twenty pence or two shillings from every one that passed the Seas On the twenty fifth Day of March the King knighted four Irish Kings 1395. Selden tit hon 842. and some other great Lords whereof Mr Selden out of Froisart gives the following Account Four Kings of several Provinces in Ireland that submitted themselves to Richard II were put under the Care of Henry Castile an English Gentleman who spake Irish well in order to prepare them for Knighthood by the Kings Command he informed them of the English Manners in Diet Apparel and the like He asked them If they were willing to take the Order which the King of England would give them according to the Customs of England France and other Countries They answered They were Knights already and that the Order they had taken was enough for them and that they were made Knights in Ireland when they were seven Years Old and that every King makes his Son Knight and if the Father be dead the next of Kin does it and that the manner is thus The new Knight at his making runs with slender Lances against a Shield set upon a Stake in a Meadow and the more Lances he thus breaks the more Honour continues with his Dignity But Mr. Castile told them They should receive a Knighthood with more State in the Church and afterwards being perswaded and instructed especially by the Earl of Ormond they did receive Knighthood at Christ-Church Dublin after their Vigils performed in the same Church and a Mass heard and some others were knighted with them but the four Kings in Robes agreeable to their State sate that Day with King Richard at the Table And so Davit 202. when the King had supplied the Courts of Justice with able Men particularly with Sir William Hankford Chief Justice who was afterwards Chief Justice of England and done his Endeavor to establish a Civil Plantation in the Mountains of Wicklow he returned to England about Midsummer 1394. as I suppose for on the fourth of July 1394 Roger Mortimer Earl of March was sworn Lord Lieutenant Pryn. 294. And not long after the aforesaid excellent Ordinances of 31 Edw. 3. were ratified revived and exemplified and sent into Ireland to be more duly observed than hitherto they had been But the Scene was changed and the Irish despising the weak Forces the King had left behind him began to lay aside their Mask of Humility and to make Incursions into the Borders of the Pale Nevertheless the English were not daunted their Valour supplyed what was wanting in their Number Cambd. particularly Sir Thomas de Burgh and Walter de Birmingham with their Forces slew six hundred of the Irish and their Captain Mac Con and the Lord Lieutenant and the Earl of Ormond wasted the County of Wicklow and took O Birnes House whereupon the Lord Lieutenant made seven Knights But this Victory was much overballanced by the Loss of forty principal Englishmen slain by the O Tools on Ascension-day and not long after by the Death of the Lord Lieutenant himself who was slain at Kenlis in Ossory by the O Birnes on the twentieth of July 1398. And thereupon Roger Gray was chosen Lord Justice 1398. pro tempore until the King sent over his half Brother Thomas Holland Duke of Surry Lord Lieutenant 1398. who landed at Dublin the seventh of October 1398. but did not long continue in that Office before the King pretending a Resolution to revenge the Death of his Cousin and Heir the Earl of March who was slain by the Irish as aforesaid He left the Government of England in the Hands of his Vnkle the Duke of York And on the first Day of June Richard 1399. King of England landed at Waterford with a good Army which he marched to Dublin through the wast Countries of Murroughs Kinshelaghs Cavenaghs Birns and Tooles but the Army was much distressed for want of Victuals and Carriages in those Deserts so that he performed no memorable Exploit save that he cut and cleared the Paces in the Cavenaghs Country and knighted Henry the Duke of Lancaster's Son afterwards Henry V for his briskness against the Irish On the sixth of June being the Friday after the King's arrival Jenico de Artois his faithful Gascoign slew two hundred Irish at Ford in Kenlis in the County of Kildare And the next Day the Citizens of Dublin made Incursions into Wicklow and killed thirty three Irishmen and took eighty Prisoners And on the twenty sixth of June the King came to Dublin and received the Submission of many Irish Lords But whilst he was consulting how to proceed he received the unwelcome News of the Duke of Lancaster's Progress in England whereupon he imprisoned his and the Duke of Glocester's Sons in the Castle of Trym and though he sent the Earl of Salisbury before him to gather an Army in Wales yet the King followed after so slowly that the Army was disperst before he arrived in England with which Misfortune his Courage fell so that on Michaelmass day he tamely surrendred the Crown and gave a just occasion for this true Remark Baker 152. That never any Man who had used a Kingdom with such Violence gave it over with such Patience He was afterwards deposed by Parliament and several Articles exhibited against him one of which was That he forced divers Religious Persons in England to give Horses Arms and Carts towards the Irish Expedition And another was That he carryed into Ireland the Treasure Reliques and other Jewels of the Crown which were used to be kept in the King's Coffers from all Hazard The King created Edward Plantagenet Earl of Cork in the twentieth Year of his Reign And the same Year gave a Licence under the Privy Seal to William Lord Courcy to buy a Ship to pass and repass to and from England And in this Reign happened this famous Case One Thomas a Clerk in England obtained a Judgment at Westminster against Robert Wickford afterwards Archbishop of Dublin and upon Affidavit That the Defendant lived in Ireland and had Goods and Lands there and the Sheriffs Return That he had no Lands nor Goods in England the Plaintiff had a Writ against the said Archbishop in haec verba IDeo vobis mandamus quod de terris catallis ejusdem Roberti Lib. M. jam Archiepiscopi in Terra nostra Hiberniae fieri facias praedict decem libras illas habeatis coram c. This Archbishop died anno 1390 so that this Writ must issue before that time THE REIGN OF HENRY IV. King of England c. And LORD of IRELAND HENRY Duke of Lancaster eldest Son of the famous John of Gaunt fourth Son of King Edward the Third upon the Resignation of King Richard procured him to be deposed in Parliament and himself to be elected King and the Crown to be entailed on him and the Heirs of his Body His Claim was as Heir to Henry III but finding that
his Reward And this is all I find done in Ireland during this Kings Reign 1485. which ended at the Battel of Bosworth on the two and twentieth Day of August 1485. THE REIGN OF HENRY VII King of England c. And LORD of IRELAND HENRY TVDOR 1485. Earl of Richmond Heir of the House of Lancaster by the Victory at Bosworth obtained the Crown of England and had the more solemn Possession of it at his Coronation on the thirtieth Day of October following To these two Pretences of Conquest and Possession he added the more specious Title of an Act of Parliament and yet thought himself not secure until he married Elizabeth Daughter of Edward IV in whom the Right really lay she being Heiress of the House of York However he governed as in his own Right and that so absolutely that he suffered not the Queen to intermeddle in State Affairs even so much as was usual for the Wife of a King Gerald Earl of Kildare whom he found Deputy to the Earl of Lincoln Wares Annals 2. he continued Deputy to the Duke of Bedford he also continued the Chancellor Treasurer and other Officers of State whom he knew partial to the White-Rose without joyning others of his own Party with them because he would theâ—eby insinuate That he had a Confidence in their Integrity and that he was elevated above Fear or Suspicion Nevertheless Sir Thomas Butler Earl of Ormond whose Family were fast Friends to the House of Lancaster and for which they had suffered exceedingly was not neglected but was by Act of Parliament in England restored both to Honour and Estate and soon after he was sworn of the Privy Council in England Lib. G. Lamb. And it seems that the Family of Desmond was also restored because I find that the Lord of Kerry did this Year recover some Lands in that County by Assize in the Court-Palatine there before Thomas Copinger Gent. Seneschal of the Liberties of Kerry unto James Earl of Desmond I should not have observed that Edmond Courcy was now made Bishop of Clogher but that he was the first Englishman that ever sat in that See There is not much mention made of any Disturbances this Year Ware 3. except that remarkable Contest between James Keating and Marmaduke Lumley about the Priory of Kilmainham Keating had been deprived by the great Master of that Order anno 1482 being accused of pawning or selling divers Ornaments of the House and particularly a Piece of the Cross and for alienating and incumbring the Revenues of the Priory and Lumley was substituted in his room but as soon as Lumley arrived at Clantarfe to take possession of his new Dignity Keating with a Company of Men came thither and took him Prisoner and detained him in Custody until he resigned all the Writings and Instruments of his Election and Confirmation and then Keating gave him the Preceptory of Kilsaran in the County of Louth But Lumley complained of this Usage as well to the King of England as to the great Master of the Order at Rhodes and at length prevailed to get Keating excommunicated whereas he was so inraged that he turned Lumley out of his Preceptory by Force and put him in Prison in spight of Octavianus de Palatio Archbishop of Armagh who did his Endeavour to protect Lumley It is probable that Lumley died in Prison because we hear no farther of him and because it is certain he never came to be Prior And as for Keating although he did make a shift to keep the Priory almost nine Years afterward by strong Hand yet at last he was ignominiously ejected and died in Poverty and Disgrace being succeeded by James Vale. It became a Question this Year in England 1 Hen. 7. 4. b. How the Attainder of this King should be taken off but it was unanimously resolved by all the Judges That the Possession of the Throne or the Assumption of the Royal Dignity did take away all Imperfections Incapacities and Attainders whatsoever And it is observeable that the Judges say The taking upon him to be King did all this for the Crown did not Descend to Henry VII because he was not the true Heir but afterwards married her that was so Nor can any thing properly descend to a person attainted because the Blood is corrupted so that he cannot be Heir to any Body But the King perceiving that the Faction of York was at work in Ireland 1486. sent for the Lord Deputy to repair to him into England but he being loath to undertake that Journey procured Letters from the Council June 4. importing That his Presence was so necessary in Ireland that he could not at present be spared from that Government And by these Means he excused himself for a while In the mean time Lambert Symnel a Youth of a lovely and fascinating Countenance and of a princely Behaviour was well instructed by a crafty Priest Sir Richard Symon to personate the Earl of Warwick only Son of George Duke of Clarence for which Duke being their Countryman born the Irish had a wonderful Respect as indeed they had generally for all the Family of York This Youth had learned his Lesson so well that Margaret Dutchess of Burgundy resolved to set him up against King Henry although there were two great Flaws in this Contrivance The one was That the true Earl of Warwick was in King Henry's Hands in the Tower of London The other That he was not right Heir to the Crown because there were Children of King Edward the Fourth still living Nevertheless she sent this Counterfeit Prince to Ireland where he met with all the Countenance he could desire as well from the Lord Deputy as from almost all the rest of the Nobility Gentry Clergy and People the Archbishop of Armagh the Bishop of Clogher and the Families of Butler and S. Lawrence and the City of Waterford only excepted And though the King caused the true Earl to be taken out of the Tower and shewn publickly in London which marred all their Designs there yet the Irish were not thereby Discouraged but confidently accused the King of Imposture as he did them and therefore that Project was not so effectual to him as was another of getting a Bull from the Pope requiring the Clergy to excommunicate the Rebels as often as the King should desire it which did him a great deal of Service But Mac Mahon took advantage of these Stirs and invaded Louth which he burnt and preyed according to the Custom of making War in those Days he destroyed twenty eight Villages in that Country And the Tempest was no less fatal to Vlster where it rooted up Trees and threw down Houses In May the Dutchess of Burgundy sent over two thousand Germans under the Command of Martin Swart an old Soldier with them there came the Earl of Lincoln the Lord Lovel and others and were kindly received and lovingly entertained by the Nobility Gentry and People of
Favour and consequently luxurious they always followed the Court and hated to be put in Frontier Garrisons or Places of Danger They were says Cambrensis great Talkers Boasters and Swearers very Proud and Contemners of all others greedy of Places of Places of Honour and Profit but backward in undertaking any hazardous and dangerous Action or performing any Service that might deserve them Moreover many of the English and Welch were dispossest of their best and safest Castles to make Room for the Normans and forc'd to take others in Exchange on the Frontiers by which means they were impoverish'd and discourag'd Add to this That several of the faithful Irish who had submitted to the English Government and lived within their Quarters and thereby became acquainted with the English Conversations Humors Strength Policies Seats and Habitations were likewise dispossess'd to make Room for the Normans and thereby forced to revolt to the Irish and became the most Dangerous of all the Enemies as being most Knowing and most Provok'd And thus it came to pass that after Earl John had wasted his Army in small and unprofitable Skirmishes and had staid eight months and done no other Good than that he built the Castle of Tybrach perhaps Typerary Lismore and Ardfinin the King sent for him and his Beardless Counsellors and in his Room substituted John de Courcy Earl of Vlster Lord Lieutenant of Ireland he brought over with him about four hundred Volunteers 1185. September And soon after his arrival he made a Progress into Munster and Connaught to put those Countries in order but it seems he fell into an Ambush or had some Skirmish with the Irish for it is said That he lost twelve Knights in his Return from Connaught 1186. On Midsummer-day the Prime of Limerick slew four Knights and a great part of the Garrison of Ardfinin And soon after by a Slight drew that Garrison into an Ambush by exposing a Prey to their View which they thought to have taken but he fell upon them and surprized and slew most of them But the Irish had not so good luck in Meath where they of Kenally had made Incursions and taken a Prey for William Petit rescued the Prey defeated them with great Slaughter and sent an hundred of their Heads to Dublin Old Lacy was now busie building his Castle of Derwath and himself working with a Pick-ax for Diversion when one of the malicious and ungrateful Workmen took the Opportunity whilst he was stooping Cambden 151. and with another Pick-Ax knock'd out his Brains And it seems there was an Insurrection thereupon for it is said That Courcy and Young Lacy revenged the Murder and reduced all things to quiet But it seems afterwards there grew some Distast between Courcy and Lacy so that Lacy who was the better Courtier supplanted Courcy who was the better Soldier and got himself into his Room This Courcy came from Stoke-courcy commonly call'd Stogussy in the County of Somerset I find that Robert de Courcy was made a Baron at Westminster 33 Henry 1. but whether he was