1.1.2.2 The Tithe Wars Begin

• The campaign against the tithe system took the form of a boycott and began in 1830 in Kilkenny following a period of agricultural depression. By 1833 there were 22 counties in which the tithe was not paid
• The boycott was supported by the Catholic Church and by the senior priest Archbishop MacHale. This peaceful method was employed because it encouraged the greatest number of participants who simply had to refuse payment
• The boycott did see some violence as police and local yeomanry were used to seize property in the absence of payment. In 1831, 14 resisting farmers were killed in County Wexford