₁ See Hayton, D.W. and Jones, Clyve A register of parliamentary lists 1660–1761 (Leicester, 1979), pp 119–41 and esp. pp 140–1;Google Scholar Johnston-Liik, Edith Mary History of the Irish parliament 1692–1800 (6 vols, Belfast, 2002 (henceforth Hist. Ir. parl.)), i, 23–6.Google Scholar

₂ The background to the dispute is covered in admirable detail in Landa, L.A. Swift and the Church of Ireland (Oxford, 1954), pp 135–50Google Scholar. See also Hayton, D.W. ‘Parliament and the established church: authority, reform and reaction’ in idem, Kelly, James and Bergin, John (eds), The eighteenth-century composite state: representative institutions in Ireland and Europe 1690–1800 (Basingstoke, 2010), pp 92–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

₃ Commons Jn. Ire. (2nd ed.), vi, 658–72; Two affidavits in relation to the demands of tythe-agistment in the dioces of Leighlin … (Dublin, 1736); Legg, Marie-Louise ‘The parish clergy of the Church of Ireland in the eighteenth century’ in Barnard, T.C. and Neely, W.G. (eds), The clergy of the Church of Ireland, 1000–2000: messengers, watchmen and stewards (Dublin, 2006), pp 136–7.Google Scholar For Synge, see Legg, Marie-Louise ‘Synge, Edward (1691–1762)’ in Oxford DNB.Google Scholar

₄ Commons Jn. Ire. (2nd ed.), vi, 568–9.

₅ Ibid., 601–2.

₆ Ibid., 604; Hayton, ‘Parliament and the established church’, p. 9.Google Scholar For Rowley, see Hist. Ir. Pari, vi, 196.

₇ Commons Jn. Ire. (2nd ed.), vi, 641–2, 646.

₈ Ibid., 658–73. By order of the House these resolutions were printed, as The report from the committee appointed to take into consideration the petition of Samuel Low, and others … (Dublin, 1735/6).

₉ In general see Bric, Maurice ‘The tithe system in eighteenth-century Ireland’ in R.I.A. Proc., 86 (1986), sect. C, pp 271–88.Google Scholar

₁₀ Landa, Swift & the Church of Ireland, pp 124–7;Google Scholar Walsh, Patrick ‘Free movement of people? Responses to emigration from Ireland, 1718–30’ in Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies, 3 (2010), pp 221–36;Google Scholar Abp Boulter to Lord Carteret, 8 Mar. 1728[/9] (Letters written by His Excellency Hugh Boulter … to several ministers of state in England, and some … (2 vols, Dublin, 1770 (henceforth Boulter letters)), i, 229); Boulter to duke of Newcastle, 13 Mar. 1728[/9] (ibid., 229–35); Coghill to Edward Southwell, 23 Oct. 1729 (Letters of Marmaduke Coghill, 1722–1738, ed. Hayton, D.W. (Dublin, 2005 (henceforth Coghill letters)), pp 74–5).Google Scholar

₁₁ William Taylor to Lord Perceval, 16 Mar. 1735[/6] (B.L., Egmont papers, Add MS 46987, f. 20).

₁₂ Dr Edward Barry to Ld Orrery, 11 Apr. 1736 (Orrery papers, ed. Countess of Cork, and Orrery, (2 vols, London, 1903), i, 155).Google Scholar

₁₃ Synge, Edward Two affidavits in relation to the demands of tythe-agistment in the diocese of Leighlin; with an introduction (Dublin, 1736);Google Scholar The case of the several farmers and graziers of Ireland, touching the new demand for herbage: with some reasons against the manner in which it is made … ([Dublin?], 1736); Prescription sacred: or, reasons for opposing the new demand of herbage in Ireland ([Dublin?], 1736); MacAulay, Alexander Property inviolable: or, Some remarks upon a pamphlet entituled, Prescription sacred (Dublin, 1736);Google Scholar Blacker, Samuel Property vindicated: or, some remarks upon a late pamphlet, intitled, Property inviolable (Dublin, 1739);Google Scholar Property re-asserted, in answer to the arguments and exceptions in a late paper, intituled, Property vindicated (Dublin, 1740).

₁₄ Mrs Jane Hamilton to Mrs Bonnell, 11 Oct. 1736 (N.L.I., Smythe of Barbavilla papers, MS 41,850/7).

₁₅ Boulter, to Bp Gibson of London, 18 May 1736 (Boulter letters, 2, 153).Google Scholar See also Boulter, to Abp Potter of Canterbury, 9 Aug. 1737 (ibid., 238).Google Scholar In 1747 the London newspaper the General Advertiser printed what purported to be the text of two ‘associations’ agreed in Ireland in the aftermath of the Commons vote of 1736, one taken by ‘the gentlemen-freeholders, &c of the county of Cork’, the other by ‘several Irish Lords &c.’ (General Advertiser, 2 Feb. 1747).

