GENSEEK What is a Whiteboy? A report by Jenny Fawcett - Genseek
This information is only intended as a brief overview of a political group.There is a wealth of information available on the topic in the extensive array of history books on Ireland. White Boys where members of a "usually" secret society in Ireland, and the society was just one of many political groups that varied in strength and numbers and who conducted their operations of subterfuge ,resistance, and warfare against the English Occupation of Ireland under a variety of names such as Houghers, Ribbon Boys, United Irishmen, Fenians, etc. Whilst most of the members of these political groups supported whole heartedly the founding cause of their society, and where prepared to- and often did- give their lives in such support,many men where coerced into joining the societies or where to suffer retribution for failing to do the same, this retribution extending to their families and friends. These acts of coercion resulted in many families relocating to other districts in Ireland or emigrating from their homeland to escape the turbulence resulting in their local area which resulted from the conflict due to the activities of the political groups and the predictably swift retributions from English Law. Many ministers and priests where members or supporters of these societies,and the scale of the occupations of members varied from wealthy businessmen- who donated financial as well as physical assistance- to ploughboys,milkmaids, and peat cutters. Funding for the operations of the societies where often raised by a tithe or fee-like donation-willingly or unwillingly extracted from local families.Rather a condradiction of principle when often these societies where fighting against tithes being levied by English Law but raising the same from the very people who could least afford it! Many people where wrongly arrested and convicted on trumped up charges, of being associated or members of these societies, often the result of spy information, these spies being paid by English Law to produce information on these societies,and their activities.A great deal of these members where transported to Australia, and though there activites may be directly related to their actions whilst a member of the society, their actual charges will vary a great deal and it is not unusual to see a change in what a man was originally charged with and what he ended up being convicted and transported for.Many of these men where held illegally within in gaols in Ireland, often for years with no trial, and often with no evidence of any crime other than being a known sympathiser of the society. But at the same time, there were many men and women who where guilty of the crimes committed, and where trialled and transported, if not hung and quartered. Many innocent people,including the families of known sympathisers, endured terrible atrocities at the hands of individuals operating under the athority of English Law in the name of justice for their alledged crimes of being members of these secret societies. Often these societies where a vehicle for the ill-intentions of individuals but for the main they where used as a governing body for the intended protection of communities in Ireland. Many of the societies where involved in conflict of intent between individuals, which often resulted in splinter groups being formed and renamed. Regardless of the projected intention of these societies or English occupation of Ireland, the bottom line is that many deaths, and much destruction occured in Ireland,as the direct result of the activities of English Occupation and Law of Ireland, and the retribution of political groups , which basically esculated in wholescale warfare,which has continued on over the years in Ireland. Foundations of the White Boy Society The foundations of the society where laid down in Tipperary in the late 1700's when the small-production farmers ,who picked a living from the small amount of crown land available to them where upset when the landowners of substantial farms began fencing in the crown land, with the object of grazing cattle, effectively strangling the livelihood of the struggling small time farmers, whose main produce was potatoes. A society was formed,which included a lot of the farmers themselves, and a series of attacks where made on the landowners in protest, destroying their fences, cattle and buildings. These men would where a white shirt over their clothes -hence the name "whiteboy". The attacks escalated over time arousing the fury of both the wealthy landowners and the English Law.Over a period of 100 years, the English Government did all the could to weed out the whiteboys, which resulted in not only a lot of the guilty apprehended, but also often their innocent family members who would be arrested on the slightest opportunity, often as sympathisers or supporters of the whiteboys, and they where often convicted on trumped up charges. But the Society could not be halted, for with each conviction,gaoling or transportation of alledged society members, a new branch would spring up. The society became effectively controlled in the other counties in Ireland in that it had been operating in, but remained a force in Tipperary until the late 1800's. Fueled with bitterness and filled with a sense of injustice, the sons and daughters of each suceeding generation filled the footsteps of their family members who had been arrested or transported for whiteboyism. These then carried on the destruction which had grown to a full scale open war on landowners.
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GENSEEK

What is a Whiteboy?