the Ancestor of this Family I will not determine This Earl of Vlster had a natural Son John Lord of Kilbarrock and Raheny who was murdered by the Lacyes so that it is the Brother of this Earl John that was the Ancestor of the Noble Family of Courcy Lord Baron of Kingsale In the mean time King Henry died in Normandy on the sixth Day of July 1189. He was so well pleased with the Conquest of Ireland Davis 11. that he placed the Title of Lord of Ireland in his Royal Style before his Hereditary Estates of Normandy and Aquitain Baron Finglas M. S. And yet that Country was at that Time so inconsiderable or so little improv'd that there were not five Castles or Piles for Defence of Irish building in the whole Kingdom Dublin Cork and Waterford were built by the Easterlings and all the rest have been built since the Reduction of Ireland This King was both Wise and Valiant he was also Generous to the highest Degree so that he deserved to be ranked among the bravest Princes of that or any other Age and perhaps had made as great a Figure in History as any of them if the Undutifulness of Becket and the Rebellion of his own Sons had not interrupted his Designs However there are some who will never forgive him the Conquest of Ireland and therefore do load his Memory with many Malicious Aspersions equally Ridiculous and False Polichronicon l. 7. c. 21. They say his Grandmother could not endure the Mass and that her Husband ordered four Knights to hold her by Force whilst the Priest was celebrating but in spight of them she flew out of the Window with two of her Sons and was never seen after And that 't is no Wonder they that come of the Devil should go to the Devil And that King Henry's Embassador urging the King's Son to have Peace with his Father was answered That it was Natural to their Brood to hate one another That Henry was a Bastard and that S. Bernard the Abbot prophesied of him That from the Devil he came and to the Devil he should go That his Father had gelded a Bishop and that himself had murdered S. Thomas of Canterbury That his Father had Carnal Knowledge of Henry's Queen Elianor and abundance more of such silly Stuff THE REIGN OF John Earl of Moreton LORD of IRELAND Afterwards King of England Duke of Normandy c. RICHARD I 1189. for his Valour Sirnamed Ceur de Lyon by unquestionable Right Succeeded his Father on the Throne of England and was crowned at Westminster the third Day of September 1189 but his Style was no more than Speed 482. Rex Anglor dux Normannor Acquitan comes Andegavor For John Earl of Moreton youngest Son of the deceased King by virtue of the aforesaid Donation at the Parliament at Oxford anno 1177 succeeded his Father in the Sovereignty of Ireland And therefore we find the Pope's Legate had Commission to exercise Jurisdiction in Anglia Davis 19. Wallia illis Hiberniae partibus in quibus Johanes Comes Moretonii potestatem habet dominium For tho' it be a Fundamental Maxim of State That Ireland must not be separated from the Crown of England And tho' it be also an undoubted Maxim of Law That the King cannot alien any part of his Dominions yet neither of these were thought to be transgressed by the aforesaid Donation because it was made to the King's Son whose Interest and Expectations in England were thought to be sufficient Security for his Good Behaviour What Controulment Earl John might have met with in the Soveraignty of Ireland if the King Richard had been at Leisure to inspect that Matter is incertain But it is manifest That the King was so taken up with his Voyage to the Holy Land and so embarassed by the unfortunate Consequences of it that he never did
that Land and to go personally thither and an Army was design'd for him and he was created Duke of Ireland in order to that Expedition and notwithstanding all this on the twenty third of July 1393. the King sent him a Letter to stop his Voyage because his Majesty intended to go to that Kingdom in person For the King was netled with an Answer his Ambassadors received in Germany when they were solliciting for the Imperial Crown that they did not think him fit to be their Emperor who could not keep what his Ancestors had gain'd in France nor rule his insolent Subjects in England nor tame his rebellious Vassals in Ireland and therefore partly to vindicate his Reputation and partly to divert the Melancholy which had seiz'd him on the Death of his Wife he undertook a Royal Voyage to Ireland with four thousand Men at Arms and thirty thousand Archers under S. Edwards Banner It seems that Sir Thomas Scroop was sent before him to prepare for the Kings Reception for I find him named Lord Justice on the 26th of April 1394. 1394. But however that be it is certain that on the Second Day of October Richard the Second King of England Landed at Waterford with a mighty Army whereof he made but small use for the Irish betook themselves to their old Stratagems of feigned and crafty Submissions wherewith they had deluded and abused King Henry the Second and King John in former times However Mowbray Earl of Notingham and Marshal of England had a special Commission to receive the Homage and Oaths of Fidelity of all the Irish of Leinster by vertue whereof Girald O Birne Donald O Nolan Malachias O Morough Rory oge O More Arthur Mac Morough Morough O Connor and others made their humble submission by an Interpreter in the open Field at Baligory near Carlow on the 16th of February They did Homage in solemn manner and made their Oaths of Fidelity to the Earl Marshal laying aside their Girdles Skeins and Caps and falling down at his Feet upon their Knees which being performed the Marshal gave each of them Osculum Pacis Moreover they were bound by several Indentures upon great Penalties to be paid to the Apostolick Chamber viz. O Birne twenty thousand Marks O Nolan ten thousand pounds c. not only to continue Loyal Subjects but that by a certain day prefix'd they and all their Sword-men should clearly relinquish and give up unto the King and his Successors all the Lands and possessions which they held in Leinster and taking with them only their moveable Goods should serve him in his Wars against his other Rebels In consideration whereof the King was to give them Pay and Pensions during their Lives and to bestow the inheritance of all such Lands upon them as they should recover from the Rebels in any other part of the Realm And thereupon a Pension of eighty Marks per annum was granted to Art Mac Murrough Chief of the Cavenaghs which was continued to his Posterity till the time of Henry the Eighth although they did nothing for it But the King having received Letters from O Neal wherein he stiles himself Prince of the Irishry in Vlster and yet acknowledgeth the King to be his Sovereign Lord and Dominus perpetuus Hiberniae removed to Drogheda to take the Submissions of the Irish of Vlster Thither came to him O Neal O Hanlon O Donel Mac Mahon and others who with the like humility and ceremony as aforesaid performed their Homage and Fealty to the Kings own Person in these or the like Words mutatis mutandis Ego Nelanus O Neal Senior tam pro meipso quam pro filiis meis tota Natione mea Parentelis meis pro omnibus Subditis meis devenio Ligeus Homo vester c. And in the Indenture between O Neal and the King he is bound not only to remain faithful to the Crown of England but also to restore the Bonaught of Vlster to the Earl of Vlster as of right belonging to that Earldom and amongst other things usurped by the O Neals These Indentures and Submissions with many more of the same kind for there was not a Chieftain or Head of an Irish Sept but submitted himself in one Form or other the King himself caused to be enrolled and testified by a Notary Publick and with his own hands delivered the Enrolments to the Bishop of Salisbury who on the 25th of June delivered to the Court of Exchequer two Hanapers one containing thirty nine and the other thirty six Instruments which were all there recorded or enrolled so that they have been carefully preserved and are now to be found in the Remembrancers Office and the Copies of them all are to be seen at Lambeth Libro D. In the mean time Lib. G. Lambeth on the first of February the King wrote a Letter to his Unkle the Duke of York who it seems was his Deputy in England signifying that there were three sorts of People in Ireland viz. Irish Savages or Enemies Irish Rebels and English Subjects and that perhaps the Rebels had cause and provocation to do as they have done and that therefore he has given them Truce till Easter and designs to pardon them generally and concludes with a Desire of his Advice in this Particular The Duke and the Council on the 19th of March return an Answer Lib. M. That they had formerly given their Opinion to prosecute the Rebels but that his Majesty being on the Place best knew what was fit to be done and that they did not mislike his Intention provided the Rebels did pay some considerable Fines towards the Charge of the Kings Voyage and also took out their particular Pardons within a limited Time Lib. G. and not long after finding that the King had accepted the Irish Submissions and valued himself upon the Atchievement they send him a congratulatory Letter and humbly pray his Majesty to return to England Several of the Irish Historians one of them misleading another say that the King did call a Parliament at Christmas and about Shrovetide return'd to England but as I am sure he did not return in many Weeks after Shrovetide so I believe he held no other Parliament in Ireland at this time than that there being a great Concourse of the Chief Men of the Land to Dublin to attend the King it is probable the King consulted with them about the publick Affairs and that they complained to his Majesty of such Grievances as needed to be redress'd Lib. G. and particularly That whereas the Chancery us'd to pay into the Exchequer two thousand Marks per annum for the Great Seal besides defraying the Charge of that Court it now hardly pays its own Officers their Salaries because Grants for which the Parties formerly paid an hundred pound are now made for ten shillings and Secondly That James Cotenham Deputy Admiral of Ireland to the Earl of Rutland committed great Abuses and exacted a Tribute of
Pretence was Ridiculous because there were others of the same Lineage before him in the Pedigree and it was notorious That the Right of Succession was in Ann Daughter of Roger Mortimer Earl of March Son of Philippa Daughter of Lionel Duke of Clarence third Son of King Edward III. and accordingly her Grand-son afterwards possest the Kingdoms by the Name of Edward IV. And also finding that it was more vain to claim by Conquest when there was no fighting he was at last forced to rely on the Consent and Election of the People which was the Title his Embassadors insisted upon in the Courts of Foreign Princes Thus was the Foundation laid of those tedious and bloody Wars that afterwards ensued between the Houses of York and Lancaster commonly distinguished by the Appellations of the Red-Rose and the White that being the cognizance of the House of Lancaster and this the Badge of the Family of York This King was crowned on the thirteenth Day of October anno Dom. 1399. 1399. and Ireland was committed to the Care of Sir John Stanly 1399. Lord Lieutenant who came over thither Cotton's Records 390. on the tenth Day of December In his time the King obtained a Subsidy in England for three Years to provide for the Affairs of Ireland c. And about Whitsontide the Constable of Dublin-Castle and others near Strangford in Vlster encountred the Scots at Sea 1400. but with very ill Success for many Englishmen were there slain and drowned About this time the Town of Kilkenny was walled by Robert Talbot 1401. And about May the Lord Lieutenant repaired to England leaving his Brother Sir William Stanly Lord Deputy who on the twenty third Day of August surrendred unto Stephen Scroop Lord Deputy to the King's Son Thomas Duke of Lancaster who it seems came over only to provide and prepare for the Reception of Thomas Duke of Lancaster Seneschal of England and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland who landed on S. Bines-Day And on the fifth of July John Drake Mayor of Dublin with a Band of Citizens encountred and defeated four thousand Irish Outlaws near Bray in the Borders of Wicklow and slew four hundred ninety three of their best Men. This Lord Lieutenant held a Parliament in Dublin 1402. in September during which Sir Bartholomew Verdon James White Christopher White and Stephen Gernon slew John Dowdal Sheriff of Louth in Vrgile and committed sundry other Felonies and Robberies for which they were Outlawed and their Estates disposed of by Custodiam Cotton's Records 431. but afterwards the King pardoned them their Lives and restored them their Estates during their respective Lives only In October Daniel O Birne Lib. D. for him and his Sept or Nation submitted to the Lord Lieutenant and promised Allegiance and good Behaviour and to manifest his Sincerity he granted to the King the Castle of Mackenigan with the Apurtenances And on the thirteenth of December the Lord Lieutenant by Indenture set the Ferny in the County of Louth except the King's Castle to Aghy mac Mahon for Life Davis 48 at the Rent of ten Pound per Annum and Mac Mahon covenanted to be a good Subject And in February following O Reyly covenanted with the Lord Lieutenant and also swore to perform to the King during the minority of Mortimer all the Covenants he was obliged to perform to Roger Mortimer Earl of March and Vlster In May Sir Walter Betterly Steward of Vlster 1403. and thirty English were all slain And on the eleventh of November following the Duke returned to England and left Sir Stephen Scroop Lord Deputy 1404. who on the twenty sixth Day of October resigned to James Earl of Ormond 1405. Lord Justice who in April 1405 held a Parliament at Dublin and there the Statutes of Dublin and Kilkenny were confirmed as also the Charter of Ireland And this good Act was followed by good Success for in May two Scotch Barks were taken near Greencastle and another near Dalkye with their Captain Macgolagh Moreover the Merchants of Droghedae made Incursion into Scotland and brought thence both Pledges and Preys And the Dublinians also entred Scotland at S. Ninian and behaved themselves valiantly They also did the Welsh much harm and brought from thence the Shrine of S. Cubins which they placed in Christ-Church Dublin However the Irish burnt Oghgard and on the sixth of September the Lord Justice died at Gauran and was succeeded by Girald Earl of Kildare 1406. who probably was chosen Lord Justice by the Council In his time the Dublinians and their Neighbours on Corpus Christi-Day vanquished the Irish Enemies and took three Ensigns and brought to Dublin the Heads of those they had slain And the Prior of Conal had as good Success in the Plains of Kildare for with twenty Englishmen he defeated two hundred Irish and killed many of them But after Michaelmas came over Sir Stephen Scroop Lord Deputy He held a Parliament at Dublin in January which in the Lent after ended at Trim And about the latter end of February Meyler Birmingham slew Cathol O Connor About May the Lord Deputy 1407. accompanied with the Earls of Ormond and Desmond the Prior of Kilmainham and other Captains and Gentlemen of Meath set out from Dublin and invaded the Territory of Mac Morough at first the Irish had the better but at length the Constancy and Resolution of the English prevailed and O Nolan and his Son and others were taken Prisoners and after this was done they marched speedily to Calan in the County of Kikenny upon some Intelligence they had of the Rebels being thereabout and they so surprized them that the whole Party was routed and O Carol and eight hundred Men slain upon the Place But in June the Lord Deputy went to England and the Nobility and Council elected James Earl of Ormond Lord Justice In whose time a barbarous Tory called Mac Gilmore who is reported to have destroyed forty Churches and was never Christened had taken Prisoner Patrick Savage a Gentleman of great Esteem in Vlster they agreed upon his Ransome to be two thousand Marks and his Brother Richard was to become Hostage for it But this Subtle Barbarian managed the matter so that he received the Ransome according to Agreement and afterwards he murdered both the Brethren This Lord Justice held a Parliament at Dublin 1408. which confirmed the Statutes of Dublin and Kilkenny and also the Statute against Purveyors And on the second of August Thomas Duke of Lancaster came over Lord Lieutenant It seems that the Terms on which he undertook the Government were these First Lib. G. He was to hold the Place for seven Years Secondly He was to have five hundred Men at Arms and one thousand Archers for three Years Thirdly To have a Years Pay in Hand and afterwards to be paid every half Year Fourthly One thousand Marks per annum for himself and to be paid the Charge of Transportation