₁₆ An apology for the clergy of Ireland in respect of their civil rights, especially as to agistment for dry and barren cattle (Dublin, 1737–8), pp 3–4.

₁₇ Kendrick, T.F.J. ‘Sir Robert Walpole, the Old Whigs and the bishops, 1733–1736: a study in eighteenth-century parliamentary politics’ in Hist. Jn., 11 (1968), pp 421–35;Google Scholar Taylor, Stephen ‘Sir Robert Walpole, the Church of England, and the Quakers’ tithe bill of 1736’ in ibid., 28 (1985), pp 51–77;Google Scholar idem, ‘Whigs, Tories and anticlericalism: ecclesiastical courts legislation in 1733’ in Parliamentary History, xix (2000), pp 329–56. The connexion was made explicitly in ‘Some considerations upon the late proceedings in Ireland, in opposition to the clergy’s demand of tithe herbage …’ [1736] (B.L., Egmont papers, Add. MS 47089, f. 5; further copies in B.L., Add. MS 21132, ff 49–53, 54–9, 60–64) and in Bp Robert Howard of Elphin to Hugh Howard, 22 May 1736 (N.L.I., Wicklow papers, MS 38,958/13).

₁₈ Vere White, Terence de The story of the Royal Dublin Society (Tralee, [1955]), chs 1–3;Google Scholar Clarke, Desmond Arthur Dobbs esquire 1689–1765 … (Chapel Hill, N. Carolina, 1957), ch. 4;Google Scholar Livesey, James ‘The Dublin Society in eighteenth-century Irish political thought’ in Hist. Jn., 47 (2004), pp 615–40.Google Scholar

₁₉ Hayton, ‘Parliament and the established church’, pp 90–93.Google Scholar

₂₀ Ibid., pp 90–94; Hist. Ir. pari, iii, 179–80; v, 315–16; vi, 196–7.

₂₁ Legg, Marie-Louise ‘Synge, Edward (1691–1762)’ in Oxford DNB.Google Scholar

₂₂ For Hutchinson, see Sneddon, Andrew Bishop Francis Hutchinson (1660–1739): a case study in the eighteenth-century culture of improvement’ in I.H.S., 35, no. 139 (May 2007), pp 289–310;Google Scholar idem, Witchcraft and Whigs: the life of Bishop Francis Hutchinson, 1660–1739 (Manchester, 2008); for Madden, Dunlevy, Mairead ‘Samuel Madden and the scheme for the encouragement of useful manufactures’ in Bernelle, Agnes (ed.), Decantations: a tribute to Maurice Craig (Dublin, 1992), pp 21–8;Google Scholar Richey, Rosemary ‘Madden, Samuel Molyneux (1686–1765)’ in Oxford DNB;Google Scholar Ciardha, Éamonn à ‘Madden, Samuel Molyneux’, in DIB.Google Scholar In general, see Barnard, T.C. ‘Improving clergymen, 1660–1760’ in Ford, Alan McGuire, James and Milne, Kenneth (eds), As by law established: the Church of Ireland since the Reformation (Dublin, 1995), pp 136–51;Google Scholar idem, ‘The Dublin Society and other improving societies, 1731–5’ in Kelly, James and Powell, M.J. (eds), Clubs and societies in eighteenth-century Ireland (Dublin, 2010), pp 53–88.Google Scholar

₂₃ Hayton, D.W. ‘The development and limitations of Protestant ascendancy: the Church of Ireland laity in public life, c. 1660–1740’ in Gillespie, Raymond and Neely, W.G. (eds), The laity and the Church of Ireland, 1000–2000: all sorts and conditions (Dublin, 2002), pp 129–31.Google Scholar For some examples from the north of Ireland, see Richey, Rosemary ‘Landed society in mid eighteenth-century County Down’ (Ph.D. thesis, Queen’s University Belfast, 2000), pp 191–214.Google Scholar

₂₄ Particulars relating to legislation in the Irish parliament have been taken from the Irish Legislation Database (http://www.qub.ac.uk/ild). See also Peirson, Samuel The present state of the tillage in Ireland considered, and some methods offered for its improvement (Dublin, 1725).Google Scholar

₂₅ Abp Boulter to Sir Robert Walpole, 9 Aug. 1737 (Boulter letters, ii, 234).

₂₆ A list of such Members as voted for and against the new demand of herbage in 1736 ([Dublin, n.d.]). The only known copy is to be found in the library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Rare 941.5 P191). We are very grateful to Dr John Bergin for drawing this to our attention.

