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Ireland and Anglo-papal relations, 1880-85
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2016
Extract
The search for a solution to the Irish question in the 19th century led to several attempts to obtain the support of the papacy for the policies of the English government. Though England and the papacy never maintained formal diplomatic relations, mattels of common interest were dealt with by a succession of agents resident in Rome. Around 1850 began the practice of getting an envoy formally accredited to Tuscany to reside in Rome and to treat with the Vatican. The most famous of these was Odo Russell (later Lord Ampthill) whose stay in Rome lasted from 1858 to 1870. After the disappearance of Tuscany as a separate state in 1860 his accreditation was to Naples. In 1861, on the fall of Naples, he ceased formally to be accredited. The pope would not, of course, treat with any envoy accredited to the new kingdom of Italy. Russell kept the government’s view of Irish problems before the pope and may have been partly responsible for Pio Nono’s condemnation of Fenianism in January 1870. Russell’s successor, Sir Henry Jervoise, remained only until 1874 when he was withdrawn by Lord Derby and not replaced.
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References
1 There are some half dozen letters relating to Propaganda property from Granville and T. H. Sanderson (his private secretary) to Paget and MacDonnell between 28 May and 3 Dec. 1880 in the P.R.O., 2nd Earl Granville papers, 30/39/208 (unfoliated).
2 Granville to Paget, 14 Dec. 1880 (ibid.). A note indicates that this was seen by Gladstone, Forster and Düke, under-secretary of state.
3 Granville to Paget, 19 Dec. 1880 (ibid.).
4 Freeman’s Journal, 10 Jan. 1881, p. 6.
5 Granville to Paget, 5 Jan. 1881 (P.R.O., 30/29/208). Gladstone wished to insert ‘warm ’ or ‘high’ before ‘appreciation’.
6 Granville to MacDonnell, 30 Aug. 1881 (ibid.).
7 Granville to Emly, 16 Oct. 1879 ( Fitzmaurice, Lord Edmond Life of Granville George Leueson Gower, second Earl Granville (London, 1905), 2, 283–4).Google Scholar
8 Lyons to Granville, 18 June 1880 ( Newton, Lord, Lord Lyons, a record of British diplomacy (London, 1913), 2, 233–5).Google Scholar
9 Errington to Granville, 30 Aug. 1880 (P.R.O., 30/29/208), Granville to Errington, 1 Sept. 1880 (ibid.).Granville to MacDonnell, 3 Sept. 1880 (ibid.).
10 Granville to Paget, 3 Dec. 1880 (ibid.).
11 Errington to Bernard Smith, 11 Jan. 1881. This letter is in the papers of Abbot Bernard Smith, O.S.B., the originals of which are kept at St Paul Without, Rome. I have consulted copies on microfilm belonging to the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. This large and important collection, which is for practical purposes unsorted, is described in Edie, Callistus ‘Letter from Rome’, in Scriptorium (privately circulated, St John’s College, Collegeville, Minnesota), 11 (Mar. 1951), pp 21–35 Google Scholar; Loeber, Germain ‘Report on Smith letters’, in ibid., 13 (Apr. 1953), pp 29–32 Google Scholar; C[urran], M.J. ‘The correspondence of Abbot Smith, O.S.B’, in Reportorium Novum, 1 (1955), pp 243–4Google Scholar. Copies of the Scriptorium articles are in the R.I.A.
12 Errington to Smith, 7 Feb. 1881 (Smith papers).
13 Errington to Smith, c. 16 Mar. 1881 (ibid.).
14 Freeman’s Journal, 16 Mar. 1881, pp 4, 5; 18 Mar. 1881, p. 5; 22 Mar. 1881, p. 4.
15 Errington to Smith, 1 Apr. 1881 (Smith papers).
16 Errington to Smith, 22 Aug. 1881 (ibid.); Granville to Spencer, 28 Aug. 1881 (P.R.O., 30/29/142). Howard’s visit to England had been reported briefly in The Times, 2 Oct. 1880, p. 11, and ibid., 7 Oct. p. 7.