to the Lord Justice 1422. whose Servants were on the Seventh of May attacked and defeated by the Irish Purcel Grant and five and twenty English more were slain and ten taken Prisoners and two hundred escaped to the Abby of Leix and to revenge this the Lord Justice invaded O Mores Country and defeated his terrible Army in the red Bog of Asby he relieved his own Men and burnt and preyed the Rebels Lands for four days until themselves came and sued for Peace And it seems O Dempsy notwithstanding his Oath of Obedience invaded the Pale and took the Castle of Ley from the Earl of Kildare which the Lord Justice had justly restored to the Earl whereupon Campion makes a severe Remark on the Irish That notwithstanding their Oaths and their Pledges they are no longer true than they feel themselves the weaker In the mean time Mac Mahon play'd the Devil in Vrgile and burnt and spoil'd all before him Camp 97. but the Lord Justice also revenged that Prank and forced Mac Mahon to submit and many other Noble Exploits did this good Governor for whose Success the Clergy of Dublin went twice every week in solemn Procession praying for his Victory over those disordered Persons which now in every Quarter of Ireland had apostatiz'd to their old Trade of Life and repined at the English And when I have mentioned a Deed made 9 Hen. 5. which is to be found Lib. GGG 24. at Lambeth whereby this Earl of Ormond constituted James Fitz-Girald Earl of Desmond his Seneschal of the Baronies or Signiories of Imokilly Inchicoin and the Town of Youghal during his Life I have no more to add but that this Victorious King after he had conquered France submitted to the common Fate on the last Day of August 1422 in the Flower of his Age and the Tenth Year of his Reign THE REIGN OF HENRY VI. King of England c. And LORD of IRELAND HENRY the Sixth was but nine Months old at the Death of his Illustrious Father 1422. and therefore the deceased King had by his last Will appointed John Duke of Bedford to be Regent of France Humphry Duke of Glocester to be Governour of England and Thomas Duke of Excester and Henry Bishop of Winchester to be Guardians of the Young King's Person All which was duly observed and the Infant King was proclaimed in Paris and the Nobility that were there swore Allegiance to him James Earl of Ormond continued Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and upon a Petition preferred by the House of Commons to the King about the manifold Murders Robberies Rapes Riots and other Misdemeanours committed by the Irish in England Lib. M. it was enacted there That all Persons born in Ireland should quit England within a time limited except Graduates in either University Clergymen beneficed those that have Land in England or are married there or those whose Parents are English and even such are to give Security of their good Behaviour And not long after came over Edmond Mortimer 1422. Earl of March and Vlster Lord Lieutenant He died afterwards of the Plague at the Castle of Trym which was his own Inheritance And in his stead came John Lord Talbot 1425. Lord Justice In whose time the Barretts a Family of good account near Cork did by Indenture covenant to be obedient to the Earl of Desmond who was exceeding Powerful and lorded it over great part of Munster with a high Hand This Governour resigned to James Earl of Ormond 1426. Lord Justice In whose time John Duke of Bedford 4 Instit 360. Regent of France obtained a Patent for all the Mines of Gold and Silver within England Ireland c. rendring to the Church the tenth Part to the King the fifteenth Part and to the Owner of the Soil the twentieth part And then Sir John de Gray 1427. Lord Lieutenant landed at Hoâ—th the thirty first of July and was sworn the next Day but no mention is made of any thing he did but that he went for England and left Edward Dantzy Bishop of Meath 1428. his Deputy He was for a time Treasurer of Ireland and dyed the fourth of January 1428. Upon Notice whereof Sir John Sutton Lord Dudly was sent over Lord Lieutenant He held a Parliament in Dublin Friday next after the Feast of All Saints 1429. at which it was enacted That the Sheriff upon Pain of Amercement should add to the Panel of Jurors the Place Estate and Mistery of every Juror And in the Preamble to this Act the Lord Lieutenant is Styled The Right Noble and Right Gracious Lord. And on the sixth of the same November the King was crowned at Westminster And soon after the Lord Lieutenant returned and left Sir Thomas Strange 1429. Lord Deputy in whose time the King was crowned at Paris 1431. and took the Oaths and Homage of the Nobility and People there And now happened the famous Case of the Prior of Lanthony which was That a Judgment in the Common Pleas being removed to the Irish Parliament was affirmed there Whereupon a Writ of Error was sent from England but the King's Bench in England would not take cognizance of a Judgment in the Parliament of Ireland to reverse it And therefore the Prior petitions the King That the Record may be transmitted to the House of Lords in England to be examined there Sir Thomas Stanly was made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1432. and it seems that he called a Parliament which enacted two Statutes that were afterwards repealed by 11 Jac. 1 cap. 5. And then he went to England leaving Sir Christopher Plunket Lord Deputy 1432. he was afterwards Baron of Killine in Right of his Wife Heir of the Cusacks and his second Son became Baron of Dunsany But Sir Thomas Stanly 1435. Lord Lieutenant returned and gave a Check to the Irish who were insolent beyond Measure and incroaching everywhere on the Pale making the best Advantage of the King's Minority and the Absence of the Military Men in France but the Lord Lieutenant with the Power of Meath and Vriel took Moyle O Donel Prisoner and slew a great many of the Irish And afterwards about Michaelmas he went again to England and left Richard Talbot Archbishop of Dublin 1436. Brother to the Earl of Shrewsbury Lord Deputy he was sometime Lord Chancellor of Ireland and was elected Primate of Armagh but he refused to change his Bishoprick Lion Lord Wells 1438. Lord Lieutenant in whose time a second Law was made in England Lib. M. obliging the Irishmen to return into their Native Country And another Statute was made in Ireland to stop the Passage of any more into England And on the twelfth of June 17 Hen. 6. Robert Fitz-Geofry Cogan granted all his Lands in Ireland being half the Kingdom of Cork to James Earl of Desmond and gave a Letter of Attorney to put him in Possession of Kyrrygrohanmore Lib. G. Downdrinane
days But go too suppose he never be had What is Kildare to blame for it more than my good Brother of Ossory who notwithstanding his high Promises having also the Kings Power is yet content to bring him in at leisure Cannot the Earl of Desmond shift but I must be of Council Cannot he hide him except I wink If he be close am I his Mate If he be befriended am I a Traytor This is a doughty kind of Accusation which they urge against me wherein they are gravell'd and mir'd at my first denial You would not see him say they Who made them so familiar with mine Eye-sight Or when was the Earl within my view Or who stood by when I let him slip Or where are the Tokens of my wilful Hoodwink But you sent him word to beware of you Who was the Messenger Where are the Letters Convince my Negatives see how loose this idle Gear hangeth together Desmond is not taken well you are in fault Why Because you are Who proveth it No body What Conjectures So it seemeth To whom To your Enemies Who told it them They will swear it What other Ground None Will they swear it my Lord Why then of like they know it either they have my hand to shew or can bring forth the Messenger or were present at a Conference or privy to Desmond or some body bewrayed it to them or they themselves were my Carriers or Vicegerents therein Which of these Parts will they chuse For I know them too well To reckon my self convict by their bare Words or heedless Sayings or frantick Oaths were but meer Mockery My Letters were soon read were any such Writing extant my Servants and Friends are ready to be sifted Of my Cozen Desmond they may lie loudly since no man here can well contrary them Touching my self I never noted in them so much Wit or so fast Faith that I would have gaged on their silence the Life of a good Hound much less mine own I doubt not may it please your Honours to oppose them how they came to the knowledge of these Matters which they are so ready to depose but you shall find their Tongues chained to another mans Trencher and as it were Knights of the Post suborn'd to say swear and stare the utmost they can as those that pass not what they say nor with what face they say it so they say no truth But on the other side it grieveth me That your good Grace whom I take to be wise and sharp and who of your blessed disposition wisheth me well should be so far gone in crediting these corrupt Informers that abuse the ignorance of your State and Countrey to my peril Little know you my Lord how necessary it is not only for the Governor but also for every Nobleman in Ireland to hamper the uncivil Neighbors at discretion wherein if they waited for Process of Law and had not those Lives and Lands you speak of within their reach they might hap to lose their own Lives and Lands without Law You hear of a Case as it were in a Dream and feel not the smart that vexeth us In England there is not a mean Subject that dare extend his hand to fillip a Peer of the Realm In Ireland except the Lord have Cunning to his Strength and Strength to save his Crown and sufficient Authority to take Thieves and Varlets when they stir he shall find them swarm so fast that it will be too late to call for Justice If you will have our Service take effect you must not tie us always to those judicial Proceedings wherewith your Realm thanked be God is inured Touching my Kingdom I know not what your Lordship should mean thereby If your Grace imagine that a Kingdom consisteth in serving God in obeying the Prince in governing with Love the Commonwealth in supporting Subjects in suppressing Rebels in executing Justice in bridling blind Affections I would be willing to be invested with so Vertuous and Royal a Name but if therefore you term me a King in that you are perswaded that I repine at the Government of my Sovereign or wink at Malefactors or oppress civil Livers I utterly disclaim that odious Term marvelling greatly that one of your Graces profound Wisdom would seem to appropriate so sacred a Name to so wicked a thing But howsoever it be my Lord I would you and I had changed Kingdoms but for one Month I would trust to gather up more Crumbs in that space than twice the Revenues of my poor Earldom But you are well and warm and so hold you and upbraid not me with such an odious Term. I slumber in a hard Cabin when you sleep in a soft Bed of Down I serve under the King's Cope of Heaven when you are served under a Canopy I drink Water out of my Skull when you drink Wine out of Golden Cups my Courser is train'd to the Field when your Jennet is taught to Amble when you are Graced and Belorded and Crouched and Kneeled unto then find I small Grace with our Irish Borderers except I cut them off by the Knees Hereupon the Cardinal finding that Kildare was no Fool adjourned the Cause till farther Proof could be produced however being fretted at this Speech he remanded the Earl to the Tower contrary to the Opinion of most of the Council Speed 775. it seems he was afterwards Bayl'd on the Recognizance of the Duke of Norfolk and was again imprisoned upon some Light the Cardinal had gotten of the Message to O Neal and O Connor which Kildare had sent by his Daughter the Lady Slane It is reported That whilst the Earl and the Lieutenant of the Tower were at Play together at Slide-groat a Mandate was sent by the Cardinal to execute Kildare the next day Whereupon he changing Countenance the Earl swore by S. Bride That there was some mad Game in that Scroll but fall how it will this Throw is for a huddle says he Speed 775. And being told of the Contents of the Letter he desired the Lieutenant to know the King's Pleasure therein which he did and the King was surpriz'd at the thing for he knew nothing of it and to controll the Sawciness of the Priest as he phrased it gave the Lieutenant his Signet for a Countermand whereat the Cardinal stormed But it seems to me that this Story is a meer Fiction because I find not one Word of Kildare's Trial and it is not credible that they would execute a Man of his Quality before he was legally Tried and Condemned Afterwards this Earl was again enlarged out of Prison on very considerable Bayl viz. the Marchioness Dowager of Dorset Ware 119. the Marquess of Dorset the Lords Fitz-Walter and Mountjoy the Bishop of S. Asaph Richard Lord Grey John Lord Grey Leonard Lord Grey Sir Henry Gilford Sir John Zouch and John Abbot of Vale-Royal and was not long after restored to the King's Favour When the Earl of Kildare went to England