₂₇ See below, p. 320. For Prendergast and Carey, see Hist. Ir. parl., iii, 368–9; vi, 116–18; Sedgwick, Romney The House of Commons 1715–54 (2 vols, London, 1970), i, 529–30; ii, 369.Google Scholar

₂₈ Even the postscript to the list, confirming that first Sir Thomas Prendergast and second Walter Carey, did not vote, followed this pattern rather than alphabetical order, Prendergast’s constituency being Clonmel, County Tipperary, and Carey’s Clogher, County Tyrone.

₂₉ Burton, I.F. and Riley, P.W.J. ‘Division lists of the reigns of William III and Anne: what are they? How were they compiled?’ in Newman, Aubrey (ed.), The parliamentary lists of the early eighteenth century: their compilation and use (Leicester, 1973), pp 22–1;Google Scholar Ditchfield, G.M. Hayton, D.W. and Jones, Clyve (eds), British parliamentary lists, 1660–1800: a register (London, 1995), pp 104–5.Google Scholar

₃₀ It is also possible that the number of voters against the agistment is inflated because of confusion over namesakes.

₃₁ Those voting against the agistment were Nicholas Archdall, Joseph Ashe, Richard Bettesworth, William Blakeney, Hon. Thomas Bligh, Hon. Thomas Butler, Thomas Carter, Henry Clements, Nathaniel Clements, William James Conolly, William Cooper, John Folliott, Hon. William Molesworth, Thomas Montgomery, Hon. Robert Napper, Michael O'Brien Dilkes, Hon. Henry Ponsonby, Nathaniel Preston, Hon. Henry Southwell, Thomas Staunton, Thomas Tenison, Richard Tighe, Agmondisham Vesey, Samuel Warter Whitshed, John Wynne, and Owen Wynne; those voting in favour James Barry, Stephen Bernard, Arthur Blennerhassett, Thomas Burgh, James Butler, Marmaduke Coghill, Arthur Dawson, Charles Hamilton, William Harrison, Robert Jocelyn, John Maxwell, Hon. James O'Brien, Thomas Pearce, Robert Roberts, Lord George Sackville, Henry Singleton and Thomas Trotter. (Information taken from Hist. Ir. parl.)

₃₂ Hayton, D.W. ‘“Paltry underlings of state”? The character and aspirations of the “Castle” party, 1715–32’ in Rawson, Claude (ed.), Politics and literature in England and Ireland in the age of Swift (Cambridge, 2010), pp 221–54.Google Scholar

₃₃ B.L., Add. MS 38671, f. 68.

₃₄ Dickson, David Old world colony: Cork and south Munster 1630–1830 (Cork, 2005), ch. 7.Google Scholar See above, n. 15.

₃₅ Marmaduke Coghill to Edward Southwell, sr, 27 Sept., 23 Oct. 1729, 18 Apr. 1730 (Coghill letters, pp 73, 74–5, 98); same to Edward Southwell, jr, 20 Oct. 1733, 2 Dec. 1735 (ibid., pp 137, 178).

₃₆ Dublin Society minutes, 1 Sept. 1731, 16 Sept., 11, 25 Nov., 4 Dec. 1731, 11 May, 8 June 1732, 16 Apr., 25 Oct. 1733 (R.D. S., Dublin Society minute book 1, pp 1, 4, 16–18, 23, 55–6, 70, f. 80). Hist. Ir. parl. uses other evidence (from some contemporary publications) to identify 'founding members' of the society, but this is not always borne out by the minutes, and has not been made use of here.

₃₇ Hon. Robert Allen, Henry Bingham, Thomas Carter, William James Conolly, Arthur French, Luke Gardiner, Robert Perceval, and James Tynte.

₃₈ Stephen Bernard, Robert Cope, Arthur Gore, John Moore, and James Stopford.

₃₉ Coghill, to Southwell, sr, 23 Oct. 1729 (Coghill letters, pp 74–5).Google Scholar

₄₀ Information from Hist. Ir. parl.

₄₁ Hugh Henry, Matthew Jacob, George Ogle, Robert Ross, and the two James Stevensons.

₄₂ Roger Throp, A narrative of the case of the Reverend Mr Roger Throp … lately rector of Killcornan, in the diocese of Limerick … ([Dublin?], 1739); Mrs Mary Jones to Mrs Jane Bonnell, 13 Jan. [?1727] (N.L.I., Smythe of Barbavilla papers, MS 41,577/1).

₄₃ Robert Adair, Richard Dawson, Patrick French, William Hamilton, Price Hartstonge, Thomas Tenison, Agmondisham Vesey, and Sir John Denny Vesey.

₄₄ For Philips, see Varney, Andrew ‘Philips, Ambrose (bap. 1674, d. 1749)’ in Oxford DNB; Google Scholar Lunney, Linde ‘Philips, Ambrose’ in DIB.Google Scholar The others were James Butler, Robert Downes, William Fitzherbert, Humphrey French, William Hore, Robert Jocelyn, Thomas Le Hunt, Hon. James O'Brien, James Stopford, and Richard Warburton.