17 Granville to Paget, 14 Dec. 1880 (ibid., vol. 208).
18 Granville to Spencer, 28 Aug. 1881 (ibid., vol. 142).
19 Spencer to Granville, Aix, 15 Sept. 1881 (ibid.).
20 Howard to Spencer, 26 Sept. 1881 (ibid.).
21 Jacobini to Errington, 15 Sept. 1881 (P.R.O., Papers entitled ‘Italy, Mr Errington’s missions to the Vatican, 1881–85 ‘5 F.O. 800/235, no- 3, enclosure). This invaluable collection is hereafter referred to as P.R.O., F.O. 800/235-9. The translation of this letter from the Italian has been made for me by Mrs Margaret Watson to whom I am indebted.
22 Errington to Granville, 25 Sept. 1881 (ibid., vol. 235, no. 1).
23 Errington to Granville, Lackham, Wilts., 1 Oct. 1881, enclosing Jacobini to Errington, 15 Sept. 1881 (ibid., no. 3); Granville to Spencer, 2 Oct. 1881 (P.R.O., 30/29/142).
24 Spencer to Granville, 2 Oct. 1881, enclosing Howard to Spencer, 26 Sept. 1881 (ibid.); Granville to Spencer, 2 Oct. 1881 (ibid.). The second of these letters, which was in reply to the first, is only in draft form here.
25 Granville to Gladstone, 3 Oct. 1881 ( Ramm, Agatha, The political correspondence of Mr Gladstone and Lord Granville, 1876–86 (London, 1962), 1, 298).Google Scholar
26 Gladstone to Granville, 5 Oct. 1881 (ibid., i, 299).
27 Granville to Errington, 3 Oct. 1881 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/235, no. 4).
28 Granville to Errington, 7 Nov. 1881 (ibid., no. 16).
29 Errington to Granville, 31 Oct. 1881 (ibid., no. 13). The same impression is conveyed in Errington to Granville, 25 Sept. 1881 (ibid., no. 1).
30 Ibid., no. 3.
31 See below, p. 60.
32 Gladstone to Dilke, 27 June 1885 ( Gwynn, Stephen and Tuckwell, G.M., Life of the Rt Hon. Sir Charles W. Dilke (London, 1917), 2, 151)Google Scholar; O’Brien, , Parnell, 2, 26 Google Scholar (having interviewed Gladstone in old age). Both statements by Gladstone were made some time after the event.
33 Gwynn, & Tuckwell, , Dilke, 1, 375.Google Scholar Dilke recorded that it was Spencer and Forster who together got Granville to give Errington the introductory letter. However, Dilke was influenced by Gladstone and moreover wished to justify in his own mind the replies he gave in the commons (see below, pp 32–4).
34 There is no biography and enquiries have failed to lead to the private papers which he must surely have kept. These personal details are collected from the papers consulted and from the usual reference sources.
35 Nowhere does he mention money as a personal problem and on his death in 1920 he was worth over £41,000 (P.R.O.I., Will of Sir George Errington and related documents).
36 In the papers of Abbot Smith are several letters from Errington written from Cairo and Smyrna in 1891.
37 Freeman’s Journal, 5 Sept. 1879, p. 5.
38 Errington to Smith, 28 Mar. 1874 (Smith papers).
39 Errington to Smith, 29 May, 1877 (ibid.).
40 Errington to Smith, 15 Aug. 1877 (ibid.).
41 Gladstone to Granville, io Oct. 1877 ( Ramm, , Corr of Gladstone, & Granville, 1876–86, 1, 54).Google Scholar
42 Errington to Smith, [14?] Mar. 1880 (Smith papers).
43 Freeman’s Journal, 18 May 1880, p. 7.
44 London. Wyman & Sons, Dublin: Gill & Son; 1880; 28 pp. It is referred to in Errington to Smith, 21 Nov 1880 (Smith papers).
45 The Times, 31 Jan. 1881, p. 10.
46 Errington to Crranville, 31 Oct. 1881 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/235, no. 13); same to same, 22 Mar 1882 (ibid., vol. 236, no. 66); same to same, 13 Apr 1882 (ibid., no. 67), Paget to Granville, 9 May 1882 (ibid., no. 72).
