Britain and Ireland in the Eighteenth-Century Crisis of Empire

Book excerpt: This book examines the British government's policy towards Ireland during the imperial crisis of 1750-83, focusing on its attempts to reassert control over Ireland's increasingly hostile Protestant parliament and populace. Anglo-Irish relations are placed in a wider imperial framework, taking account of British policy towards its colonies, particularly India and America. This book reassesses the importance of Townshend and constant residency; the impact of the north ministry on Irish policy; the significance of legislative independence; the nature of British party attitudes toward Ireland, and the influence of Irish public opinion.