₄₅ William Brownlow, Thomas Burgh, Marmaduke Coghill, Robert Cope, Philip Doyne, John Elwood, Francis Lucas, Peter Ludlow, Thomas Pearce, and Henry Singleton.

₄₆ James Barry, Stephen Bernard, Arthur Blennerhassett, Arthur Dawson, Warden Flood, William Harrison, William Hore, Thomas Le Hunt, Robert Magill, John Rochfort, Hon. John Skeffington, and James Stopford.

₄₇ For Vesey and ‘the tribe of Bingham’, identified for particular opprobrium in the ‘Legion Club’, see below, p. 314. This connexion of ‘the blood of the Binghams’ with Vesey seems to be confirmed in Vesey to Caesar Colclough, 12 Aug. 1729 (N.L.I., Colclough papers, MS 39,766/10). Swift attributed their conduct in the Commons to the malign influence of the Whig faction leader, Owen Wynne, but in this instance regional economic interests may also have been important.

₄₈ See Fenlon, Jane ‘Episodes of magnificence: the material worlds of the dukes of Ormonde’ in Barnard, T.C. and Fenlon, Jane (eds.), The dukes of Ormonde, 1610–1745 (Woodbridge, 2000), pp 153–4;Google Scholar Hayton, D.W. ‘Dependence, clientage, and affinity: the political following of the second duke of Ormonde’ in ibid., p 236.Google Scholar

₄₉ Voting against the tithe: Sir Edward Crofton, 3rd Bt, Sir Arthur Gore, 2nd Bt, Hugh Henry, Charles Lambart, Robert Oliver, Nathaniel Preston, Hercules Rowley, Anthony Sheppard, James Stevenson, Richard Tighe, William Wall, and Owen Wynne. Voting in favour: Richard St George.

₅₀ Voting against the tithe: Hon. John Allen, Hon. Richard Allen, Hon. Robert Allen, William Aston, John Bourke, Hon Thomas Butler, William James Conolly, Henry Conyngham, Abraham Creighton, Edward Crofton, Edward Deane, Arthur Denny, Sir John Redmond Freke, William Gore, Matthew Jacob, Charles Lambart, jr, Hon. Bysse Molesworth, Hon. William Molesworth, George Ogle, Richard Pennefather, Robert Perceval, Hon. Hayes St Leger, William Sandford, Hon. Henry Southwell, James Stevenson jr, John Stratford , William Tighe, and Samuel Warter Whitshed. Voting in favour: Arthur Gore, Anthony Marlay, Hon. James O’Brien, and Richard Warburton.

₅₁ Swift to Sheridan, 15 June 1735 (The correspondence of Jonathan Swift, D.D., ed.Google Scholar Woolley, David (4 vols, Frankfurt am Main, 1999–2007)Google Scholar (henceforth Swift corr., ed. Woolley), iv, 122 referring to ‘the College-green Club’); Swift to Ld Orrery, 25 Sept. 1735 (ibid., iv, 190, ‘the abominable Club’); Swift and Sheridan to Mrs Whiteway, 28/29 Nov. 1735 (ibid., iv, 240, ‘the Legion Club’).

₅₂ See also Luke, 8, 26–39.Google Scholar

₅₃ Swift corr., ed. Woolley, 4, 296.Google Scholar

₅₄ Ibid., iv, 286–7.

₅₅ The poems of Jonathan Swift, ed. Williams, Harold (2nd ed., 3 vols, Oxford, 1958), iii, 828;Google Scholar Jonathan Swift: the complete poems, ed. Rogers, Pat (London & New Haven, Conn., 1983), p 891.Google Scholar The line numbers of the ‘Legion Club’ referred to in this article are identical in both of these editions.

₅₆ The texts of the first group are found in Political tracts (2 vols, London, 1738: ESTC t043973), ii; Works (18mo, 19 vols, Dublin, 1762, ESTC t228842), x; and other printings derived from these texts. All twelve extant manuscripts of the poem belong to the second group, as do a few printed editions.

₅₇ Sheridan to Swift, 3 June 1736 (Swift corr., ed. Woolley, 4, 308).Google Scholar

₅₈ Lines 159–72.

₅₉ For further discussion of the Nottingham manuscript, see Hendershot, Cyndy ‘A contemporary annotated manuscript of Swift’s poem “A character, panegyric, and description of the Legion Club”’ in Notes and Queries, 211 (1995), pp 455–8.Google Scholar

₆₀ Works (18mo, 1762), x, 239.

₆₁ Lines 239–42.

₆₂ Lines 21–18.

₆₃ Lines quoted from Political tracts (1738), ii, 251.

₆₄ Line 191.

₆₅ The poem’s textual history is discussed at greater length in Karian, Stephen Jonathan Swift in print and manuscript (Cambridge, 2010), ch. 5.Google Scholar