was not to be given to Irish or Scots The Earl was to be Captain-General for seven years and was to plant his Part as well as the Queen should hers until there should be a thousand English Inhabitants on each Moyety And so being made Earl-Marshal of Ireland he set about the necessary Preparations for his Irish Voyage and to that end borrowed ten thousand Pounds of the Queen on a Mortgage of his Lands in Essex But the Lord Deputy being unwilling to have any body independent on him in that Kingdom especially so great a man cloathed with such a large Authority and accompanied with such considerable Forces gave all the opposition he could to this Noble Undertaking of the Earls until at length this Medium was found out That the Earl of Essex should take a Commission from the Lord Deputy to be Governor of Vlster wherewith both Parties were satisfied or at least they acquiesced in the Expedient In the mean time Mr. Edward Tremain was sent over to the Lord Deputy 1. To know why he desired so earnestly to return to England Lib. c. 2. To enquire what was the yearly Charge of that Kingdom what number of Men in Pay and how disposed of when any were disbanded or dead and when their rooms supplied and how many more there be than was appointed in March was twelve-month 3. To know what has been received of the Impost of Wines since Michaelmas last and what is in Arrear and if he could not discover it then to move the Deputy to certifie the Quantum of each 4. To know of the Deputy and Lord President in what state Munster is and how to be preserv'd 5. To know what is done or intended to be done with Desmond and his Brother John and how their Creditors in England shall be paid 6. To enquire how Connaught stands and how the Castles of Athlone and Roscomon are and the condition of the Earl of Thomond and Clanrickard and his Sons 7. To enquire into the Outrage committed against Sir Barnaby Fitz Patrick and the taking away his Wife and Children and how the Offenders are punished and how the Birns and Cavenaghs stand affected 8. To tell the Deputy that the Earl of Essex with two thousand Men will in August next come to inhabit the forfeited Lands in the Glins Routs and Clandeboy that in the mean time the Deputy guard the Frontiers of the Pale that way and Publish that Essex comes to repel the Scots and not to hurt the Irish 9. To tell the Deputy not to raise more Forces but if his Ormond's and Kildare's Forces are not sufficient against the O Mores and Connors to borrow two or three hundred from Essex for that Expedition and pay them 10. To preserve the Corn c. in the Ardes till Essex comes 11. To know why he gave Commission to Sir John Perrot to sell Marul's Ship wherein was Goods of all Nations The English had a very hopeful Prospect of the Earl of Essex's undertaking in Vlster so that many Persons of Quality and abundance of Gentlemen concerned themselves in the Expedition The Lords Darcy and Rich Sir Henry Knowles and four of his Brothers Michael Carves and his Brother John and Henry William and John three Sons of the Lord Norris and many others accompanied the Earl in this Voyage and they Landed together at Carrigfergus in the latter end of August 1573 and assoon as they Landed Bryan Mac Phelimy waited on the Earl and in most submissive manner tendred his Duty to the Queen and his Service to Essex but assoon as he perceived that the Earl's Forces were not so considerable as was reported he presently apostatized and joyned in Rebellion with Turlogh Lynogh About the same time or rather a year sooner Sir Thomas Smith sent his Natural Son together with one Chatterton to make a Plantation in the Ardes Cambd. Eliz. 190. but young Smith was murdered by Neal Bryan Artho who was afterwards killed by Sir Nicholas Malby and so that Design became unsuccessful and the Earl did not speed much better for after the Expence of much Treasure and a years time he returned to England This year the Money sent by the Queen into Ireland Lib. H. since she came to the Crown was computed and it amounted to four hundred and ninety thousand seven hundred and seventy nine Pounds seven shillings and six pence halfpeny and the Revenue of Ireland in the same period of time came to no more than one hundred and twenty thousand Pounds It is reported of Bryan Mac Fylemy that he had thirty thousand Cows besides other Cattel and it is certain that the Lord Rich within a Month after he came to Ireland returned to England on his private Occasions and Henry Knolls was by Sickness forced to do the like and many others upon frivolous Pretences left the Earl of Essex and went back to England Cambd. Eliz. 202. besides his Soldiers were raw and it was late in the Year and his Commission was not yet sent him being purposely delayed by the Deputy so that all these and some other Difficulties concurr'd to make Essex's Expedition unfortunate Nevertheless he took the Castle of Liffer from Con O Doâ—el and in a Skirmish he killed two hundred Irish and took Bryan Mac Fylemy and his Wife and his Brother Rory Oge Prisoners In the mean time 1574. the Earl of Desmond notwithstanding his Oath to be a true Prisoners made his escape out of the Castle of Dublin whereupon the Deputy marched into Munster to prevent new Coâ—â—â—otions and ordered the Earl of Essex to guard the Borders of Vlster which very much hindred his Progress in building Fortifications in Clandeboy however he obeyed and at length the Earl of Desmond was prevailed upon to reconcile himself to the Government Sir Henry Sydny 1575. Lord Deputy arrived on the twelfth of September and was sworn on the eighteenth at Tredagh to which Place he went directly from the Skyrries because the Plague raged in Dublin It is observable of this great and good man that although he did most excellent Service in Ireland yet he was but ill rewarded for it in England and therefore he was with great difficulty prevailed with to accept the Government this seventh and last time for as he expressed himself in his Letter he cursed hated and detested Ireland above all other Countries not that he had any dislike of the Country but that it was most difficult to do any Service there where a Man must struggle with Famine and Fastnesses inaccessible Bogs and light-footed Tories and yet when these and all other Difficulties were surmounted no Service in the world was less reputed valued or requited than that and it is farther remarkable of him that though he was four times Lord Justice and three times Lord Deputy of Ireland yet he never purchased a Foot of Land in that Kingdom The Lord Deputy's Instructions were to find means to pay the Queens Debts if possible
usual allowance except the Sallary of 200 Marks per ann which must be reserved for his Brother the Lord President and that the Vice-president's Pension of twenty shillings a day be immediately stopp'd Lib. C. 5. That the Queens Orders be publickly read in Council except they require secrecy and then to be communicated to such of the English Council only as are ordinarily attending on the State 6. That all Offices be given to fit persons who are personally to officiciate except in special cases 7. That the Courts be removed out of the Castle 8. That the Secretary of State keep the Signet as in England and that he make all Bills Warrants and Writings that require Signature and that he keep a Register thereof and have his Fees for the same 9. That the Parliament being ended Vlster might be so settled that the Deputy might repair into Munster to watch the Motions of Spain 10. That suspected persons be secured and that the suspected Inhabitants in Towns be disarm'd and that the Loyal Townsmen be arm'd and disciplin'd and that those that were lately Rebels be enjoyned to keep at home and if the Spaniards land that the Forage be destroy'd and the Cattel removed up into the Countrey The Queen also gave Secretary Fenton particular Instructions about the Plantation of Munster and devised a Plot to this effect Lib. C. That the Undertaker for 12000 Acres should plant 86 Families upon it viz. his own Family should have 1600 Acres one chief Farmer 400 two good Farmers 600 between them other two Farmers 200 apiece fourteen Free-holders each 300 fourty Copyholders each 100 and twenty sixâ— Cottagers and Labourers 800 Acres between them and so proportionably for a lesser Signiory And she ordered that if any unforfeited Lands be intermix'd with the forfeited that the party should be compounded with to his content and brought out that so the Undertaker might have his Manour entire and she also ordered a better Survey to be made of the escheated Lands for the direction of the Commissioners in setting them out to the Undertakers It the mean time the Town of Dingle in Kerry was incorporated with the like Privileges as the Town of Drogbedah enjoyed and there was also a superiority granted to that Corporation over the Harbours of Ventry and Smerwick and the Queen also gave the Townsmen 300 li. towards the walling of the Town The Earl of Desmond and his Complices had forfeited a vast Estate amounting in all to 574628 Acres of Land the Earl himself had a prodigious Revenue for those times and perhaps greater than any other Subject in her Majesty's Dominions For his Rents were as followeth  l. s. d. In the County of Limerick 2413 17 02 Corke 1569 01 11 Kerry 2711 01 02 ½ Waterford 0242 14 02 Typerary 0060 00 00 Dublin 0042 08 00 Total 7039 02 07 ½ And this great Estate except what was restored to Condon the White Knight c. was by the Queen who was intent on the peopling of Munster disposed to certain Undertakers   Rent per ann  Acres l. s. d. Com. Waterford Sir Lib. M. 166. Christopher Hatton 10910 060 07 09 Com. Cork Waterford Sir W. Raleigh 12000 066 13 04 Com. Kerry Sir Edw. Denny 06000 100 00 00 Ibid. Sir William Harbart 13276 221 05 04 Ibid. Charles Harbart 03768 062 15 04 Ibid. John Holly 04422 073 14 00 Ibid. Capt. Jenkin Conwey 00526 008 18 08 Ibid. John Champion 01434 023 18 00 Cork Sir Warham Saint Leger 06000 016 13 04 Ibid. Hugh Cuff 06000 033 06 08 Ibid. Sir Thomas Norris 06000 033 06 08 Ibid. Arthur Robins 01800 010 00 00 Ibid. Arthur Hide 05574 030 19 02 Ibid. Fane Beecher and Hugh Worth 24000 133 06 08 Thomas Say 05778 031 18 08 Arthur Hyde 11766 065 02 10 Edmund Spencer 03028 017 07 06 Cork and Waterford Richard Beacon 06000 033 06 08 Lymerick Sir William Courtney 10500 131 05 00 Ibid. Francis Barkly Esq 07250 087 10 00 Ibid. Robert Anslow 02599 027 01 06 Ibid. Rich. and Alex. Fitton 03026 031 10 05 Ibid. Edmund Manwaring Esq 03747 039 00 7 ½ Limerick Waterf Typerary Sir Edward Fitton 11515 098 19 02 Limerick William Trenchard Esq 1â—000 155 00 00 Ibid. George Thorton Esq 01500 015 12 06 Ibid. Sir George Bourcher 12880 134 04 04 Ibid. Henry Billingsley Esq 11800 147 10 00 Typerary Thomas Earl of Ormond 03000 016 13 04   1976 07 05 And on the 14th of February Letters were written to every County in England to encourage younger Brethren to be undertakers in Ireland and particularly Popham Attorney General was appointed in Somerset-shire to treat with them The Queen's Proposals were to give them Estates in see at 3 d. per Acre in Limerick Conilagh and Kerry one with another and 2 d. per Acre in Cork and Waterford every 300 Acres Demesn to maintain a Gelding every 200 Acres of Tenancy a Foot man arm'd no Irish to be permitted to reside on the Land They were to be Rent-free till March 1590. and to pay but half Rent for three Years from thence they were to hold in Soccage and to have Liberty for ten years to transport the Growth of their Land to any place in amity with England without Custome and to doe no Service till Michaelmas 1590. and then but moderately and be free from Cess for ever and to have Liberty to transport necessaries from England without Custome and they were promised that there should be Garisons on their Frontiers and that they should have Commissioners to decide their Controversies in Munster Lib. D D D. but some of these Covenants the Queen did not perform and particularly that of keeping Forces for their Security and it seems that some of the Undertakers did encroach upon the Lands of the Loyal or protected Irish or at least they made so general a complaint of it that they obtain'd a Proclamation to issue to restrain it In the mean time the Burks a powerfull family in Connaugh finding that they lost much of their Authority by the aforesaid Compositions and the Establishment of a Regular Government in that Province repented of what they had done and formed many groundless Complaints whereupon the Bishops of 〈◊〉 and Meath c. were commissioned to examine and doe them right The Commissioners were indulgent to them and they promised submission and acquiescence but nevertheless in few days after they seduced the 〈◊〉 Joyces c. and went into Rebellion and manned Castle Nikally and Thomas Row's Castle At the same time Mahowne O Brian held the Castle of Clan Owen against the Queen but Bingham in seven days time won it and flew O Brian and razed that Castle and another of Fardaraugh Mac Donels to the ground and Richard Burk on Proof of Confederacy was executed by Marshal Law However the Burks proceeded in their Rebellion and murthered Sixteen of the Officers of Connaugh and invited the Scotish Islanders who to the
the preposterous Courses they took For they were taught That the Pope was by Divine Right Universal Monarch and Governor of the World P. W. Remonstrance in Preface 6 7. and had Independent Sovereign Authority over Kings and Subjects in Temporal as well as Spiritual Concerns That he might Deprive and Dethrone Kings and had Power of both Swords to which every Soul upon pain of eternal Damnation was bound to give Obedience That he had power to absolve from all Oaths and that those who are slain in the Quarrel of the Church against an Excommunicated Prince die true Martyrs of Christ and their Souls fly to Heaven immediately So that it is no wonder that a People for the most part abounding in Ignorance and Bigotry tempted by the Hopes of Profit in the Plunders and Success of the War and stimulated by a National Malice against the British should be guilty of all that Cruelty and Treachery which they thought Meritorious and was in their Opinion conducive to their main Design of Extirpating the Protestants This tedious and bloody War which was at first begun by the Papists against the Protestants to support the King's Prerogative and suppress the Puritans as they pretended met with such prodigious Turns and Vicissitudes in the Progress of it that the most virulent Faction of the Papists joyn'd with the Puritans and fought for them against the King and against one another and all the Parties in the Kingdom which were * King Ormond Parliament Cooâ— Covenanters Lord of Ardes Supreme Couucil Preston Nuncio Owen Roe Five did one time or other in the War fight against the Faction it had formerly sided with But because this War was on the King's part managed by the Marquis since Duke of Ormond first in the Quality of Lieutenant General and afterwards as Lord Lieutenant it is necessary that according to my former Method I give some Account of Him which perhaps cannot be better done than from a MS. I accidentally met with wherein there are some short memorable Strokes of Him and his Family not unfit to be communicated to the Reader and therefore I have transcribed it as followeth 1. He was born at Clerkenwell in London on the Ninteenth of October 1610. and died at Kingstonhall in Dorset-shire on the 21th of July 1688. This was the 78th Year of his Age in which time he had seen Four Kings and served Three of them for 57 Years with an unshaken Zeal to the Crown 2. That he had seen Three Generations above him as maâ—â—ely his Father Thomas Viscount Thurles his Grandfather Walter Earl of Ormond and his great great Uncle Thomas Earl of Ormond who being a Black Man was commonly called by the Irish Thomas Duff This Thomas who was also Earl of Ossory was a Man of high Courage and Endowments and much favoured by Queen Elizabeth as being also Kinsman to her Mother He was Knight of the Garter Lord Treasurer of Ireland and General of the Army there He lived to the Age of Eighty seven Years and in the Reigns of Five Kings and Queens and died in 1614. So also had his Grace seen Three Generations below him as namely his Son Thomas the Renowned Earl of Ossory his Grandson James the present Duke and his great Grandson Thomas who was playing in the Room before him but a few Hours before his Death 3. That he had for some Years sat with Two of his Sons the said Thomas Earl of Ossory and Richard Earl of Arran in the House of Peers in England and his eldest Son was Knight of the Garter at the same time with Himself 4. That if the Siding and Partaking with the House of Lancaster in the Ancient Quarrels with the House of York which divided and at one time or other involved the whole Nation may pass for nothing it will not appear in all the Records that any Staln of Disloyalty was ever imputed to any that were the Chief Branch of this Family for Five hundred Years 5. That his Grace not to count what Titles they had before was the Twelfth Earl of Ormond and the Seventh of that Name of James He who was the Second James and styl'd The Noble Earl as being by his Mother de Bohun Great Grandson to King Edw. I. was thrice Lord Justice of Ireland And the Fifth James being by Hen. VI. made also Earl of Wiltshire Knight of the Garter and Lord Treasurer of England was Five times made Lord Deputy and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and had a Patent of it for Twelve Years His late Grace the Seventh James was Lord Lieutenant Four times which in all took in about Twenty four Years And if we shall reckon how many of this Family and how often they have been concern'd in that Government it thus appears That from the 31 Hen. 3. 1247. when Theobald Butler Lord of Carrick was made one of the Lords Justices to 1 Jac. 2. 1684. that his Grace was dismist from being Lord Lieutenant there have in the space of Four hundred thirty seven Years been Ten of this Family who have Seven and twenty times been either Lords Justices Lords Deputies or Lords Lieutenants of that Kingdom These Instances are perhaps sufficient to give the Reader some farther Curiosity to know by what Steps this Great Man grew up into the World who had a various and difficult Part in those Revolutions that befel Three Kingdome and the Monarchs thereof And inasmuch as they seem to reflect some Light on part of the following Story I will venture to add what I also found in the same Manuscript as followeth That the said Thomas Duff having no other Issue than his Daughter the Lady Elizabeth he first married her to his Nephew Theobald Viscount Tullough who was a Protestant as well as himself But he soon dying Childless and the young Widow being made very considerable in her Fortune by the Father's Indulgence there came Sir Richard Preston a Scotchman who being much favoured by King James and fortified by His Credentials he obtain'd the Lady and was made thereupon Lord Dingwell in Scotland and Earl of Desmond in Ireland This Earl soon began to stretch and enlarge his Pretensions to the Estate But Earl Walter the Heir at Law opposed him King James was pleased to take upon Him the Arbitration between them but did it with such partiality as Earl Walter thought that he chose rather to be thrown into the Fleet as for Contempt than to submit There he lay a Prisoner for Eight years together his whole Estate Sequestred and Extended his County Palatine of Tipperary which had been Three or Four hundred years in the Family seised by Quo Warranto into the King's Hands and he reduced to a shameful Want The Duke of Buckingham was active in this Oppression but the Cry of it grew so lowd at last that the King relented for what he had done In these Troubles it was that his Grace's Father Thomas Viscount Thurles coming over to prosecute in