47 Granville to Paget, 21 Oct. 1881 (P.R.O., 30/29/208). See Granville to Sir J. Savile Lumley (Paget’s successor), 31 Oct. 1883 (ibid.).
48 F.O. 800/235, no. 15.
49 Granville to Errington, 7 Nov. 1881 (ibid., no. 16).
50 Tel. F.O. to Hugh Fraser (MacDonnell’s successor as chargé d’affaires), 26 Oct. 1883 (P.R.O., Papers entitled ‘Italy, Sir A. Paget, Mr Fraser, telegrams and recorders’, F.O. 45/479, tel. no. 29); Lyons to Granville, Paris, 30 Dec. 1884 (Newton, Lyons, ii, 339).
51 Granville to Paget, 2 Nov- 1881 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/235, no. 10).
52 Granville to Paget, 3 Nov. 1881 (ibid., no. 12). But he was too late for Errington had already given a copy (Errington to Granville, 4 Nov* 1881, ibid., no. 14; same to same, 3 Nov. 1881, ibid., no. 17). However, Jacobini offered to return it (tel. Errington to Granville, 4 Nov- 1881, ibid., no. 18).
53 Granville to Errington, 2 Dec. 1881 (ibid., no. 23).
54 Tel. Granville to Paget, 6 Jan. 1882 (ibid., vol. 236, no. 38). Gladstone had substituted the words ‘testify the pope’s attachment to ’ for ‘promote ’.
55 Errington to Granville, 3 Nov. 1881 (ibid., vol. 235, no. 17). A letter from Neville to Errington, 11 June 1882, is in the Smith papers and contains information on the proceedings of a private meeting of the hierarchy, presumably from Delany
56 McCabe to Errington, 18 Oct. 1882 (Smith papers).
57 Errington to Smith, 3 Dec. 1882 (ibid.); Errington to Granville, 7 Dec. 1882 (Althorp, Northampton, 3rd Earl Spencer papers, cabinet correspondence, 1880–85, ‘Granville’, hereafter referred to as ‘Spencer papers ’); Errington to Smith, 26 Feb. 1884 (Smith papers).
58 There are 9 letters from McCabe to Smith in the latter’s papers.
59 P.R.O., F.O. 800/235–9.
60 In Oct. 1881 (Errington to Granville, 1, 4, 7 Oct. 1881, ibid., vol. 235, nos 3, 5, 6); in Dec. 1882 (Errington to Granville, 14 Dec. 1882, ibid., vol. 236, no. 84; Errington to Smith, 16 Dec. 1882, Smith papers); in Oct. 1884 (Errington to Smith, 21 Oct. 1884, ibid.).
61 Errington to Granville, 1 Oct. 1881 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/235, no. 3).
62 Errington to Granville, London, 24 Oct. 1881 (ibid., no. 7).
63 Spencer to Granville, 11 June 1882 (P.R.O., 30/29/142); another copy in Spencer papers.
64 Spencer to Granville, 6 Aug. 1882 (P.R.O., 30/29/142); another copy in Spencer papers. The letter from Errington is no. 75 of the Errington mission papers (P.R.O., F.O. 800/236).
65 There are over a dozen in the Granville papers dated between June 1882 and April 1885.
66 Spencer to G. O. Trevelyan, chief secretary for Ireland, 3 June 1883 (B.M., Gladstone papers, Add. MS 44,335, f. 116); Errington to Smith, 26 Feb. 1884 (Smith papers).
67 In his letter to Errington on 15 Sept. 1881, Jacobini referred to ‘having had several opportunities to appreciate the noble qualities which distinguish you ’ (P.R.O.. F.O. 800/235, no/235 enclosure).
68 31 Oct. 1881, 2 Nov- 1881, 15 Dec. 1881, c. 3 Jan. 1882, 16 Jan. 1882, c. 15 Feb. 1882 (various letters in ibid., vols 235–6).
69 Errington to Ampthill, 5 Mar. 1883 (P.R.O., Ampthill papers, F.O. 918/71). The text of this letter, abridged and edited by the present writer, appears in Éire-Ireland, iv, no. 2 (Summer 1969), pp 87–92.
