Lord Dufferin, Ireland and the British Empire, C. 1820–1900 : Rule by the Best?

This book explores the life and career of Frederick Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava (1826–1902). Dufferin was a landowner in Ulster, an urbane diplomat, literary sensation, courtier, politician, colonial governor, collector, son, husband and father. The book draws on episodes from Dufferin’s career to link the landowning and aristocratic culture he was born into with his experience of governing across the British Empire, in Canada, Egypt, Syria and India. This book argues that there was a defined conception of aristocratic governance and purpose that infused the political and imperial world, and was based on two elements: the inheritance and management of a landed estate, and a well-defined sense of ‘rule by the best’. It identifies a particular kind of atmosphere of empire and aristocracy, one that was riven with tensions and angst, as those who saw themselves as the hereditary leaders of Britain and Ireland were challenged by a rising democracy and, in Ireland, by a powerful new definition of what Irishness was. It offers a new perspective on both empire and aristocracy in the nineteenth century, and will appeal to a broad scholarly audience and the wider public. This book explores the life and career of the 1st marquess of Dufferin and Ava (1826–1902). It links the landowning and aristocratic culture he was born into with his experience of governing across the British Empire, in Canada, Egypt, Syria and India. Cover 1 Half Title 3 Series Page 4 Title Page 5 Copyright Page 6 Dedication 7 Table of Contents 9 List of Figures 10 Acknowledgments 11 Prologue 13 Skibbereen, Ireland, 1847 13 Notes 15 Chapter 1: Introducing Dufferin 16 Lord Dufferin – an introduction 20 Historiography 27 Notes 32 Chapter 2: Property 39 The Irish landed experience: titles and entitlement 39 ‘An individual who does not get any rent’: the Clandeboye estates – finances and improvement 42 Debt, land sales and retrenchment 50 ‘This will be an economy in Paddy Land’ 147 54 Notes 56 Chapter 3: Irish questions: The empire within 65 Ireland in the abstract 65 The political economy of Ireland, 1847–1879 67 The Irish Land War and the Home Rule movement, 1879–1902 76 Irreconcilable difference? 83 Notes 84 Chapter 4: Will to rule 95 ‘His present difficult burden’ 2 95 Aristocratic abstractions – the man at the top 100 Iron fists in kid gloves – the man on the spot 89 107 ‘Moderate and statesmanlike’? 148 Ideals and realities 115 Notes 116 Chapter 5: Remits of power: Governing the self-governed 124 ‘Keeping us all in hot water’ 2 124 Unity – ‘Canada is more British than Britain’ 56 129 Loyalty – ‘a certain amount of Celtic effervescence’ 99 134 Land – ‘so troublesome a species of property’ 136 138 False rumours and extraneous hallucinations 142 Notes 143 Chapter 6: Man on the spot: Dufferin as imperial problem solver 153 Character and the ‘official mind’ 153 Syria – ‘chronic blood-feuds and periodical massacres’ 22 157 Egypt – ‘limited and controlled modernisation’ 60 162 ‘A new era of prosperity and contentment’? 120 168 Notes 169 Chapter 7: Ornamental empire?: Dufferin as viceroy 176 Famous last words 176 ‘More trains, more troops, more dust’ – aristocratic rule in India 21 180 ‘We are in a fearful mess’ – challenges to aristocratic rule 191 ‘A very critical undertaking’ 169 201 Notes 203 Chapter 8: Conclusion: Decline and fall 214 Clouds across the evening skies 214 Rule by the best? 215 Notes 219 General bibliography and sources 221 Archival and primary sources – an introduction 221 Notes 223 Bibliography 224 Archival sources 224 Printed primary sources 225 Secondary sources 228 Unpublished works 241 Index 242 Nineteenth,Century,History;,Nineteenth,Century,Studies;,Ambassador;,Viceroyalty;,Canada;,Imperial,History;,Ulster;,Northern,Ireland;,Lord,Dufferin;,Governor,General Nineteenth Century History,Nineteenth Century Studies,Ambassador,Viceroyalty,Canada,Imperial History,Ulster,Northern Ireland,Lord Dufferin,Governor General "This book explores the life and career of Frederick Hamilton Temple Blackwood, 1st marquess of Dufferin and Ava (1826-1902). Dufferin was a landowner in Ulster, an urbane diplomat, literary sensation, courtier, politician, colonial governor, collector, son, husband and father. It draws on episodes from Dufferin's career to link the landowning and aristocratic culture he was born into with his experience of governing across the British Empire, in Canada, Egypt, Syria and India. This book argues that there was a defined conception of aristocratic governance and purpose that infused the political and imperial world and which was based on two elements: the inheritance and management of a landed estate and a well-defined sense of 'rule by the best'. It identifies a particular kind of atmosphere of empire and aristocracy, one which was riven with tensions and angst, as those who saw themselves as Britain and Ireland's hereditary leaders were challenged by a rising democracy and in Ireland by a powerful new definition of what Irishness was. It offers a new perspective on both empire and aristocracy in the nineteenth century and will appeal to a broad scholarly audience and the wider public"-- Provided by publisher