of March 1625 having in his Life-time created the Irish Nobility hereafter mentioned viz. February 23d 1603. Rory O Donell Earl of Tyrconnel February 23d 1615. Sir Arthur Chichester Baron of Belfast since Earl of Donegal July 14th 1616. Brabazon Baron of Ardee since Earl of Meath September 29th 1616. Sir Richard Boyle Baron of Yough-hall afterwards Earl of Corke May 25th 1617. Ridgeway Baron of Galenridgeway since Earl of London-Derry July 20th 1617. Moor Baron of Melefont since Earl of Drogheda Septemâ—er 6th 1617. Touchet Earl of Castlehaven and Baron Orior February 17th 1617. Lambert Baron of Cavan since Earl of Cavan Ibid. Bourk Baron of Brittas May 8th 1618. Hamilton Baron of Strabane January 31st 1618. Blunt Baron Mountjoy Ex. June 29th 1619. Mac Donald Viscount Dunlucâ— since Earl and Marquess of Antrim February 19th 1619. Sir Richard Wingfeild Viscount Powerscourt July 1620. Preston Earl of Desmond Viscount Dunmore Ex. May 1621. Dockwray Baron of Culmore Ex. Ibid. Blany Baron of Monaghan March 1st 1621. Henry Power Viscount Valentia Ex. Theo. Butler Viscount Tullagh THE REIGN OF CHARLES I. KING OF England Scotland France AND IRELAND CHARLES the only surviving Son of the Deceased King James 1625. by undoubted Right succeeded his Father in all his Dominions on the 27th day of March 1625 and was accordingly Proclaimed the same day and on the 23d day of June following he was Crowned at the Abby of Westminster with great Solemnity and as to Ireland HENRY Viscount FALKLAND was continued Lord Deputy and other inferior Officers likewise were confirmed in their respective Places but the Affairs of England being not a little out of Order the Irish took advantage thereof to be very high and insolent at home to which they were much encouraged by the Bull of Urban the 8th of the 30th of May 1626. to the English Catholicks exhorting them rather to loose their Lives then to take Noxium illud illicitum Anglicanae fidelitatis Juramentum 1626. quo non Solum id agitur ut fides Regi servetur P. W. Remonstrance 11. sed ut sacrum Universae Ecclesiae sceptrum eripatur Vicariis Dei Omnipotentis that pernicious and uâ—lawful Oath of Allegiance of England which his Predecessor of happy Memory Paul 5th had condemned as such Hereupon it was found necessary to increase the Army to the number of Five thousand Foot and Five hundred Horse the Charge whereof amounted unto 64240 l. 1 s. 2 d. which was more then the Kings Revenue out of which the Civil List was nevertheless to be paid so that it was necessary to find out some other Bund for the support of the Army and until that could be done the Lord Deputy and Council on the 14th of September by their Letters did recommend several Troops and Companies of the Army to the Counties and Towns of the Kingdom to be maintained for three Months and so from three Months to three Months until the last day of March 1628 and this whole Charge or Incumbrance on the Countrey was estimated at 36951 l. 6 s. 7 d. ½ and in the King's Letter of the 22d of September 1626. to raise this Army and that the Countrey should maintain it with Money Cloaths and Victuals his Majesty promises in lieu thereof to Grant certain Graces to the Countrey and particularly to suspend the Composition But the Gentlemen that were Agents from Ireland did to ease the Kingdom from that oppression offer to pay 40000 l. a Year for three Years in the nature of three Subsidies and to pay it quarterly from the first of April 1628. which was accepted of and the same was Paid accordingly until the first day of October 1629. On the 16th of May 1626. 1626. The King reciting a Complaint of Sir Samuel Smith's against the Lord Chancellor and that there was difference between the Lord Deputy and Chancellor 1. Because the Chancellor refused to Seal some Patents offered to him 2. Because he denied to appoint Judges for Circuits when thereunto required by the Deputy 3. Because he refused to appoint Justices of Peace at the Lord Deputies Nomination and made one Justice of the Peace against his Express prohibition to which the Lord Chancellor made Answer That in the first Case there was matter of Equity Convenience of State and Question in Law unresolved and that in the sesond Case he had directions in the time of King James and that in the third Case it was the Priviledge and Jurisdiction of his place Therefore the King orders That the Chancellor bear fitting respect to the Lord Deputy who is his Majesties Representative and as to the Matters in Debate if the Chancellor refuse to Seal any Patent in question for Reasons of State that the Cause be debated in Council and if then they think it fit and the Chancellor still refuses till he has appeal'd to his Majesty as he may it shall be at his Peril if the State suffer by his delay if the Question be in Law that the Judges decide it and if the Chancellor be not satisfied therewith he ought to appeal to the King for farther Directions and particularly about the Patent for Tanning Leather As to the Second if the Chancellor will not appoint Judges as the Lord Deputy desires that then it be refer'd to the Council-board and their Sentence be definitive as to that And as to the Third the Chancellor will not refuse to make any Man a Justice of the Peace recommended by the Lord Deputy if he does that then the Order of the Council-Table shall govern that Matter and in all these Cases it becomes the Chancellor to repair to the Deputy and acquaint him with his Reasons whenever he refuses And as for Sir Samuel Smith's Complaint his Case was that he had the sole Nomination of those that should be Licensed to Sell Aquavitae and did set that Priviledge to one Miagh for the County of Cork the King appoints the Chief Justice Chief Baron and Sir John King to Arbitrate that Matter and to make Reparation to Miagh whose Patent must be called in because he is an infamous Person and unfit for that Trust and a new Patent for that County must be Granted to whom Sir Samuel Smith shall name In the same Month of May the King sent an Order to the Lord Deputy to make a Lord High Steward c. for the Tryal of the Lord of Dunboyn by his Peers upon an Indictment found against him in the County of Typerary for killing a Man and in January after the Earl of Marleburgh Duke of Buckingham and the Lords of Pembrook Dorset Grandison Conway and Carlton and Sir Richard Weston were made Commissioners or rather a Committee for Irish Affairs And on the Eighth of February Edward Brabazon Baron of Ardee was ordered to be Earl of Catherlogh but for what Reasons I know not he had not that Title but was afterwards made Earl of Meath And on the Second of March his Majesty sent an Order
and Oliver Castells 1. That the Nobility wer over-taxed in the Subsidies 2. And were kept Close Prisoners tho' not Impeach'd of any Capital Crime 3. And could not get Licence to absent unless they leave their Proxy with one of the Chief Governors naming 4. That some have Titles of Honour that have no Lands in the Kingdom 5. That the Nobility were stop from going to Petition the King 6. That Trade is decayed by Illegal Taxes as Twelve pence apiece on Hides 7. That Causes are arbitrarily decided at Council-board and in other improper Judicatories 8. That Paâ—ents are made void extrajudicially on private Opinions 9. The Monopolies of Tobacco Starch Sope Glass Tobacco-pipes c. 10. The Procedings of the High-Commission 11. The exorbitant Fees and pretended Customs exacted by the Clergy 12. The Proclamation against buying Gunpowder but out of the Store and restraining Hunting within Seven Miles of Dublin 13. That the Parliament in its Members and Actions hath not had its natural Freedom 14. That the Subject is denied the Benefit of the Act of Limitation 15. The taking excessive Fees 16. The Seizing of Linen Yarn and Cloth for not being exact according to Rule 17. The Oppressions of Officers And in this Parliament on the Fourth of March Captain Audley Mervin brought up an Impeachment of High-Treason from the Commons to the Lords against Sir Richard Bolton Lord Chancellor John Lord Bishop of Derry Sir Gerrard Lowther Lord Chief Justice of the Common-Pleas and Sir George Ratcliff and made an eloquent Speech on that Occasion The Charge consisting of Three Articles was General for subverting the Laws and introducing Arbittary Government by extrajudicial and unjust Decrees for inflicting infamous Punishments by Pillory c. on Persons of Reputation and subverting the Rights of Parliament But it seems there was a Dispute raised Whether the House of Lords in Ireland had Power of Judicature in Capital Cases Whereupon Captain Audley Mervin made a most excellent Speech in the Lords House in Parliament 24 May 1641. And afterwards he Impeached Sir George Ratcliff then in the Gate-house Westminster in the Parliament of England of the aforesaid Articles and adds That he joyned with the Earl of Strafford in taking out Eighty thousand Pounds out of the Exchequer to buy Tobacco and that he countenanced Papists to build Monasteries c. On the Sixteenth of March 1640. Secretary Vane sent the Lords Justices the following Letter by His Majesty's Command Right Honorable HIS Majesty hath commanded me to acquaint your Lordships with an Advice given him from abroad and confirm'd by His Ministers in Spain and elsewhere which in this distemper'd Time and Conjuncture of Affairs deserves to be seriously considered and an especial Care and Watchfulness to be had therein Which is That of late there have passed from Spain and the like may well have been from other Parts an unspeakable number of Irish Churchmen for England and Ireland and some good old Soldiers under pretext of asking leave to raise Men for the King of Spain whereas it is observed among the Irish Fryars * * In Spain there a Whisper runs as if they expected a Rebellion in Ireland and particularly in Connaught Wherefore His Majesty thought fit to give your Lordships this notice that in your Wisdoms you might manage the same with that dexterity and secrefie as to discover and prevent so pernicious a Design if any such there should be and to have a watchful Eye on the Proceedings and Actions of those who come thither from abroad on what pretext soever And so herewith I rest Your Lordships most humble Servant HENRY VANE In the mean time the Earl of Strafford came to his Tryal in England and it was the most Solemn that ever was in that Kingdom and at length he was Attainted by Act of Parliament and accordingly beheaded on the 12th day of May 1641. and the Earl of Leicester was the same day appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in his stead His Tryal is excellently wrote at large by Mr. Rushworth to which I must refer the curious Reader but because every Man has not that Book by him I have Cursorily extracted so much of it only as I thought pertinent to his History wherein if I have not been very exact it was because the Inquisitive may easily inform themselves as well as I by having recourse to the Original which I had not leisure to examine more carefully than I have done The Third Article which is the First relating to Ireland is that he should say That Ireland was a conquer'd Nation and that the King might do with them what he pleased and that the Charters of the Corporations were worth nothing and did bind the King no farther than he pleased To which the Earl Answers That he never spoke those words and that the Scope and Intent of what he did say was to ingratiate his Majesties Government to the People and that his words were well accepted at that time however they come to be resented now That the Charters of Dublin were Anno 1634. brought before the Council and still are in the hands of the Clerk of the Council because besides other Abuses the Papists of that City engrossed all the Trade and denied Liberty to such as came out of England to set up there which he hath so far remedied as that there are Three Englishmen now in Dublin for One that was there when he came to the Government and the Charters are not Condemned but enjoyed to this day so that he aim'd at a Reformation in favour of the English but did not design the Destruction of the Charters The Fourth Article was That the Earl of Cork having begun a Suit at Law to recover a Possession he had lost by Colour of an Order from the Lord Deputy and Council the Lord Deputy threatned to imprison him unless he would surcease his Suit saying That he would have neither Law nor Lawyers dispute or question his Orders and that he said upon another the like Occasion That he would make the Earl of Cork and all Ireland know that so long as he had the Government there any Act of State there made or to be made should be as binding to the Subjects of that Kingdom as an Act of Parliament and that he question'd that Earl in the Castle-Chamber upon Pretence of a Breach of an Order of Council-Table To this the Earl of Strafford answered That the Council-Table was a Court of Record in Ireland wherein they proceeded formally by Bill Answer Examination of Witnesses c. and therefore the Orders of it are binding and ought to be obey'd he denies he compar'd it to a Parliament and denies that the Earl of Cork was prosecuted for disobedience of an Order of Council only The Fifth Article was That in time of Peace 12th of December 1635. he did give and procure to be given Sentence of Death against the Lord Mountnorris at a Council of War for saying of an Accidental
