The corruption of the law and popular violence
The crisis of order in Dublin, 1729
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9980883 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Timothy D Watt (Queen's University Belfast, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 153 |
| Pages | 1-23 |
| Publication date | 2014-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Irish Historical Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-1214 • E-ISSN: 2056-4139 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s002112140000359x |
| OpenAlex | W2259171546 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 20 |
Even though violent popular protest was a common feature of life in early eighteenth-century Dublin, the riots that broke out in 1729 were exceptionally severe and long-lasting and resulted in the worst disorder to occur in the capital in decades. Over a ten-month period rival gangs rioted against each other or against government forces, causing a considerable degree of destruction, injury and death. At the height of the disorder, in late spring and summer, ‘vast numbers’ of people were reportedly beaten and abused by rioters, and residents of the city became fearful for their personal safety. According to the Dublin Intelligence citizens moved ‘mostly in a kind of hurry’ on account of the riots; parts of the city became no-go areas, and gangs of ‘reprobates’ gathered on the outskirts of the city to rob travellers and rape women. The political elite voiced their concerns too, in particular at the length of time the disorder was lasting. The archbishop of Armagh, Hugh Boulter, wrote to the secretary of state, the duke of Newcastle, from Dublin in March 1730 complaining that they had ‘suffered very much from riots and tumults in this town last summer and even during the present sitting of the parliament’
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |