Lesson plan
Devon Commission
The Devon Commission (officially 'Commission on Occupation of Land (Ireland)' ) 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. 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, 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. The Devon Commission had wide reaching consequences and though too late to prevent the famine, it did galvanize change afterwards.
Article summary
The Devon Commission (officially 'Commission on Occupation of Land (Ireland)' ) 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. 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, 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. The Devon Commission had wide reaching consequences and though too late to prevent the famine, it did galvanize change afterwards.
Key claims
- date of formation: 1843-11-20 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- The record states that the date of formation is "1843-11-20". What evidence would count against this claim?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.