6o THE IRISH AGRARIAN PROBLEM. 



The great famine of the years 1845-185 1 

 made bankrupt a number of landowners whose 

 economic position had already been shattered. 

 In the so-called " Encumbered Estates Court" 

 and later in the "Landed Estates Court" a 

 sort of liquidation court for the alienation of 

 bankrupt estates was created. 10,034 estates to 

 the value of ^54,000,000 were sold through this 

 court between 1849 and 1880, mostly at from 20 

 to 25 years' purchase. Many small Irish capi- 

 talists, such as shopkeepers and publicans, but 

 also large insurance companies, were among the 

 new purchasers to whom an absolute title of 

 ownership was granted.^ 



It is not worth while to go in detail into the 

 distribution of landed property in Ireland as set 

 forth, though in a very imperfect manner, in 

 the Irish ' Doomsday Book ' of 1876, for this 

 arrangement of property is now passing away. 

 I shall only point out that at that time about 

 one half of the country was in the hands of 

 about 700 persons. 



The Irish estates of to-day may be divided 

 into three classes. There are the large land- 

 owners who live on their English estates and 

 merely draw an income from Ireland. These 

 are of course absentees who only remain a few 

 weeks, if at all, in Ireland. As they are gene- 

 rally extremely wealthy and can afford to pay 

 excellent agents, the condition of their property 



The Irish Landlord and his Accusers," p. 507. 



