‘Our late most excellent viceroy’: Irish Responses to the Death of the Duke of Rutland in 1787

Abstract

On 24 October 1787 Ireland's lord lieutenant, Charles Manners, fourth duke of Rutland, died. This article examines the reaction of the Irish to his loss and the ways in which they treated his body and memory. It reveals that his funeral procession mimicked and even surpassed those staged in London to mark royal deaths, yet retained an unmistakably Irish tone. This send‐off was inspired by three factors: affection for Rutland, national vanity and self‐esteem, and the political climate of the time, which prompted some to emphasise their loyalty to the British regime and others to promote Irish patriotism and independence.