A report by Jenny Fawcett - Genseek

This information is only intended as a brief overview of a political group.There is a wealth of information available on the topic in the extensive array of history books on Ireland.

White Boys where members of a "usually" secret society in Ireland, and the society was just one of many political groups that varied in strength and numbers and who conducted their operations of subterfuge ,resistance, and warfare against the English Occupation of Ireland under a variety of names such as Houghers, Ribbon Boys, United Irishmen, Fenians, etc.

Whilst most of the members of these political groups supported whole heartedly the founding *cause* of their society, and where prepared to- and often did- give their lives in such support,many men where coerced into joining the societies or where to suffer retribution for failing to do the same, this retribution extending to their families and friends. These acts of coercion resulted in many families relocating to other districts in Ireland or emigrating from their homeland to escape the turbulence resulting in their local area which resulted from the conflict due to the activities of the political groups and the predictably swift retributions from English Law.

Many ministers and priests where members or supporters of these societies,and the scale of the occupations of members varied from wealthy businessmen- who donated financial as well as physical assistance- to ploughboys,milkmaids, and peat cutters. Funding for the operations of the societies where often raised by a *tithe* or fee-like *donation*-willingly or unwillingly extracted from local families.Rather a condradiction of principle when often these societies where fighting against tithes being levied by English Law but raising the same from the very people who could least afford it!

Many people where wrongly arrested and convicted on trumped up charges, of being associated or members of these societies, often the result of *spy* information, these spies being paid by English Law to produce information on these societies,and their activities.A great deal of these members where transported to Australia, and though there activites may be directly related to their actions whilst a member of the society, their actual charges will vary a great deal and it is not unusual to see a change in what a man was originally charged with and what he ended up being convicted and transported for.Many of these men where held illegally within in gaols in Ireland, often for years with no trial, and often with no evidence of any crime other than being a known sympathiser of the society. But at the same time, there were many men and women who where guilty of the crimes committed, and where trialled and transported, if not hung and quartered.
Many innocent people,including the families of known sympathisers, endured terrible atrocities at the hands of individuals operating under the *athority* of English Law in the name of justice for their *alledged* crimes of being members of these secret societies.
Often these societies where a vehicle for the ill-intentions of individuals but for the main they where used as a governing body for the intended protection of communities in Ireland.
Many of the societies where involved in conflict of intent between individuals, which often resulted in *splinter* groups being formed and renamed.
Regardless of the projected intention of these societies or English occupation of Ireland, the bottom line is that many deaths, and much destruction occured in Ireland,as the direct result of the activities of English Occupation and Law of Ireland, and the retribution of political groups , which basically esculated in wholescale warfare,which has continued on over the years in Ireland.

Foundations of the White Boy Society

The foundations of the society where laid down in Tipperary in the late 1700's when the small-production farmers ,who picked a living from the small amount of crown land available to them where upset when the landowners of substantial farms began fencing in the crown land, with the object of grazing cattle, effectively strangling the livelihood of the struggling small time farmers, whose main produce was potatoes.
A society was formed,which included a lot of the farmers themselves, and a series of attacks where made on the landowners in protest, destroying their fences, cattle and buildings. These men would where a white shirt over their clothes -hence the name "whiteboy".
The attacks escalated over time arousing the fury of both the wealthy landowners and the English Law.Over a period of 100 years, the English Government did all the could to weed out the *whiteboys*, which resulted in not only a lot of the guilty apprehended, but also often their innocent family members who would be arrested on the slightest opportunity, often as sympathisers or supporters of the whiteboys, and they where often convicted on trumped up charges.
But the Society could not be halted, for with each conviction,gaoling or transportation of alledged society members, a new branch would spring up. The society became effectively controlled in the other counties in Ireland in that it had been operating in, but remained a force in Tipperary until the late 1800's. Fueled with bitterness and filled with a sense of injustice, the sons and daughters of each suceeding generation filled the footsteps of their family members who had been arrested or transported for whiteboyism. These then carried on the destruction which had grown to a full scale open war on landowners.

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