The Probert Encyclopaedia of People

TORY

Originally, a Tory was an Irish outlaw and robber (from the Irish word meaning to pursue for the sake of plunder). The term was applied to the Royalist party at the time of the Popish Plot but had acquired a political significance as early as 1654 when it was applied by the principal of Glasgow University to the forces maintaining the cause of Charles II, as the political counterpart of Whig. Today the term is applied to the Conservatives in Britain with ironic accuracy to the original Irish meaning, many poorer Britains would say.
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