ABSTRACT
Members of the ascendancy or landed families (the class which owned the majority of Ireland’s land in 1860) held considerable power and privilege in post-Famine Ireland. Women, owing to their family connections were members of the power-holding class, and some were landholders in their own rights. Their male relatives held positions of power in Ireland, Britain and across the empire. Many held superior views of themselves towards those living in the locality, as well as people from around the empire; they were members of the British ruling class. However, legally, women had few rights. These legal rights increased over the period, often despite their efforts (few campaigned for suffrage or access to education). Owing to the privileged nature of these families’ living conditions, unparalleled numbers of private papers survive. This chapter will demonstrate how the surviving personal papers of this class can provide insights on the private and emotional life of members of the ascendancy class as well as point ot areas for future research.
