The Civic Elite of Mid-Nineteenth-Century Belfast

Abstract

This article provides a general survey of the mid-nineteenth-century Belfast civic elite. The elite – those men who dominated town affairs – is defined in terms of civic activism, with findings based on a database created from membership lists of local authorities and voluntary bodies. The article examines the origins, education, occupations, levels of wealth and religion of the elite and a sustained comparison with other UK elites is offered. The majority of Belfast elite members were born in the Ulster hinterland, working as textile manufacturers or merchants, while their primary source of wealth was linen. Presbyterians were the most numerous among the elite, but Anglicans were prominent both in the textile business and in official positions and were, in fact, the wealthiest religious group.