Advantages of being Church of Ireland in 1800 - 1900s Ireland?

[Leon47]

I've noticed that the religion of my ancestors, as recorded in various documents, is very fluid. Sometimes Presbyterian, often Church of Ireland (C of I).

I read somewhere that there were some advantages to stating your religion as C of I. I can't find that reference now.

Was there any advantage in stating one religion, rather than another, in the 1800 - 1900s Ireland - perhaps particularly in what later became Northern Ireland?

Thanks.

[Leon47]

I've found the source of the statement about advantages - it's in Wikipedia. Here is the appropriate section, with my highlight.

What political and economic advantages are being referred to?

Maybe I have misinterpreted. Perhaps it's the church that was said to enjoy those advantages, rather than individuals who profess to be Church of Ireland?

"In 1534, Henry VIII broke with the Papacy and became head of the Church of England; two years later, the Irish Parliament followed suit by appointing him head of the Irish church. Although many bishops and most of the clergy refused to conform, the new Church of Ireland retained possession of diocesan buildings and lands, since under the feudal system bishops held that property as vassals of the Crown.[6][incomplete short citation] Despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the new church, a large majority of the Irish remained loyal to the Church of Rome, while in Ulster the church was outnumbered by Presbyterians. However, it remained the established church of the whole of Ireland until the First Gladstone ministry's Irish Church Act 1869 disestablished it, with effect from 1 January 1871.[10]"

[RJ_Paton]

What political and economic advantages are being referred to?

Maybe I have misinterpreted. Perhaps it's the church that was said to enjoy those advantages, rather than individuals who profess to be Church of Ireland?

Probably a bit of both - The Church had a lot of power and being on the right side would provide some advantages and connections.
Presbyterians tended to be descended from Scottish incomers and often found them selves stuck between two warring factions and trusted by neither. In 1639 The English Authorities tried to impose the so called Black Oath on all Presbyterians (basically denying the National Covenant in Scotland and accepting Charles II as the Head of the Church). Many fled back to Scotland and others started the emigration of Ulster Scots to the Americas. The authorities started systematically disarming all Presbyterians (fearing an uprising) and when the local Irish did rebel in 1641 many were killed in the sectarian violence. (The numbers are often disputed and seem to depend upon which side is writing the narrative)

[Leon47]

Thanks for that.

[Elwyn Soutter]

A series of laws were passed in Ireland which sought to “persuade” those who were not Church of Ireland (COI) to change denomination (in the hope this would increase loyalty to the Crown). Known by the collective term of Penal Laws they started to come into force in the mid 1600s. They restricted or prohibited folk who were not COI from all sorts of things such as owning land outright, having a lease for more than 30 years, being an MP, holding public office, having more than one horse, being trained as a Catholic Priest, attending University in Ireland, and so on.  They were focussed on Catholics but also affected Presbyterians. They were not routinely enforced, and seem to have been used occasionally to make an example of folk, and were gradually repealed, with the last one - the prohibition on being an MP - being repealed in the 1820s. Nevertheless they were very repressive laws and limited job and social opportunities in Ireland  for those who were not COI.

Google Penal Laws for more detail.

The switch between Presbyterian and COI may be more to do with marriage. Tradition was to marry in the bride’s church after which she’d attend her husband’s. So, if a COI woman married a Presbyterian man, the marriage would be in the COI but their children would normally be Presbyterian. And then some people just changed denomination because of religious or personal factors (eg they didn’t like the Minister).

[Leon47]

Thank you.