Soldier because he had English Bisket in his Pocket Sullevan 67 O Sullevan tels us that from 1168. to the Apostacy of Henry VIII the English though Catholicks by continual Tyranny and Rapine destroyed the Discipline of Church and State and fol. 67. that the English were Irreligious Inconstant and Heretical being in Dioclesian's Persecution Apostates afterwards Arians then Pelagians then Heathens then Idolaters then Murderers of S. Thomas of Becket and then Protestants in a Word wherever they dare do it they do not spare to asperse the English Nation and Government with most Malicious and Opprobrious Accusations and whoever considers That the Bishop of Clogher did so purge his Ulster-Army that he would not suffer any Papist to be in it that was of English Extraction and the Advice of Mr. Mahony in his Disputatio Apologetica Not to make a Priest of English Race nor to trust any that are so Whoever I say considers this and the true Reasons of it will easily be convinced That the Old English and the Old Irish will one Time or other split upon the old indelible National Antipathy As to the second viz. Interest it concerns the Irish and the Old English both of which have Inteterests incompatible with the New English For when the English Lords usurped Irish Arbitrary Power as aforesaid and the Commons being made Vassals to their Lords and holding their Properties but precariously fell naturally into Licentiousness to the Ruine of the Commonwealth The Duke of Clarence in the Reign of Edward III thought to cure this Malady by resuming those Palatinate Jurisdictions and other great Priviledges those English Lords had so enlarged and abused whereupon the Earl of Desmond broached the distinction between the English of Blood and the English of Birth and the former did not only confederate together but also brought in the Irish to their Assistance and Gosip'd Foster'd Married and Incorporated with them so that the Government was obliged to relax their intended Severity and to let these old Englishmen lord it as they pleased till a better Opportunity should be offered for the intended Resumption However from henceforward the Old English and Irish kept a Correspondence and upon the Reformation became more firmly united by the common tye of Religion and under Pretence of defending Religion and their usurped Jurisdictions they were found together in many Rebellions and their Estates confiscated and given to the new English so that they are united in a common Interest to recover their forfeited Estates if they can and when that is done the Irish have their particular Interest apart to recover their old Estates from the first Conquerors or Intruders As for the third viz. Religion I need not explain the Irreconcilable Antipathy that is between the Roman Catholick Religion and Heresie or between true Religion and Idolatry the Differences of Nation and Interest may be suspended lessned ay buried and annihilated but there is no Reconciliation to be made between God and Mammon This great concern has so silenced all the rest that at this Day we know no difference of Nation but what is expressed by Papist and Protestant if the most Ancient Natural Irish-Man be a Protestant no Man takes him for other than an English-Man and if a Cockny be a Papist he is reckoned in Ireland as much an Irish-man as if he was born on Slevelogher the Earls of Insiquin and Castlehaven are Examples hereof the one being of the best and ancientest Family in Ireland was yet the beloved General of an English Army and the other being the second Baron of England was Commander of the Irish Forces There is also another Difference in Religion between the Episcoparians and the Dissenters which last are branched into several Sects but it is not at all or very little taken notice of in Ireland because they do really manage this Affair more prudently than some other more celebrated Nations and sacrifice these petty Fewds to the common Interest of opposing Popery And that these Distinctions may appear to be neither trivial nor meerly Notional it will be necessary to give Instances of these several Factions in the late Irish Wars and first there was an Army of all meer Irish not an English Papist among them commanded by the Bishop of Clogher and another of meer English all Papists under General Preston And secondly There was an Army of Old English and Irish under the Lords Mountgarrat Taaf c. and an Army of New English commanded by the Earls of Ormond Insiquin c. And thirdly there was an Army of Papists under the Nuntio and an Army of Protestants commanded by the Marquess of Ormond But how stand these great Differences at this Day Why truly worse than ever for as to the first Whereas the Old English were heretofore on the British side in all National Quarrels they are now so infatuated and degenerated that they do not only take part with the Irish but call themselves Natives in distinction from the New English against whom they are at present as inveterate as the Original Irish though perhaps Time may open their Eyes and rectifie that Error And as to the Second whereas at Queen Elizabeth's Death the Protestants had not above a fourth part of the Kingdom the Escheats in Ulster in King James his time and the Act of Settlement since has given them two fourths more so that now they have three Quarters of the whole and thereby more Irish are disobliged than were formerly and their Loss is greater and consequently their Interest to regain it is larger and more pressing than it was in former Times As to the third viz. Religion it 's certain the Papists were never so enraged at the Northern Pestilent Heresie as of late they have been and the Folly Insolence and Cruelty of these last seven Years has justly rendred Popery more odious than ever to the Protestants But was there no way to secure Ireland without Sanguinary Laws and Inhuman Persecutions Yes sure if People would in time have set themselves to repair the State of Ireland as the Jews under Nehemiah did to re-edifie the Walls of Jerusalem viz. every one build over against his own House the Matter had been easily and quietly accomplished for the formidable Bulk of Irish Papists were for the most part Servants or Tenants to Protestants and of their breeding up and if the English would have sacrificed a little sordid Profit to the Publick Good and have countenanced and indulged Protestant Servants and Tenants instead of Papists a very few Years would have put themselves and their Religion out of Danger But at this Day the Provocations are carried so high and the Irish have abused the English to that degree of Barbarity and Ingratitude that it will be hard to perswade the Protestants to trust them again or to live neighbourly with the many more Nevertheless since Extirpations are Cruelty in the Abstract and odious to Human Nature there must be a Method found out to
Fastnesses of that Country at a Place called the Earls Pace he was briskly assaulted by O Rian and his Followers but O Rian being slain by an Arrow shot at him by Nichol the Monk the rest were easily scattered and many of them slain It was here that Strongbow's only Son a Youth about seventeen Years old frighted with the Number and Ululations of the Irish run away from the Battle and made towards Dublin but being informed of his Fathers Victory he joyfully came back to congratulate that Success but the severe General having first reproach'd him with Cowardize caused him to be immediately executed by cutting him off in the Middle with a Sword so great an Abhorrence had they of Dastardliness in those Days that in imitation of the Old Romans they punish'd it with a Severity which how commendable soever it may be in a General was nevertheless unnatural in a Father The Tomb both of Father and Son is yet to be seen in the Body of Christ-Church in Dublin whereon formerly was this bald Epitaph alluding to this Story Nate ingrate Hanmer 147. mihi pugnanti Terga dedisti Non mihi sed Genti Regno quoque Terga dedisti When Strongbow came near Wexford he received the ill News of Fitz-Stephens his Misfortune as also that the Irish had burnt Wexford and were retired to the Island Begory or Betherni and were resolved to kill Fitz-Stephens if they were farther pursued Wherefore he turned aside towards Waterford and march'd to that City where he met Hervy who was returned with Letters from the King wherein the Earl was ordered immediately to repair into England Strongbow presently obeyed and met the King at Newnham near Glocester on his Journey towards Ireland with an Army The Earl behaved himself so dutifully that the King was soon appeased for Strongbow did not only renew his Fealty but did also surrender to the King the City of Dublin and two Cantreds adjoyning and all Forts and Towns bordering on the Sea And on the other side the King was contented that the Earl should enjoy all the rest to him and his Heirs to be held of his Majesty and his Successors and so they marched by Severn-side through South Wales to Pembrook August 1172. and at length embarqu'd at Milford Haven In the mean time O Rorick and the King of Meath took Advantage of Strongbow's Absence in England and Reymond's at Waterford and with their united Forces besieged Dublin But Miles Cogan had the Courage to sally and the Good Fortune to defeat them with the Slaughter of Orourk's Son and many of his Followers On the eighteenth of October Regan M. S. King Henry arrived at Waterford with four hundred Knights and four thousand Soldiers The People of Wexford came with the first to make their court and complimented him with their Prisoner Fitz-Stephens whom the King continued in Prison and smartly chid him for invading Ireland without his Majesties special Licence But this was but a piece of King-craft to ingratiate with the Irish and to get the City of Wexford which Fitz-Stephens was forc'd to part with and to make his humble Submission and then at the King 's second coming to Waterford he was restored to his Liberty and the rest of his Estate To the King at Waterford came Dermond Mac Carthy King of Cork and voluntarily submitted and swore Allegiance He also agreed to pay a certain annual Tribute which being done the King marched to Lismore and thence to Cashel near which on the Banks of the Shure came Daniel O Bryan Prince of Limerick who in like manner submitted and swore Allegiance Whereupon Garrisons were sent to Cork and Limerick and the King returned to Waterford In like manner submitted Daniel Prince of Ossory O Phelin Prince of Decyes and all the great Men of Munster And the King gave each of them a Present and to all of them gracious and kind Reception All the Archbishops Brady 360. Bishops and Abbots of Ireland came unto the King of England at Waterford and received him as King and Lord of Ireland and sware Fealty to him and his Heirs and from every Archbishop and Bishop he received a Chart by which they acknowledged and constituted him King and submitted unto him and his Heirs as their Kings for ever And according to their Example the foresaid Kings and Princes received him as King and Lord of Ireland and became his Men and swore Fealty to him and his Heirs against all Men. These Charters were transcrib'd and the King sent the Transcripts to Pope Alexander who confirm'd by Apostolick Authority to him and his Heirs the Kingdom of Ireland according to the Form of those Charters as aforesaid The King left Robert Fitz-Barnard and his Houshold at Waterford and marched to Dublin through Ossory by the way he received the Submissions of the Prince of Ossory O Carol O Rurk O Chadess O Toole and several others but Rotherick the Monarch came no nearer than the Shannon-Side where Hugh de Lacy and William Fzadeline by Commission received his Oath of Allegiance and agreeed with him for a Tribute and as the rest did he likewise gave Hostages for his Performance so that there was no Prince or great Man in any part of Ireland except Vlster but by his Deputies or in Person did submit to the King Then did the King command to assemble a Synod at Cashel whereunto the Archbishop of Armagh consented afterwards though by reason of his great Age he was not present at the Synod Where after Christmas appeared Christianus Bishop of Lismore the Pope's Legate Donagh Archbishop of Cashel Laurence Archbishop of Dublin and Catholicus Archbishop of Tuum with their Suffragans and Fellow Bishops with divers Abbots Archdeacons Priors Deans and other Prelates And the King sent thither Ralph Abbot of Buldewais Ralph Archdeacon of Landaff Nicholas the Chaplain and divers other good Clerks and they made these following Canons First Cambrensis cap. 35. It is Decreed That all Good Faithful and Christian People throughout Ireland should forbear and shun to marry with their near Kinsfolk and Cousins and marry with such as lawfully they should do Secondarily That Children shall be Catechiz'd without the Church Door and Baptiz'd in the Font appointed in the Churches for the same Thirdly That every Christian Body do Faithfully and Truly pay yearly the Tithes of his Cattle Corn and other his Increase and Profits to the Church or Parish where he is a Parishioner Fourthly That all the Church-Lands and Possessions throughout all Ireland shall be free from all Secular Exactions and Impositions and especially that no Lords Earls or Noblemen nor their Children nor Family shall extort or take any Coyn and Livery Cosheryes nor Cuddyes nor any other like Custom from thenceforth in or upon any of the Church-Lands and Territories And likewise That they nor no other Person do henceforth exact out of the said Church-Lands Old Wicked and Detestable Customs of Coyn and Livery
and His would cut their Throats for he was resolved to be of the strongest Side and though he would help them whilst they sought he would certainly turn against them if they fled But the English Valour needed not such a Whet for according to their Custom they fell upon and routed the Enemy and marched to Limrick and relieved the Garrison which produced a Parley Easter-Tuesday and that a new Submission and Hostages as well from Daniel Prince of Limrick as from Rotherick late Monarch of Ireland who sent his Son over to the King as Hostage of the Peace 1177. and afterwards by his Agents the Archbishop of Tuam the Abbot of S. Brendam and Laurence his Chaplain entred into the following Agreement Hic est finis Concordia quae facta fuit apud Windesore Hanmer 144. in octabis Sancti Michaelis anno gratiae 1177. inter Dominum Regem Angliae Henricum secundum Rodericum Regem Conaciae per Catholicum Tuamensem Archiepiscopum Abbatem C. Sancti Brandani Magistrum Laurentium Cancellarium Regis Conaciae I. QVod Rex Angliae concedit praedicto Roderico Ligeo homini suo Regnum Conaciae quamdiu ei fideliter serviet ut sit Rex sub eo paratus ad servitium suum sicut homo suus ut teneat terram suam ita bene in pace sicut tenuit antequam Dominus Rex Angliae intravit Hiberniam reddendo ei tributum totam illam terram habitatores terrae habeat sub se Justitiae ut tributum Regi Angliae integre persolvant per manum ejus sua jura sibi conservent illi qui modo tenent teneant in pace quamdiu mansuerint in fidelitate Regis Angliae fideliter integre persolverint tributum alia jura sua quae ei debent per manum Regis Conaciae salvo in omnibus jure honore Domini Regis Angliae suo II. Et siqui ex eis Regi Angliae ei Rebelles fuerint tributum alia jura Regis Angliae per manum ejus solvere noluerint à fidelitate Regis Angliae recesserint ipse eos justitiet amoveat si eos per se justitiare non poterit Constabularius Regis Angliae familia sua de terra illa juvabunt cum ad hoc faciendum cum ab ipo fuerint requisiti ipsi viderint quod necesse fuerit propter hunc finem reddet proedictus Rex Conaciae Domino Regi Angliae tributum singulis annis scilicet de singulis decem animalibus unum Corium placabile mercatoribus tam de tota terra sua quam de aliena III. Excepto quod de terris illis quas Dominus Rex Angliae retinuit in Dominio suo in Dominio Baronum suorum nihil se intromittet Scilicet Durelina cum pertinentiis suis Media cum omnibus pertinentiis suis sicut unquam Murchait Wamai Leth-Lachlin eam melius plenius tenuit aut aliqui qui eam de eo tenuerint Et excepta Wexfordia cum omnibus pertinentiis suis scilicet cum tota Lagenia excepta Waterfordia cum tota terra illa quae est à Waterfordia usque ad Dungarvan ita ut Dungarvan sit cum omnibus pertinentis suis infra terram illam IV. Et si Hibernenses illi qui aufugerint redire voluerint ad terram Baronum Regis Angliae redeant in pace reddendo tributum praedictum quod alii reddunt vel faciendo antiqua servitia quae facere solebant pro terris suis hoc sit in arbitrio Dominorum suorum si aliqui eorum redire noluerint Domini eorum Rex Conaciae accipiat obsides omnibus quos ei commisit Dominus Rex Angliae ad voluntatem Domini Regis suam ipse dabit Obsides ad voluntatem Domini Regis Angliae illos vel alios ipsi servient Domino de Canibus Avibus suis singulis annis de pertinentiis suis nullum omnino de quacunque terra Regis sit retinebunt contra voluntatem Domini Regis His testibus Richardo Episcopo Wintoniae Gaufrido Episcopo Eliensi Laurentio Duveliensi Archiepiscopo Gaufrido Nicholao Rogero Capelanis Regis Gulielmo Comite Essexii aliis multis Whilst Reymond staid at Limrick there came to him Dermond Mac Carthy King of Cork craving Aid against his Son Cormock Lehanagh who had imprisoned him and used him barbarously Reymond assents upon the Terms agreed between them conquers where he goes subdues the Rebellious Son and delivers him Prisoner to his Father who unnaturally smote off his Head and not long after says Cambrensis the Men of Cork at a Parlee not far from the Town slew their Prince the aforesaid Dermond mac Carthy and most of his Company It seems that Dermond mac Carthy King of Cork gave unto Reymond for this Expedition a large Tract of Land in the County of Kerry then reckoned part of the Kingdom of Cork there Reymond setled his Son Maurice who married Catherine Daughter of Miles Cogan and grew so Great and Powerful that he gave Name both to his Country and his Family this being called Fitz-Morris and that Clan-Morris and both the one and the other are enjoyed to this Day by his Lineal Heir Male the Right Honourable William Lord Baron of Kerry Whilst Reymond was in the County of Cork he received a Letter from his Wife in these Words KNow my dear Lord That my great Cheek Tooth which was wont to ake so much is now fallen out wherefore if you have any Care or Regard of me or of your self come away with all speed By this Reymond knew that Strongbow was dead 27 May 1177. but he wisely concealed it and immediately returned to Limerick And because he wanted the Soldiers to garrison the Towns near the Sea he delivered the City to Donald Prince of Thomond the King's Subject upon a new Oath and Hostages but he as soon as the Garrison was out perfidiously set Fire to the City in four Places that it might be no more a Nest for English Men. Thence Reymond marched to Dublin and the Funerals of the Earl were there solemnized by the Archbishop of Dublin The King's Messengers returned to England with an account of the State of Affairs leaving with the Consent of the Council the chief Government with Reymond who soon after surrendred to William Fitz-Adelm Ancestor of the Burks or Burghs the King's Sewer or Taster with whom were sent Courcy Fitz-Stephens and Cogan as Counsellors and Assistants He was allowed twenty Gentlemen and they ten a piece He landed at Wexford whither Reymond marched to meet him he viewed the Sea-Coasts and took Care of the Towns and Castles that way but did not much mind the Frontiers against the Irish This William Fitz-Adelm was related to the Crown for Arlotte Mother of William the Conqueror was married to Harlowen de Bourgo by whom she had Robert
