¹ Editions immediately subsequent to the period discussed in this article include only one reference in the index under the heading of ‘obstruction’, in relation to the closure of debate (10th ed., 1893, p. 323).

² Notably Gladstone himself, whose guarded acceptance of the necessity for some kind of imperial devolution, in his address to the electors of Greenwich (24 Jan. 1874), had called forth from the Irish liberals, fighting for political survival, a wonderful crop of schemes for parliamentary committees and local boards to deal with Irish affairs.

³ Nation, 29 May 1875.

⁴ Nation, 29 May 1875.

⁵ Hansard 2, ccxxxi. 704 (7 Aug. 1876).

⁶ Ibid., ccxxi. 713-46 (25 July 1874).

⁷ Ibid., ccxxi. 981-1027 (30 July).

⁸ Ibid., ccxxi. 1071-80 (31 July).

⁹ Ibid., ccxxiii. 148-292, 1451-90, 1641-83, 1828-63, 1894-1915, 1963-2001; ccxxiv. 24, 179-96 (22, 23 Mar., 22, 26, 29, 30 Apr., 3, 4 and 6 May 1875).

¹⁰ Ibid., ccxxi. 1022 (30 July 1874)

¹¹ Nation, 18 Mar. 1876.

¹² Hansard 3, ccxxxii. 332 (13 Feb. 1877).

¹³ Ibid., ccxxxii. 333-4 (13 Feb.).

¹⁴ Morley, J., Life of Gladstone (1903), 1. 571.Google Scholar

¹⁵ In debate he could, of course, address the house once only.

¹⁶ SirHeygate, Frederick in Hansard 3, ccxxxii. 335 (13 Feb. 1877).Google Scholar

¹⁷ Quoted in Nation, 7 Apr. 1877.

¹⁸ Hansard 3, ccxxxi. 476-96 (3 Aug. 1876).

¹⁹ Ibid., ccxxi. 1025 (30 July 1874).

²⁰ Ibid., ccxxiii. 1451-8 (22 Apr. 1875).

²¹ Ibid., ccxxvii. 1495 (6 Mar. 18 76).

²² Nation, 8, 15 July 1876.

²³ Freeman’s Journal, 10 July.

²⁴ Clare Advertiser, Kerry Vindicator, and Kilkenny Journal.

²⁵ Nation, 22 July, 19 Aug., etc.; John Ferguson to Butt, 12 July 1876, N.L.I., Butt MSS.

²⁶ Such as the veteran repealer, W J. O’Neill Daunt (Nation, 22 July).

²⁷ Ibid., 21 July 1877.

²⁸ This step had been anticipated by the frequent, though not obstructive, intervention of Biggar in such English debates as that on the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Bill in 1876. The significance of this innovation was sufficiently appreciated at the time to lose for Parnell’s tactics the approval of moderates like Mitchell Henry, M.P. for Galway county, and Galbraith who were prepared to consider the adoption by the party of obstruction in relation to ministerial Irish measures (Henry to Daunt, 27 Dec. 1877, N.L.I., Butt MS 832,; Galbraith to Butt, 6 Sept. 1877, Butt MSS 8686-8713).

²⁹ Biggar’s cheerful attempt to delay its passage by the introduction of an amendment to extend its provisions to money bills was thwarted by the intervention of Butt (Hansard 3, ccxxxii. 336-7).

³⁰ Quoted in Nation, 24 Feb. 1877).

³¹ Hansard 3, ccxxxii. 1070-1 (26 Feb.).

³² Ibid., ccxxxii. 1195-6 (28 Feb.).

³² Ibid., ccxxxii. 1439-42 (5 Mar.).

³⁴ Ibid.,’ ccxxxii. 1634-7 (8 Mar.).

³⁵ Ibid., ccxxxii. 2018 (12 Mar.).

