Devon Commission

The Devon Commission (officially 'Commission on Occupation of Land (Ireland)'^[1]) was a commission that was appointed by Sir Robert Peel to research the problems with land leases. It was formed by a queen's proclamation issued 20 November 1843 and reported 14 February 1845.^[2] This was a positive step for the government as it made the Irish believe that reform would come soon afterwards. This was the first time that a British government had taken a step towards reforming the unfair leases.

The Devon Commission was headed by William Courtney, the 10th Earl of Devon,^[3] and it reported in 1845 that the population of Ireland had increased from 6 million people to close on 8 million people. Similarly they concluded that the leases were unfair and were favourable to the landowners (who were usually Anglo-Irish). The majority of Irish tenants had no form of protection, they could be, and often were, summarily evicted. They also had no claim to the Ulster Custom of landholding - this would have granted tenants the "3F's": Free sale, fixity of tenure, and fair rent.^[2] The Devon Commission had wide reaching consequences and though too late to prevent the famine, it did galvanize change afterwards.

References

^ The Irish Problem and How to Solve It, Elibron Classics. Google Books
^ ^a ^b Ryan, Stephanie (23 August 2023). "Foreshadowing the famine disaster in Ireland: The Devon Commission, an inquiry into the occupation of land in Ireland 1843-1845". State Library Of Queensland. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
^ House of Lords biography

The Irish Problem and How to Solve It, Elibron Classics. Google Books

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References

Further reading