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The Belfast Riot of 1847
220 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 25, 2025
I bought this book after seeing the book launch mentioned in my university alumni newsletter. I do genealogy so this book was of particular interest to me for the historical context. I had to call the publishing company as the website wasn't letting me order online. This is how excited I was to get this book!
This book was born as a thesis about the Protestant-Catholic Divide on Prince Edward Island, by the author that got turned into a book. The author tells you in the preface that he grew up with personal connection to the riot, as he had family members involved as well, there is lore/folk songs passed on. His research led him to conclude that the "riot was decidedly not insignificant but was the very incident that sparked three decades of bitter sectarian animosity on Prince Edward Island from 1847-77, and as such was a pivotal moment in history." p. xi
Having grown up on Prince Edward Island, but not having Island heritage, there was always this "us v. them" mentality that was hard to put my finger on. This book's exegesis of the sources and chronology leading up to the riot and its impact has helped my understanding of the general sentiment/underlying tension that one lived with as an Islander.
Chapter 1 explains the tensions leading up the the riot at an election in 1847. It was centred around the participation of William Douse & Alexander MacLean and their defeat in the 1846 election, leading to the by-election in 1847. After the expulsion of the Acadians, Belfast district was largely unsettled until 1803, when Lord Selkirk settled four lots (57, 58, 60, 62) with Scotish Presbyterians. "All Scots were generally content until William Douse was hired to be the land agent in 1833, by Lord Selkirk's son, and they began to be more rigorous in the collection of rents and offer worse lease arrangement." This led to considerable conflict between Douse and the tenants. This tension is, to my understanding, the catalyst of the riot with his participation in the elections.
This book then goes on to detail the process of the elections, the ensuing riot, injuries and the aftermass. The sectarian war, Irish/Scottish tension that has been the "thing" I couldn't quite put my finger on while living in PEI for 3 decades in the late 1900's.
While the book does an excellent job of examining all the elements, there were times when the details bogged down the reading. The fact that there are 8 appendices consisting of 37 pages, 30 pages of endnotes, and an exhaustive bibliography of both primary and secondary sources tells you that this was a well researched book of the Riot and the periods surrounding it.
I look forward to other writings by this author.
This book was born as a thesis about the Protestant-Catholic Divide on Prince Edward Island, by the author that got turned into a book. The author tells you in the preface that he grew up with personal connection to the riot, as he had family members involved as well, there is lore/folk songs passed on. His research led him to conclude that the "riot was decidedly not insignificant but was the very incident that sparked three decades of bitter sectarian animosity on Prince Edward Island from 1847-77, and as such was a pivotal moment in history." p. xi
Having grown up on Prince Edward Island, but not having Island heritage, there was always this "us v. them" mentality that was hard to put my finger on. This book's exegesis of the sources and chronology leading up to the riot and its impact has helped my understanding of the general sentiment/underlying tension that one lived with as an Islander.
Chapter 1 explains the tensions leading up the the riot at an election in 1847. It was centred around the participation of William Douse & Alexander MacLean and their defeat in the 1846 election, leading to the by-election in 1847. After the expulsion of the Acadians, Belfast district was largely unsettled until 1803, when Lord Selkirk settled four lots (57, 58, 60, 62) with Scotish Presbyterians. "All Scots were generally content until William Douse was hired to be the land agent in 1833, by Lord Selkirk's son, and they began to be more rigorous in the collection of rents and offer worse lease arrangement." This led to considerable conflict between Douse and the tenants. This tension is, to my understanding, the catalyst of the riot with his participation in the elections.
This book then goes on to detail the process of the elections, the ensuing riot, injuries and the aftermass. The sectarian war, Irish/Scottish tension that has been the "thing" I couldn't quite put my finger on while living in PEI for 3 decades in the late 1900's.
While the book does an excellent job of examining all the elements, there were times when the details bogged down the reading. The fact that there are 8 appendices consisting of 37 pages, 30 pages of endnotes, and an exhaustive bibliography of both primary and secondary sources tells you that this was a well researched book of the Riot and the periods surrounding it.
I look forward to other writings by this author.
Displaying 1 of 1 review