³⁶ Hansard 3, ccxxxiii. 1042-50 (12 Apr. 1877); Parnell to Butt, 13 Apr. 1877, and Butt to Parnell, 13 Apr. (copy), N.L.I., Butt MSS, 8686-8713; public letter by Parnell in Freeman’s Journal, 17 Apr.

³⁷ Hansard 3, ccxxxiv. 183-204 (1 May).

³⁸ Ibid., ccxxxiv 1292 (4 June).

³⁹ Ibid., ccxxxiv. 1309, etc. (5 June).

⁴⁰ Ibid., ccxxxv. 32 (19 June).

⁴¹ Return of the number of days and hours on which the house sat, p. 5, H.G. 1877 (o. 149), lxviii. 197.

⁴² Hansard 3, ccxxxv. 623-62 (2 July 1877).

⁴³ Ibid., ccxxxv. 865 (5 July).

⁴⁴ Ibid., ccxxxv. 887 (6 July).

⁴⁵ For these amendments he had taken the step, unprecedented in a private home-rule member, of issuing a whip on his own account (Nation, 14 Apr. 1877).

⁴⁶ Hansard 3, ccxxxv. 824 (5 July).

⁴⁷ Nation, 21 July 1877.

⁴⁸ Hansard 3, ccxxxv 1791-833 (25 July 1877).

⁴⁹ Hansard 3, ccxxxvi. 13-82 (27 July 1877).

⁵⁰ The measure in question was the Municipal Privileges (Ireland) Act; the member for Limerick (City) was of course Butt himself.

⁵¹ Hansard 3, ccxxxvi. 54-7, 74-5 (27 July 1877).

⁵² Ibid., ccxxxvi. 227-318 (31 July-1 Aug.).

⁵³ Return of the number of days and hours on which the house sat, p. 5, H.C. 1877 (o. 149), Ixviii, 197

⁵⁴ Hansard 3, ccxxxviii. 877-93 (7 Mar. 1878).

⁵⁵ Ibid., ccxxxviii. 1976-2031 (25 Mar.).

⁵⁶ Ibid., ccxxxix. 1812-53 (13 May).

⁵⁷ Nation, 8 June 18 78.

⁵⁸ Ibid., 29 June, 27 July.

⁵⁹ Hansard 3, ccxxxvii. 379-408 (24 Jan. 1878).

⁶⁰ It had been used to move the home rule motion of 1876.

⁶¹ Standing orders of the house of commons, p. 72, H.G. 1880 (405—Sess. 2), Ivi. 103.

⁶² Hansard 3, cclvi. 126-351 (26-7 Aug. 1880).

⁶³ Ibid., cclvii. 1313-487 (25-6 Jan. 1881).

⁶⁴ Ibid., cclvii. 1748-2038 (31 Jan.-2 Feb.).

⁶⁵ The proposals were discussed on both sides of the house at a length which reflected the appreciation of their importance, they were not, however, obstructed by the Parnellite home rulers. The nearest approach to obstruction was the sustained opposition of Lord Randolph Churchill’s ‘fourth party’. Churchill was openly critical of the compromise spirit displayed by the conservative leaders and urged them to adopt obstructive tactics to frustrate the proposals pending a general election. Annual Register, 1882, pp. 167, 171-2; Hansard 3, cclxiv- 3-2012, and cclxv. 57-518 (24 Oct.-l Dec. 1882).

⁶⁶ Standing orders of the house (as amended), pp. 3-5, H.C. 1882 (429), Hi. 243.

⁶⁷ May, T. Erskine, Constitutional history of England (1912), 3 (by Holland, Francis), p. 102.Google Scholar

⁶⁸ Hansard 3, cccxii. 1624 (28 Mar. 1887).

⁶⁹ Ibid., cccxii. 783-800 (18 Mar.).

⁷⁰ Hansard 3, cccxv. 1594 (10 June 1887). Ironically, the 1893 home rule bill was forced through committee only by the drastic use of the closure.

⁷¹ Proceedings of the home rule conference, Dublin, 1873, pp. 167-79.