WHITEBOY, the name of an illegal association of the peasantry in Ireland, which for a long svies" of years was the fruitful source of agrarian outrage, sometimes of a very revolting and sanguinary character. The association had its origin in the early years of the reign of George III.; and first took an organized form in the county of 'I ipperary, where it appeared in the shape of a united resistance to an attempt on the part of certain proprietors to inclose and appropriate lands up to that time common. The movement at the beginning was confined to throwing down the newly erected fences, and destroy ing the inelosure, from which circumstance the rioters were in the first instance called "levelers;" but their views soon extended further, and they addressed themselves to the redress, first. of the oppressive exactions of tithes, and afterward of various other griev• antes, especially those connected with the tenure of land. The name of whiteboys was given to them in consequence of their wearing white shirts in their nightly expeditions. Many acts of cruelty and outrage having been committed, a special commission was Issued in 1752 for the trial of the offenders; but the repression was only partial and tem porary, and whiteboyisin re-appeared more than once in the southern province. In 1787
a new association, the members of which called themselves the "Right-boys," appeared in the same district, and was made the subject of discusssion in the Irish parliament. The conflicts of the northern orangemen (q.v.) and rilffionmen (q.v.) for a time drew attention away from the minor discontents of the south; but the same spirit of secret combination has continued among the peasantry down to the present ctay. The shana vests, caravats, Hockites, terry alts, and other more obscure or more local denominations, must be regarded as embodiments of the very same discontent, which has long held its ground among the poorer classes in Ireland, and which, although undoubtedly exagger ated and imbittered by the recollections of hereditary wrong inseparable from the con dition of a conquered people, are held, even by politicians of moderate views, to have much justification in the social condition of the people, and in certain striking anoma lies of the legislature in reference to Ireland. The ground of discontent furnished by the endowment and establishment of the church of a small minority of the population, has now ceased to exist. See FENI10.i SOCIETY.