70 Errington to Smith, 7 Feb. 1881 (Smith papers); Errington to Ampthill, 5 Mar. 1883 (see above, n. 69).
71 Errington to Granville, 23 Nov- 1881 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/235, no. 21), same to same, 30 Nov. 1881 (ibid., no. 24), same to same, 7 Dec. 1881 (ibid., no. 26), same to same, 19 Jan. 1882 (ibid., vol. 236, no. 43) ; same to same, 15 Feb. 1882 (ibid., no. 56).
72 Errington to Granville, 13 Apr. 1881 (ibid., no. 67).
73 Brief sketches of Smith’s career are contained in the articles by Edie and Curran (see a’bove, η. 11).
74 Errington to Granville, 23 Mar. 1883 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/237, η°• no).
75 Errington to Granville, 15 Mar. 1882 (ibid., vol. 236, no. 65); same to same, 9 Mar. 1883 (ibid., vol. 237, no. 105).
76 Errington to Granville, 4 Jan. 1884 (ibid., vol. 238, no. 149).
77 The Times, 9 Mar. 1883, p. 5; 3, cclxxvii, 791–2 (19 Mar. 1883).
78 P.R.O., F.O. 800/235, no. 17, enclosure.
79 Ibid., vol. 236, no. 67 There is confirmation of this in the leading article in United Ireland, 6 May 1882, and in Croke to McCabe, 17 May 1882, of which there is a copy among the Croke papers (in the keeping of Dom Mark Tierney, O.S.B., Glenstal Abbey, Limerick).
80 Freeman’s Journal, 27 Nov 1882, p. 6.
81 Errington to Granville, London, 14 Dec. 1882 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/ 236, no. 84).
82 Errington to Smith, 16 Dec. 1882 (Smith papers).
83 Errington to Ampthill, 5 Mar. 1883 (see above, n. 69). See also Errington to Granville, 2, 9, 16 Feb, 1883 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/237, nos 98, 99, 100).
84 Errington to Granville, 12 Jan. 1883 (ibid., no. 90).
85 Tel. Granville to Paget (for Errington), 26 Jan. 1883 (ibid., no. 93).
86 Granville to Errington, 26 Jan. 1883 (ibid., no. 94).
87 Errington to Granville, 16 Jan. 1883 (ibid., no. 91).
88 Errington to Granville, 16 Jan. 1883 (ibid., no. 95).
89 Errington to Granville, 9 Feb. 1883 (ibid., no. 99).
90 Errington to Granville, 16 Feb. 1883 (ibid., no. 100).
91 Freeman’s Journal, 19 Mar. 1883, p. 3.
92 Errington to Granville, 28 Mar. 1883 (P.R.O., F.O 800/237, no. III).
93 Spencer to Granville, 20 Apr 1883 (PRO., 30/29/142). There is also a copy in the Spencer papers.
94 Errington to Granville, Dublin, 24 Apr. 1883 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/ 237, no. 113).
95 Errington to Granville, Rome, 3 May 1883 (ibid., no. 116).
96 Blunt, Wilfrid Scawen, The land war in Ireland, being a personal narrative of events (London, 1912), p. 195,Google Scholar O’Brien, William, Evening memories (Dublin, 1920), pp 50–2.Google Scholar
97 Errington to Granville, 11 May 1883 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/237, no. 118) , The Times, 15 May 1883, p. 3.
98 Errington to Granville, 11 May 1883 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/237, 119).
99 Errington to Granville, 18 May 1883 (ibid., no. 120).
100 Tel. Paget to Granville, 22 May 1883 (ibid., no. 122).
101 Tel. Granville to Paget, 24 May 1883 (ibid., no. 123).
102 Freeman’s Journal, 15 May 1883, 2nd ed., pp 3, 7.
103 Ibid., II Dec. 1883, p. 6.
104 Ibid., 12 Dec. 1883, p. 5; Errington to Granville, 20 Dec. 1883 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/237, no. 144).
