Compensation for Malicious Damage to Property in Nineteenth-Century Ireland

Abstract

This Working Paper examines aspects of the law relating to compensation for malicious damage to property in Ireland. Its main focus is the legislative framework of the nineteenth century, particularly the Grand Juries (Ireland) Act 1836 and the Malicious Injury Act 1861, as well as the procedural and substantive reforms introduced by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. Compensation for malicious injuries in nineteenth-century Ireland was unique in the United Kingdom, with increasing divergence between England and Ireland in evidence from quite early in the century.