet' of Arts @ Janice C. Vaudry, 1988. THE EARL OF CHARLEMONT PORTRAIT OF AN IRISH WHIG PEER / l ABSIRACT This work is an attempt to give a more complete understanding of James Caul fei 1d, the earl of Charl emont. Hi stori ans have tended to ei ther mi ni- mize his role as commander-in-chief of the Irish volunteers or to blame him for their fa:lure to achieve parliamentary reform in 1783. He has been presented as a two-dimensional, and at times almost comic, figure of eight- eenth century Ireland. In examining his memoirs and correspondence, his biography, various manuscript materiai, as well as other secondary sources, it is possible to see Charlemont as the complex man he was and as an able and apt leader of the volunteers. By gaining a more complete picture of this man, wc in turn achieve greater knowledge of this period of Anglo- Irish relations. l II . .. RESUME Cette oeuvre tente de donner une compréhension plus complète de James Caulfeild, le comte de Charlemont. La plupart des historiens ont eu la tendance de parler de son role comme chef des volontaires Irlandais au minimum, ou bien de rejeter le blâme sur lui pour avoir inachève en 1783 les réformes parlementaires. Charlemont a été presenté comme un Irlandais à seulement deux dimensions ou un personnage comique du dix-huitième siècle. En utilisant ses mémoires et sa correspondance, sa biographie et divers manuscrits et autres sources seconda ires, il est possible de voir le comte en totalité comme l 1 homme complet qu'il était et le chef capable et le choix propre des volonta~res. Avec 1 'obtention d'un portrait plus complet de cette homme, nous acquérons ainsi une connaissance plus entip.re de cette époque des rélations Anglo-Irlandaises. ..... III TABLE OF CONTENTS PrefaCf and Acknowledgements. Chapter One - Charlemont1s Background, Early Life, and Grand Tour. Chapter Two - Return to Ireland and England. Chapter Three - Involvement in Ireland and the Volunteers. Chapter Four - The Dungannon Convention. Chapter Five - The Dublin Convention. Conclusion. Appendix l - A Select List of Books in CharlerlOnt l s Library. Appendix II - A List of the Members of The Club, 1764-1784. Appendix III - The Monks of the Order of St. Patrick. Appendix IV - The Dungannon Convention. Appendix V - Delegates to the Dublin Convention. Appendix VI - Charlemont on Edmund Burke. Bibliography. , PREFACE ( v ....­ The year 1782 is of critical importance to the history of Ireland. It was the year when legislative independence from England was gained. In- extricably linked with this achievement was an organization of armed citi­ zens known as the volunteers. James Caulfeild, the first earl of Charle- mont, was chos,en as their commander-in-chief. Despite this eminent position, his substantial contributions to the political and social affairs of Ire­ land in the second half of the eighteen century have been largely overlooked. Historians have tended to concentra te on the more vlsib1è men of his time, in particular Henry Flood and Henry Grattan. In order more fully to under- stand the volunteers, their successes and failures, it is necessary to examine the character and actions of the man behind t1em 'Ilho was their chosen leader. The first biograohical study of Charlemont, by Francis Hardy, was oub- lished in 1810. As Hardy knew the earl, this is an invaluable aid in under­ standing him. liardy vias openly sympathetic to Charlemont and this bias is obvious to the reader. The other work on Charl emont \'Jas vwitten sorne forty years ago by Maurice Craig. While this author also covers the span of Charlemont's life, he spends a great deal of time in discussing the archi- tecture of the period and Char1emont's contribution to this through his own residences. The \'Jorks by Hardy and Craig are the only biographies of Char1emont to have appeared. The eighteenth century 'I:as a period of transition, a century of flux, political1y, socia11y and to sorne extent philosophically. This is reflected in the men of the period -- in their actions and writing -- men like Edmund Burke, Benjamin Franklin, David Hume, William Hogarth and Henry Grattan. l VI ( Charlemont knew each of these men anà corresponded with most of them as well as with others. In his knowledge and interests he reflected the age in which he lived. Although it is often the nineteenth and twentieth cen­ turies that are ewphasized in Irish history with the eighteenth regdrded as a period cf calm before the storm, these years were not without their turmoil. lt