Earl of Cornwal and Odo Bishop of Bayeux half Brothers to the Conquerour Robert had Issue William Earl of Cornwall who had Issue Adelm and John Adelm had Issue this William Fitz-Adelm and John had Issue Hubert de Burgo that was Chief Justice of England and Earl of Kent and one of the greatest Men of his Time And this William Fitz-Adelm though he be represented as an ill Man by the Historians of that Age yet he founded one of the Best and Noblest Families in Ireland viz. that of the Burks which has yielded many Brave and Worthy Men that have proved eminently serviceable to their King and Country whereby their Name Estate and Family are preserved in great Honour and Reputation to this Day John de Courcy who marryed the Daughter of Gothred King of the Isle of Man had contracted an intimate and entire Friendship with Sir Armoricus Tristerum alias de Sancto Laurentio who afterwards married his Sister My Author says they were sworn Brothers in the Church of Roan but certainly there was such Kindness between them that Courcy was resolved to share his Conquests in Vlster with him And being troubled at the sordid Humour of Fzadelme and simpathizing with the Wants and Grievances of the Souldiery in February 1177 1177. he led forth twenty Knights and three hundred Foot-Soldiers besides Servants and marching through Vriel in four Days or rather early the fifth he came to the City of Down which without Resistance he took and rifled for the Citizens were not in any Posture of Defence because they had not the least Fear or so much as a Thought of an Enemy The Lord or Governour Dunlenns or O Donel perceiving the Amazement and Irresolution of his People was necessitated to withdraw leaving the Legate Vivianus to negotiate in his behalf with Courcy and to offer him a Tribute if he would peaceably retire but Courcy was transported with some blind Phrophecies of Merlin and Columbus which he interpreted of himself and fancied nothing less than the entire Conquest of Vlster and therefore rejected all Overtures of Accomodation Whereupon O Donel This Battle at large Hanmer 150. with the Assistance of Rotherick and the rest of his Neighbours who made it a common Cause soon raised an Army of ten thousand Men and with them designed to besiege the City of Down But Courcy chose rather to fight a Battle in the Field than stand a Siege in the Town and the Success justified his Choice for he routed the Enemy with great Slaughter and took the Bishop of Down Prisoner but at the Intercession of the Legate he was released About Midsummer following the Ulster Men to the number of fifteen thousand fought another Battle with Courcy near Down and though it was very Bloody on both sides yet the Honour of the Day is by my Author given to Courcy His third Battle was in the Ferny against eleven thousand Irish the English not being above the tenth part of their number The Occasion of it was thus Sir John de Courcy had built many Castles in Vlster especially in that part of it called Ferny where Mac Mahon dwelt he was very observant of Courcy and made him his Gossip and had sworn Fidelity to him and had so far insinuated himself into Courcy's Favour that the Britain gave him two Castles with the Lands belonging to them but within a Month Mac Mahon demolished both the Castles And being asked the Reason why he did so he answered That he did not promise to hold Stones but Land and that it was contrary to his Nature to live within cold Walls whilst the Woods were so nigh Courcy was netled with this slight Answer and to revenge the Affront entred the Ferny and took so large a Prey of Cows that he was obliged to divide them into three Droves for convenience of Driving the Ways were boggy and also so narrow that the Prey filled the Road for three miles together The Irish observing these Circumstances set upon the English with such Briskness Noise and Clamour that forced the Cows back and made them run like Devils upon their Drivers so that they overthrew both Horse and Man and trod more underfoot than were slain by the Sword In a Word the English were routed and although they had slain nineteen score of the Irish and their General Mac Mahon himself yet they were forced to run for their Lives and much ado they had to recover an old Fort of Courcy's where they made a shift to secure themselves although the Irish were encamped vey near them About Midnight Sir Amorick went to view the Posture of the Irish who not in the least mistrusting that a baffled handful of Men would dare to attempt them were in a loose and negligent Condition most of them asleep even their very Guards and Centinels This being reported to Courcy they easily agreed to make use of this Advantage and immediately with all their Force fell upon the Irish and surprized them to that degree that they could make no Resistance so that they were all slain except two hundred who made their escape and of the English there were but two killed in this Encounter and four hundred the Day before About this Time the Legate Vivianus held a Synod at Dublin in which he published the King's Title to Ireland and denounced Excommunication against all that should oppose it He also gave Leave to the English to take out of the Churches and Monasteries such Corn and other Provision as they should at any time need paying the true Value thereof for the same He gave the People Indulgences and they gave him Money and so they parted very well pleased on both Sides Miles Cogan and young Fitz-Stephens invaded Connaugh as far as Tuam but could not make any Stay there for want of Victuals for the Inhabitants had removed or destroyed all their Provision and fled away upon the News of the Approach of the English And here let me observe once for all That want of Provision hath frustrated more great Designs and well-contrived Expeditions in Ireland than any other Defect or Accident whatsoever But Rotherick King of Connaugh having Notice of this March and knowing the English would be forced to return in a little Time for want of Victuals he placed an Ambush in a covenient Station which according to their Orders fell upon the English in their Retreat but did no greater Mischief than the killing of three English Men and that with the Loss of many of themselves This Governour Fitz-Adelm was very unkind to Reymond and all the Geraldines and indeed to most of the first Adventurers He forced the Sons of Maurice Fitz-Gerald to exchange their Castle of Wicklow for the decayed Castle of Fernes and when they had repaired that Castle of Fernes he found some Pretence or other to have it demolished He took from Reymond all his Land near Dublin and Wexford He delayed the Restitution of Fitz-Stephens to his Lands in
take any notice of Ireland and therefore we take no further notice of him than to give this brief Account of the Reason of our Silence in that Particular Hugh de Lacy was made Lord Justice of Ireland as aforesaid And as soon as he arrived he sent Imperious Letters to Courcy to discharge him of his Command and behaved himself so insolently that all was in Disorder Which the Irish perceiving and also that the King of England was preparing for a Voyage to the Holy Land they thought this an happy Opportunity to extirpate the English to which End they had a General Meeting and resolved unanimously to fall upon them Hanmer 169. and in order to it they entred into a League or Association and solemnly swore First To be true to one another and to the common Cause Secondly Never to yield any Obedience to the English again Ibid 162. And to begin the Business they fell upon Roger Poer Governour of Leighlin and barbarously murdered him and most of the Garrison Cormock O Connor Son of Rotherick King of Connaught commonly called Crove Darig because his Hand was red was the chief of the Conspirators he was an Active Valiant Gentleman and of so great Reputation that he was able to assemble twenty thousand Men of his own and the Confederates with which Army he designed first to clear Connaught then Vlster and afterwards the whole Kingdom In the mean Time Courcy Lord of Connaught and Earl of Vlster considering that he should have no Aid nor Help from the Lord Justice endeavoured to strengthen himself the best he could and to that End sent for his Brother S. Lawrence who made more Haste than good Speed for he came away with thirty Horse and two hundred Foot and at Knockmoy in the County of Galway fell into an Ambush the King of Connaught had laid for him and tho' they fought so valiantly that they killed one thousand Irish Men yet the Issue was That this small Army was totally destroyed not one escaping And tho' O Connor in Remembrance and Ostentation of this Victory did there build the Abbey de Colle Victoriae yet when he had well considered the prodigious Valour of that Handful of Men and his own Loss he thought himself necessitated to sue to Lacy for Peace which he soon obtained upon reasonable Conditions About this Time Robin Hood and Litle John were Famous Robbers in England but their Company being dispersed and Robin Hood taken Litle John fled to Dublin and shot an Arrow from Dublin-Bridge to the litle Hill in Oxman-Town thence called Litle John's Shot He was called Litle John Ironically for he was not less than fourteen Foot long believe it who will Hector Boetius affirms The Hole of his Huckle Bone was so big that he could thrust his Hand through it He fled from Dublin to Scotland where he dyed This Year Isabel 1189. only Daughter of Strongbow by Eva Prencess of Leinster was married to William Lord Maxfield Earl Marshal of England He was a great Favourite to King Richard and at his Coronation carried the Regal Scepter whereon was a Cross of Gold He was afterward by King John Hanmer 177. created Earl of Pembrook and had five Sons who were successively Earls and all died without Issue and he had five Daughters among whom his Estate was divided viz. to Joan the County of Waxford to Matilda the County of Caterlough to Isabel the County of Kilkenny to Sybilla the County of Kildare and to Eva the Mannor of Downmass in Leix now the Queen's County in all which they exercised Palatine Jurisdiction Of this Family Thomas Mills in his Catalogue of Honour gives this Account That Richard Earl of Chepstow was nick-named Strongbow because of his exceeding Strength so that he drew an traordinary Srong Bow his Arms were so long that he could stand upright and with the Palms of his Hands touch his Knees That his Daughter Isabel was fourteen Years a Ward to Henry II That her Husband William Earl Marshal was created Earl of Pembrook 27 May 1199 and that she dyed anno 1221 and was buried at Tintern Abbey and that he dyed 16 March 1219. They had five Sons and five Daughters William married Elianor Sister of Henry III and died the sixth of April 1231. Richard died the sixteenth of April 1234. Gilbert married Margaret Daughter of William King of Scotland 1235 and died by a fall from his Horse the twenty eighth of May 1242. Walter died 1245 in Wales and Anselm died the same Month viz the twenty first of December Maud successively married Hugh Earl of Norfolk William Earl of Warren and Walier Lord Dunstanvil Joan married Warren Lord Montchensy the richest Baron in England Isabel married Gilbert Earl of Glocester and afterwards Richard Earl of Cornwal King of the Romans Sybil married William Earl of Ferrers and Darby and Eve married William de Brees Lord of Brecknock and Partition was made between these Noble Coparceners at Woodstock Lib. G. May 3. 31 Hen. 3. About this Time 1190. viz. Anno 1190 the City of Dublin was burnt by Accident 1191. so that it was almost totally destroyed and the Kingdom was governed by William Petit Burlace 11. who held it a very short Time before William Earl of Pembrook and Earl Marshal of England came over Lord Justice or Governour of Ireland he was the third of the Temporal Assistants King Richard had left to the Bishop of Ely for the Government of England he was a Valiant Man and had a great Estate in Ireland 1191. and therefore was thought the fittest Governour for that Country in this Critical Time whilst King Richard was Prisoner in Austria and Earl John was engaged in Troublesome and Ambitious Designs in England In the Year 1194. the Reliques of S. Malachy Bishop of Clareval Cambden 151. were brought into Ireland and with great Reverence and Devotion deposited in the Abby of Mellifont and other the Monasteries of the Cistersian Order It seems the Reputation or Power of this Noble Governour was sufficient to keep Ireland quiet 1197. for we read of little or no Disturbance there during his Time which was about six Years And then he resign'd to Hanno de valois a Gentleman of Suffolk Lord Justice of Ireland who continued in that Government until the Death of King Richard which happened at Chalons in France on the sixth Day of April anno 1199. John Earl of Moreton and Lord of Ireland did on the Death of King Richard without Title ascend the Throne of England Hubert Archbishop of Canterbury was a great assistant to this Usurpation he told the People That John had the Crown by Election which the King did not then gain-say it being no fit Time to dispute the MANNER so he had the THING he aimed at but the Right was in his Nephew Arthur whom he afterwards got into his Hands and caused him him to be murdered as was at that Time generally reported
