EMANCIPATION, Catholic, the custom ary designation of a measure of relief from penalties and civil disabilities granted to pro fessors of the Catholic religion in England and Ireland by acts of the British Parliament 1829: the act did not extend to Scotland. The neces sity of granting relief to the Catholics of Ireland became apparent soon after the out break of the war against the American colonies, and the first relaxation of the penal laws against the professors of the Catholic religion was made in 1780. At that time it was high treason for a priest, native of the kingdom, to perform any of the duties of his office. Catholics could not own land in fee. Roman Catholics whose titles to land antedated the penal laws were ousted if the legal heir professed Protestantism. A Catholic could not practise law, nor conduct a school. In 1780 a bill for removal of some of the disabilities was passed for England and Ireland. When the act of union of the king dom of Ireland with that of Great Britain was passed in the Irish Parliament 1800, 'solemn pledges were given by the British Cabinet that the disqualifying statutes should be repealed; but after the union the promise was ignored. In 1824 in Ireland was formed the Catholic Association to agitate for civil rights, such as the right to vote for members of the Parlia ment, to be elected members of the same and to occupy various offices in the government, na tional and local. In 1829 it was seen by English statesmen that to withhold these rights and franchises any longer would provoke a rebel lion in Ireland; and a bill of relief was intro duced in the Parliament 5 March, and passed in both houses and approved by King IV 13 April, permitting Catholics to elect and be elected to the Parliament, and to hold offices under the Crown; but they remained still ex pressly excluded from certain high offices— that of lieutenant-governor of Ireland, that of regent of the universal kingdom, or lord chan cellor of the United Kingdom, or of Ireland, etc. In 1867 the last named disability was re
moved, as was, many years after, the disability of a Catholic to be lord chancellor of the United Kingdom. But the Act of Grace of 1829 con tained a clause forbidding•Catholic ecclesiastics, monks, friars and nuns from wearing the at tire or habit of their respective station or order in public under a penalty of $250 for each of fense. This proviso was ostentatiously violated in Ireland, and with impunity, for, like the $500 forfeiture for violation of the Ecclesiastical Titles Acts (q.v.), no penalty was ever exacted. Another clause of the Catholic Emancipation Act, which was also ignored and condemned, required that Jesuits and members of religious orders of the Roman Catholic Church living within the kingdom should register in the office of the clerk of the peace of the county under a penalty of $250. (See O'Cossteu., Damn.). Consult Butler, 'Historical Memoirs' ; Milner, 'Supplementary Memoirs' ; Lingard, 'History of the Church in England); Green, (History of England.)