105 There was another, minor intervention in March 1884, after which Errington wrote : ‘Cardinal Simeoni told me last night of his own accord … that the Propaganda had written very strongly to Dr Nulty, the bishop of Meath, about a violent speech made some months ago at Killucan by a Father Kelch, P.P., at a meeting of Davitt’s ’ (Errington to Granville, 12 Mar. 1884, ibid., vol. 238, no. 157).
106 Tel. Paget to Granville (message from Errington), 30 Nov. 1881 (ibid., vol. 235, no. 22).
107 Errington to Granville, 30 Nov- 1881 (ibid., no. 24).
108 Granville to Errington, 2 Dec. 1881 (ibid., no. 23).
109 Minutes of Propaganda meeting, [28] Nov- 1881 (ibid., no. 24, enclosure).
110 Errington to Granville, 31 Oct. 1881 (ibid., no. 13).
111 Errington to Granville, 3 Nov- 1881 (ibid., no. 17).
112 Tel. Granville to Paget (message for Errington), 15 Dec. 1881 (ibid., no. 28).
113 Tel. Paget to Granville (message from Errington), 17 Dec. 1881 (ibid., no. 29).
114 Ibid., nos 32, 34, 35.
115 Ibid., vol. 236, no. 36. It was followed by another wire, Paget to Granville, 4 Jan. 1882, confirming this and including messages for Forster and Lord O’Hagan, the late lord chancellor of Ireland, informing them too (ibid., no. 37).
116 See above, n. 54.
117 Errington to Granville, 15 Feb. 1882 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/236, no. 56).
118 Tel. Granville to Paget, 6 Mar. 1882 (ibid., no. 63).
119 Errington to Granville, 27 Apr. 1882 (ibid., no. 68), E. Spring-Rice (a private secretary at the treasury) to T. H. Sanderson, 1 June 1882 (ibid., no. 74).
120 Granville to Spencer, [17?] May 1882 (Spencer papers); United Ireland, 27 May 1882, p. 4.
121 Errington to Granville, 16 Jan. 1883 (PRO., F.O. 800/237, no.91)
122 Errington to Granville, 26 Jan. 1883 (ibid., no. 95).
123 Errington to Granville, 23 Mar. 1883 (ibid., no. 110).
124 Spencer to Granville, 20 Apr. 1883 (P.R.O., 30/29/142).
125 Tel. Paget to Granville, 22 May 1883 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/237, n0-122).
126 Errington to Granville, 16 Feb. 1883 (ibid., no. 100).
127 Spencer to Granville, [c. 21] Feb. 1883 (Spencer papers).
128 Granville to Spencer, 22 Feb. 1883 (ibid.).
129 See above, n. 69.
130 Errington to Granville, 11 May 1883 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/237, no–118).
131 Errington to Granville, 3 Sept. 1883 (ibid., no. 133).
132 Errington to Granville, Dublin, 22 Sept. 1883 (ibid., no. 135).
133 Ibid.
134 Errington to Smith, 15 Feb. 1884 (Smith papers).
135 Errington to Smith, 26 Feb. 1884 (ibid).
136 Errington to Granville, Rome, 10 Apr. 1884 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/ 238, no. 161).
137 Tel. Errington to Neville, arrived 10 June 1884 (disclosed apparently by a post-office clerk and published in United Ireland, 22 Aug 1885, p. 5).
138 Errington to Smith, 5 June 1884 (Smith papers); same to same, c. 21 June 1884 (ibid.) ; same to same, 30 June 1884 (ibid.).
139 Errington to Smith, 5 June 1884 (ibid.).
140 Errington to Granville, 31 Oct. 1881 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/235, no. 13). Granville wired the news to Paget on 2 November, indicating also that The Times the next morning had denied this report of Errington’s mission (ibid., no. 11).
