Rockites, Magistrates and Parliamentarians

Early 19th-century Ireland witnessed widespread rural unrest, as laborers and smallholders formed secret societies demanding land reform, fair rents and the protection of wages. One of these groups - the Rockites - waged a campaign of arson and intimidation across the southern half of Ireland during the 1820s. Combining analyses of local and economic concerns with wider national political dimensions, this book offers an alternative interpretation of the Rockites, demonstrating how their political mindset was created by local circumstances, situating them within the Irish context, and offering insights into how British politicians dealt with Ireland in the early years of the Union.