The history of land ownership in post-Reformation Ireland
Demographic map demonstrating the shift of land ownership in Ireland from Catholic to Protestant hands between 1641 and 1703.
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Transcript
NARRATOR: This map illustrates the progressive loss of land ownership by the Roman Catholic Irish in the aftermath of the Reformation, during a period of increased settlement by English Protestants.
In 1641 Irish Catholics owned approximately 59 percent of the land in Ireland. Here counties marked in solid green indicate that the majority of land in those areas was owned by Catholics. In the north, however, in counties subject to the most direct English and Scottish influence, Catholics already owned less than 50 percent of the land.
In 1688 the Catholic king of Great Britain, James II, was deposed. Attempting to regain his throne, he made his way to Ireland, where the newly crowned Protestant king, William III, defeated him and his Irish Catholic supporters by 1691. Irish land ownership by this time had decreased to less than one out of every four acres on the island.
The land forfeited by James II and his supporters further reduced Catholic land ownership in Ireland, which by 1703 had fallen to 14 percent. Thus, in 18th-century Ireland, the vast majority of the land was owned by Protestants, who represented only about 10 percent of the population. The control of Ireland by this small ruling class became known as the Protestant Ascendancy.
In 1641 Irish Catholics owned approximately 59 percent of the land in Ireland. Here counties marked in solid green indicate that the majority of land in those areas was owned by Catholics. In the north, however, in counties subject to the most direct English and Scottish influence, Catholics already owned less than 50 percent of the land.
In 1688 the Catholic king of Great Britain, James II, was deposed. Attempting to regain his throne, he made his way to Ireland, where the newly crowned Protestant king, William III, defeated him and his Irish Catholic supporters by 1691. Irish land ownership by this time had decreased to less than one out of every four acres on the island.
The land forfeited by James II and his supporters further reduced Catholic land ownership in Ireland, which by 1703 had fallen to 14 percent. Thus, in 18th-century Ireland, the vast majority of the land was owned by Protestants, who represented only about 10 percent of the population. The control of Ireland by this small ruling class became known as the Protestant Ascendancy.