is to this century that historians may look for the beginnings of Irish nationalism as expressed by Dean Swift and later by the volunteers. The character of the volunteers and their conventions, held in Dungannon and Dublin in 1782 and 1783 respectively, l'las shaper.! '/argely by Charlemont and hi s fa 11 D'vers. By examining the biogl"aphies, his correspandence and memoirs and the pa pers of some of his contemporaries, it is possible to gain a more thorough knowledge of this man and by extension the political and social circles in which he travelled. This work pulls together these sources which combine to produce a three-dimensional character. What follows is an attempt to explain Charlemontls tenure as chief of the volunteers ip light of his diverse talents, his friends and his knowledge, and above all his character traits. Here was a man who represented Irelandls interests and whig politics at their purest. Charlemont has a place in the politic­ al history of Ireland which grew out of I-Jis soclal position. By gaining a greater understanding of him we add to our understanding of the Ireland of the eightee~th century. The Studies in Irish Hist0!1. is used as a model for forme Therefore peerage titles and the houses of parliament, for example, are not capitali­ zed unless used in a quotation which does so. f' VII ..... Any work of historical research ;s dependent on the assistance of manyothers. 1 would like ta expr'=ss my appreciation for that given me by the Head Librarian at the Royal Iris'"' Academy, by the staff at the National Library of Ireland and at the British Library and its r1anuscript Depart­ ment. Many times the Reference Librarians at i.JcGill University helped in tracking down elusive sources and the staff at ~1cGill's Inter-L ibrary Loan \'1ere able to obtain them. 1 would like also to ackno\lJledge the inspiration of Dr. Brian Jenkins who gave me my fi rst taste of Iri sh hi story \'1hi ch prompted me to pursue this interest. He, along with Dr. Karl Schvveizer encouraged me along the way. Dr. Schvveizer also read parts of the thesis and gave useful comments. My tllesis supervisor, Dr. Herel'Iard Senior, is owed a great debt of thanks. He has guided me in this project over the years. 1 have learned much from his example as a scholar. Last, but not least, 1 wish ta express my gratitude to my parents and family for their support, encouragement and understanding throughout. CHAPTER 1 ;' ( 1. l The earl of Crarlemont has been neglected by Irish historians for two re~sons' his unobtrusive character, and the brilliance of his contempora­ ries -- Henry Grattan, Henry Flood and Edmund Burke. Edmond Malone, the Shakespearian critic and a contemporary of James Caulfeild, the earl of Charlemont, called him "the politest man lever knew." While this I,rIould perhaps be expected of a man of Charlemont's social position, the earl dif­ fers from the general pattern of his peers in other aspects of hi s character. He \\las generally recognized by contemporaries as a major personage in the Ireland of his day. He succeeded hi s fa ther to the rank of vi scount a t the age of seven. A succession of tutors were employed to instruct Caulfeild until finally the Rev. E. I~urphy assumed the pos; ti on permanently. Shortly thereafter Caul­ feild embarked on the prescribed grand tour. After travelling abroad he returned to Endland ana from there to Ireland where he assumed his seat in the house of lords. The public careers of many of his contemporaries did not move beyond this poi"t. A cursory examination of the earl's own public record would, except for his role with the volunteers, also appear routine. For a man who was silent in the bouse of I~rds, however, the earl is credited by the historian W.E.H. Lecky as exercising "a very great influence in l ri sh po 1 i ti cs. Il 1 He was the patron of Henry Grc}ttan and fri end of Henry Flood and Edmund Burke. However this alone would not give a man widespread i nfl uence in the a ffa i rs of hi s country. From where then, di d hi s i nfl u- en ce come? It may be suggested that the private character of the earl of Char~emont was a stronger guide for his contemporaries than his voiee in the hOIJse of lords would have been. A man's personality is molded and shap­ ed ta a great extent by those around him, by his geographical surroundings and by his formal education. These factors must be taken int.o account in .--------------------------------------------------------- 2.

Load more

  157

Copy Link