141 Hansard 3, cclxvi, 141 (7 Feb. 1882).
142 On 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 27 Feb., 6 Mar. 1882.
143 P.R.O., F.O. 800/236, no. 50.
144 Errington to Granville, 15 Feb. 1882 (ibid., no. 56).
145 Hansard 3, cclxvi, 498.
146 Ibid., cols 640–41 (14 Feb. 1882).
147 Ibid., cols 727–8 (15 Feb. 1882).
148 Ibid., cols 694–700 (15 Feb. 1882).
149 Ibid., cols 766–75.
150 This is no. 51 in the Errington mission papers (P.R.O., F.O. 800/ 236).
151 This is no. 52 in the same collection (ibid.).
152 Tel. Granville to Paget, 17 Feb. 1882 (ibid., no. 53).
153 Hansard 3, cclxvii, 1273–4.
154 Ibid., cclxxix, 1315–16.
155 Gladstone to Granville, 30 May 1883( Ramm, , Corr. of Gladstone & Granville, 1876–86, 2, 54).Google Scholar
156 Hansard 3, cclxxix, 1986-90. It is thanks to this decision by Gladstone that the correspondence relating to Errington’s mission is available now in the Public Record Office and that this paper can be written.
157 Hansard 3, cclxxix, 1990–2006.
158 Errington to Granville, 19 Nov. 1883 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/237, no. 138).
159 Granville to Spencer, 23 Nov. 1883 (Spencer papers); Spencer to Granville, 25 Nov. 1883 (ibid.).
160 Errington to Granville, 20 Dec. 1883 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/237, no–144).
161 Errington to Granville, 4 Jan. 1884 (ibid., vol. 238, no. 149).
162 Errington to Granville, 12 Mar. 1884 (ibid., no. 157).
163 Errington to Smith, 30 June 1884 (Smith papers).
164 Errington to Smith, 21 Oct. 1884 (ibid.).
165 Errington to Granville, Rome, 15 Jan. 1885 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/ 239, no. 183).
166 Errington to Smith, c. 21 June 1884 (Smith papers).
167 Errington to Smith, 30 June 1884 (ibid.).
168 McCabe to Smith, 19 Dec. 1884 (ibid.).
169 Errington to Granville, 12 Feb. 1885 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/239, no. 189).
170 Errington to Granville, 12 Feb. 1885 (ibid., no. 190).
171 Errington to Granville, 26 Mar. 1885 (ibid., no. 195).
172 Errington to Granville, 9 Apr. 1885 (ibid., no. 196).
173 Errington to Granville, 15 May 1885 (ibid., no. 203). A discarded earlier draft of this letter fell into the hands of William O’Brien and was published in United Ireland, 1 Aug. 1885. Errington’s explanation of how this happened is given in his letter to Smith of 10 Aug. 1885 (Smith papers).
174 Spencer to Granville, 26 Feb. 1885 (P.R.O., 30/29/142).
175 Granville to Spencer, 17 Mar. 1885 (Spencer papers); Errington to Granville, Rome, 26 Mar. 1885 (P.R.O., F.O. 800/239, no. 195).
176 Blennerhassett to Spencer, ι Mar. 1885 (P.R.O., 30/29/142).
177 Granville to Spencer, 17 Mar. 1885 (Spencer papers).
178 Hansard 3, ccxcvii, 822-3 (27 Apr. 1885); ccxcviii, 32 (8 May 1885); ccxcviii, 149–51 (11 May 1885).
179 The Times, 9 June 1883, p. 12.
180 Errington to Gladstone, 16 Aug. 1883 (B.M., Gladstone papers, Add. MS 44,483, ff 48–9) ; note by Gladstone (ibid., f. 50).
181 United Ireland, 12 Jan. 1884, p. 5.
182 Ibid., 5 Apr, 1884, p. 4, 26 Apr. 1884, pp 1, 5.
183 Spencer to Granville, 4, 12, 15 Mar. 1885 (P.R.O., 30/29/142).
184 Errington to Smith, 17 June 1885 (Smith papers).
185 Errington to Gladstone, 27 June 1885 ( Ramm, , Corr. of Gladstone & Granville, 1876–86, 2, 388).Google Scholar
186 Errington to Smith, 2 Jan. 1887 (Smith papers). A similar sentiment is expressed in Errington to Smith, 11 Apr. 1887 (ibid.).
187 Errington to Smith, 10 Nov. 1888 (ibid.).
188 The writer has not been able to examine the Dublin diocesan archives, the Vatican archives, or the archives of the Sacred Congregation De Propaganda Fide in Rome. In any of these he would have expected to find further documentation of this article.