Froude: The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century

Froude, James Anthony. The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century, Volume I. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1872.

After the completion of his History of England, Froude began to research Irish history leading to the publication of The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century (1972). The work is strongly polemic, elevating Protestantism over Roman Catholicism. It attempts to justify the treatment of the Irish by the English, particularly under Oliver Cromwell. For Froude the troubles in Ireland were a result of too little English control with greater English presence needed to alleviate Ireland’s problems. It is unsurprising then that Froude’s works have been criticised, not only among the Catholic Church and Anglican High Churchmen, but also among historians of both England and Ireland.

Froude, James Anthony. The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century, Volume I. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1872.

Froude, James Anthony. The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century, Volume I. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1872.

After the completion of his History of England, Froude began to research Irish history leading to the publication of The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century (1972). The work is strongly polemic, elevating Protestantism over Roman Catholicism. It attempts to justify the treatment of the Irish by the English, particularly under Oliver Cromwell. For Froude the troubles in Ireland were a result of too little English control with greater English presence needed to alleviate Ireland’s problems. It is unsurprising then that Froude’s works have been criticised, not only among the Catholic Church and Anglican High Churchmen, but also among historians of both England and Ireland.

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James Anthony Froude (1818-1894) was an English historian, novelist, biographer, and editor. From a young age Froude read widely in history and theology and attended Oriel College, Oxford from 1836. After graduating in 1840 he moved to Delgany in Co. Wicklow where he worked as a private tutor. He returned to Oxford in 1842 where he was elected a fellow of Exeter College.

While initially influenced by the Oxford Movement (a movement which viewed the Anglican Church as one of three branches of the Catholic Church) Froude’s religious views tended to be more in line with unorthodox writers. His doubts regarding his religious faith were expressed in his novel The Nemesis of Faith (1849), a work focusing on a young priest’s crisis of faith. It caused a scandal upon its release resulting in Froude’s resignation of his fellowship at Oxford University.

After moving to North Wales in 1950 he decided to pursue a literary career. He began by writing reviews and historical essays for Fraser’s Magazine and the Westminster Review. After returning to England he began working on his History of England from the Fall of Wolsey to the Defeat of the Spanish Armada (1870), which took him almost twenty years to complete. His historic writings display a dramatic style, focusing on figures such as Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. They including a strong defence of the English Reformation while offering criticism of the Catholic Church.

After the completion of his History of England, Froude began to research Irish history leading to the publication of The English in Ireland in the Eighteenth Century (1972). The work is strongly polemic, elevating Protestantism over Roman Catholicism. It attempts to justify the treatment of the Irish by the English, particularly under Oliver Cromwell. For Froude the troubles in Ireland were a result of too little English control with greater English presence needed to alleviate Ireland’s problems. It is unsurprising then that Froude’s works have been criticised, not only among the Catholic Church and Anglican High Churchmen, but also among historians of both England and Ireland.

His other writings include his biography of the Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle (published in 1884), works focusing on the British colonies (published between 1886 and 1888) and a historical novel, The Two Chiefs of Dunboy (1889).

He died on 20 October 1894.