publickly opposed the King's Alienation or Resignation of his Dominions to the Pope 1213. He governed the Kingdom very well but at the end of two Years he went to Rome either to solicit Aid for the King against the Barons or to be present at a General Council He left Geofry de Marisco 1215. Lord Keeper of Ireland to whom nevertheless Sir Edmond Butler was Assistant or Coadjutor It was about this Time the Citizens of Dublin obtained a Licence to build a Bridge over the Liffy where they pleased And not long after they also got a Fee-Farm of the City of Dublin from the King at a certain Rent but I take that to have been anno 1217. and if so the King here meant must be Henry III. It seems these Times were very Quiet for I find no mention of any War or Rebellion except some small Stirs in Connaught which were not so Great or Considerable as that the Particulars should be transmitted to posterity In the mean Time William Earl Marshal who came to Ireland anno 1207. was employed in building his Castle of Kilkenny and the Abbey of Black-Fryers there He also incorporated that Town by the Name of Sovereign Burgesses and Communalty and granted them a Privilege to be quit of Toll Lastage and Pontage and all other Customs throughout Leinster and afterwards went to England And thus stood the Government of Ireland during the Life of King John who died at Newark the nineteenth Day of October 1216. 1216. THE REIGN OF HENRY III. King of England And LORD of IRELAND c. HENRY the Third not then Ten years old succeeded his Deceased Father in all his Titles and Estates 1216. and in the presence of the Popes Legate William Earl Marshal and others he was declared King and Crowned at Glocester by the Bishops of Winchester and Bath and at the same time he did Homage to Pope Innocent and the Church of Rome Brady 522. for the Kingdoms of England and Ireland and swore to pay yearly the Thousand Marks which his Father had promised to the Holy See William Earl Marshal who was also Earl of Pembrook was Protector of the King and Kingdom Ib. 523. and by Proclamation encouraged the Nobility Gentry and other the Kings Subjects to continue faithful to him which they were the more easily perswaded to because Lewis Prince of France and his Party began to decline and were solemnly excommunicated or rather the same Excommunication was published and denounced every Sunday and Holy-Day There likewise issued a Writ to the Kings Subjects in Ireland in haec verba REX Archiepiscopis Prin 250. Episcopis Abbatibus Comitibus Baronibus Militibus libere tenentibus omnibus fidelibus suis per Hibern constitutis Salutem Fidelitatem vestram in Domino commendantes quam Domino Patri nostro semper exhibuistis nobis estis diebus nostris exhibituri Volumus quod in signum Fidelitatis vestrae tam praeclarae tam insignis libertatibus Regno nostro Angl. Ã Patre nostro nobis concessis de gratia nostra dono in Regno nostro Hibern gaudeatis vos vestri Haeredes in perpetuum quas distincte in Scriptum redactas de communi consilio omnium fidelium nostrorum vobis mittimus signatas Sigillis Domini nostri G. Apostolicae Sedis Legati fidelis nostri Com. W. Maresc Rectoris nostri Regni nostri quia Sigillum nondum habuimus easdem processu temporis de majori Consilio proprio Sigillo signaturi Teste apud Glouc. 6 die Februar And the Entry on the Roll is Homines Hiberniae habent libertates Angliae And another Writ Brady Append. 143. under the Test of the Earl Marshal was sent to Hugh de Lacy to invite his Return in this Writ which runs in the Name of the King his Majesty condescends to expostulate with Lacy that he the King ought not to be blamed for his Fathers unkindness to Lacy and assures him that he shall have Restitution and Protection if he would come back and upon Receipt of it Lacy did readily comply with the Kings Desire Geofry de Marisco continued Lord Justice or Governor of Ireland Burlace 15. to whom on the 16th of April following Henry de Londres was added as Assistant or Co-adjutor at least in Ecclesiastical Matters 1217. and for the Reformation of the Church The King sent a Writ to the Lord Justice giving him thanks for his faithful Service to the deceased King John and desiring that he would persevere in the like to himself especially during his Monority when he stood in need of the Lord Justices assistance and advice Prin Hist H. 3. fol. 38. and requires him to take the Oath of Fealty of the Nobility of Ireland and all others that are obliged thereto and assures them they shall enjoy the same Liberties in Ireland as he hath granted to his Subjects in England There was also another Writ sent to the Lords Spiritual and Temporal to assist the Lord Justice in the Kings Service And there was yet another Writ for a thousand Bacons Lib. GGG Lambeth two Ship-load of Corn and a Ship-load of Oats Mandatum est Justiciario Hiberniae quid mittet in Angliam mille Bacones duas Navatas Frumenti unam Navatam Aveni So that England must not deny but that it has at some time been beholden to us About this time William Earl Marshal incorporated the Town of Calan and gave it the following Charter COncessi Burgensibus meis de Calan omnimodas Libertates quas decet Burgenses habere mihi licet conferre viz. quod nullus Burgensis trahatur in causam vel respondeat de ullo placito quod proveniat infra Metas Burgi in Castello Lib. in Lambeth vel alibi nisi in hundredo villae exceptis placitis quae sunt de hominibus hospitii mei Concessi etiam eisdem Burgensibus Matrimonium contrahere sibi filiis filiabus viduis sine licentia Dominorum suorum nisi forte forinseca tenementa teneant de me in capite extra Burgum Lucas de Netervil was chosen by the Chapter Archbishop of Armagh 1217. and went to the King for Confirmation but could not obtain it Ware de Fresul 17. because the Election was made without the Kings License Whereupon the Monks compounded with the King for three hundred Marks of Silver and three of Gold and so they took out a Conge de esâ—ier and repeated the Election and then Netervil was consecrated by Langton Archbishop of Canterbury About this Time viz. 2 Hen. 3. the King wrote to Ireland for Aid to pay off a Debt due from him to Lewis Son of the King of France Soon after Henry de Londres was by Pope Honorius the Third made Legate of Ireland and held a Synod at Dublin which made many good Canons But the Lord Justice had displeased the King by his male-administration of Affairs in Ireland or perhaps had
the Observation of the English Laws in Ireland which I have already recited in the Reign of King John Hubert de Burgo or Burgh Chief Justice of England and Earl of Kent Splem Gloss 340. was made Earl of Connaught and Lord Justice of Ireland during Life and because he could not personally attend he deputed Richard de Burgo Lord Justice or Deputy to whom the King sent the following Writ March 10. 1227. for establishing the English Laws in Ireland REX dilecto sideli suo Ricardo de Burgo Justiciario suo Hiberniae Prin. 252. salutem Mandamus vobis firmiter praecipientes quatenus certo die loco faciatis venire coram vobis Archiepiscopos Episcopos Abbates Priores Comites Barones Milites libere tenentes Balivos singulorum Comitatuum coram eis publice legi faciatis Cartam Domini J. Regis Patris nostri cui Sigillum suum appensum est quam fieri fecit jurari à Magnatibus Hiberniae de Legibus Consuetudinibus Anglorum observandis in Hibernia praecipiatis eis ex parte nostra quod Leges illas ad Consuetudines in Carta praedict ' contentas de cetero firmiter teneant observent Et hoc idem per singulos Comitatus Hiberniae clamari faciatis teneri prohibentes firmiter ex parte nostra Forisfacturam nostram ne quis contra hoc Mandatum nostrum venire praesumat ' Eo excepto quod nec de Morte nec de Catallis Hibernensium occisorum nihil statuatur ex parte nostra citra quindecem dies à die Sancti Michaelis anno regni nostri duodecimo super quo respectum dedimus Magnatibus nostris Hibern ' usque ad terminum praedict Teste meipso apud Westmonast oct die Maii anno regni nostri duodecimo And at the same Time he received two Writs about the Debts due from the King to the late Lord Justice Archbishop Londres Burlace 20 21. and a third Writ to pay him an hundred Pound per annum out of the Rent of the City of Limerick and fifty Pound per ann out of the Rent of Dublin But this Justice did not continue long in the Government for his Patron Hubert de Burgh falling into the King's Displeasure both the one and the other were remov'd And Maurice Fitz-Gerald was made Lord Justice 1229. In whose Time viz. 14 Hen. 3. happened the great Case of Coparceners to decide which the King sent over by way of Writ what in the printed Statues is called Statutum Hiberniae And tho' the Lord Justice is there named Girald yet it is by Mistake for Girald Fitz-Maurice who was the Lord Justice's Father died anno 1205. And there is another Mistake in that Statute for it is said to be made 24 Regis whereas the Year 1229. could be but the fourteenth Year of his Reign Now came over Stephen the Pope's Chaplain to demand the Tenths of all Moveables to support the Holy See against the Efforts of Frederick the Emperour Hanmer 191. It was so hard a Tax in Ireland that they were fain to part with not only their Cadows and Aquavitae but also with their Chalices and Altar-Cloaths Not long after died William Earl Marshal Prince or Lord of Leinster 1231. who anno 1223 gave a new Charter to his Town of Kilkenny he was buried in the Choire of the Friers Preachers at Kilkenny and was succeeded in his Estates and Titles by his Brother Richard On the second Day of September 1232. the Lord Justice returned out of England but when he went thither or who was Deputy in his Absence non constat On the seventh of April 1233 Holingshead 27. say some but I think 1234 the English and the O Connors c. had a Battle on the Curragh of Kildare 1234. wherein Richard Earl Marshal Prince of Leinster had very foul Play from those of his own Side so that he was there mortally wounded and died in five Days after To atone for this the Lord Justice who went into England to satisfie the King in that Matter offered to build a Monastery and endow it liberally to pray for the Soul of Earl Richard Hanmer 195. And so at length by the intercession of the King and the importunate Entreaties of the Nobility Gilbert Earl Marshal and the Lord Justice were reconciled 1235. It seems the Alarm was very great on Earl Richard's Death for the King to Comfort and Quiet the Citizens of Dublin assured them by his Writ That he summon'd the Great Men of England Pryn 253. to consult about the Safety of England and Ireland and that their Determinations should be speedily communicated to them at Dublin From whence Mr. Pryn observes That the Laws and Ordinances of the King and Parliament of England did bind Ireland in those Days But it seems that about this Time the Spiritual Courts did encroach too much on the Temporal Jurisdiction 1233. and therefore the King sent over the following Writ REX Co. Lit. 141. Comitibus Baronibus Militibus liberis Hominibus omnibus aliis de Terra Hibern ' salutem Quia manifeste esse dignoscitur contra Coronam Dignitatem nostram Consuetudines Leges Regni nostri Angl ' quas bonae memoriae Dominis Johannes Rex Pater noster de communi omnium de Hibern ' consensu teneri statuit in Terra illa quod placita teneantur in curia Christianitatis de advocationibus Ecclesiarum Capellarum vel de laico feodo vel de catallis quae non sunt de Testamento vel Matrimonio vobis mandamus prohibentes quatenus hujusmodi placita in curia Christianitatis nullatenus sequi presumatis in manifestum Dignitatis Coronae nostrae prejudicium scituri pro certo quod si feceritis dedimus in Mandatis Justiciario nostro Hiberniae statutae curiae nostra in Anglia contra transgressiones hujus Mandati nostri cum justicia procedat quod nostrum est exsequatur Teste Rege 28 Octobr. Decimo oct Regni nostri c. mandatum est Justiciario Hibern per literas clausas quod predictas Literas Patentes publice legi teneri faciat In the Year 1234 died Walter Lacy Lord of Meath without Issue Male so that his great Estate was divided between his two Daughters viz. Margaret married to the Lord Theobald Verdon and Matilda married to Geofry Geneville Whilst the Lord Justice was in England the King of Connaught exhibited a grievous Complaint against John de Burgo That he had entred his Country with Forces Hanmer 195. and wasted the same with Fire and Sword humbly beseeching his Majesty to do him Justice and to bridle such rash Attempts Alledging That he was a loyal Subject and payed for his Kingdom an annual Pension Davis 123. amounting in all from his first Subjection to five thousand Marks and desired the King That he would rid him of that base
the King appointed no small Provision was made for so eager a Combat as that was presupposed to have been But when the prefixed Day approached near Vescie turning his great Boast to small Roast began to cry Creak and secretly sailed into France King Edward thereof advertised bestowed Vescies Lordships of Kildare and Rathingan on the Baron of Ophaly saying That albeit Vescie conveyed his Person into France yet he left his Lands behind him in Ireland Mr. Pryn makes an Observation on this Case Pryn 259. as if an Appeal between Vescie and Fitz-Girald in Ireland had been adjourned to England But to make the Remark useful it is necessary not only to consider what he says but also to consult the Records which he cites William Hay 1294. Lord Deputy to whom a Writ was sent to admit Thomas Saintleger Bishop of Meath to be of the Privy Council And not long after John Fitz-Thomas return'd to Ireland big with Glory and Success which transported him to a Contempt of all his Opposers he began with Richard Burk Cambdens Ann. Earl of Vlster whom together with William Burk he took Prisoners in Meath by the assistance of John Delamere and confined them to the Castle of Ley. But he had not so good luck in Kildare which was made the Seat of the War so that between the English and Irish it was entirely wasted the Castle of Kildare was also taken and the Records of that County burnt by Calwagh Brother to the King of Ophaly And these Misfortunes were accompanied with great Dearth and Pestilence William Dodingzel Lord Justice found Work enough to struggle with these Difficulties and the rather because John Fitz-Thomas appeared again with a great Army in Meath But the Parliament soon after met at Kilkenny 1294. and obliged him to release the Earl of Vlster taking his two Sons Hostages for him And it seems that this did not satisfie the Complainants but that they impeached him at the Parliament in England Lib. GGG 23 E. 1. for divers Offences and Felonies done in Ireland Lambeth He protested he could clear himself by Law but because he would not Prin 259. cum ipso Domino Rege placitare he submits himself wholly to the King's Favour 1295. into which he was received upon Pledges for his future demeanour and 't is probable he was also obliged to release his Claim to the Castle of Sligo and other his Lands in Connaught which was the Occasion of all this Stir About Easter the King built the Castle of Beaumorris in Wales 1295. for the better security of a Passage to and from Ireland And about the same time Bishop Vsher's life 34. the King required Aid to marry his Sister to the Emperour and such as did contribute thereunto are mentioned in the Pipe-Rolls of the Exchequer In the mean time on the third Day of April the Lord Justice died and during the Interval of Government the Irish made use of the Opportunity and wasted great part of Leinster burnt Newcastle and many other Towns But at length the Council chose Thomas Fitz-Maurice Fitz-Girald Lord Justice he was nicknamed Nappagh Simiacus or the Ape because when his Father and Grand-Father were murdered Frier Russel M. S. at Calan the Servants on the news of it run out of the House as if distracted and left this Thomas in the Cradle whereupon an Ape which was kept in the House took up the Child and carried him to the top of the Castle of Traly and brought him down Safe and laid him in the Cradle to the admiration of all the Beholders This Lord Justice was Father of the first Earl of Desmond and was so great a Man that he is often styled Prince and Ruler of Munster But it seems he supplyed the Place of Lord Justice but a very short time for John Wogan 1295. Lord Justice arrived from England on the eighteenth of October He made a Truce for two Years between the Burks and the Giraldines and received a Writ to take the Fealty of the Abbot of Owny in the County of Limerick and having called a Parliament which it seems setled Matters to his Mind he went with a smart Party to aid the King in Scotland His Majesty nobly feasted them at Roxborough Castle and they in requital did the King very good Service But that you may see what sort of Parliaments were in Ireland in those Days I will present the Reader with a List of this Parliament Richard de Burgo Earl ofVlster Geofry de Genevil John Fitz-Thomas afterwards Earl of Kildare Thomas Fitz-Maurice Nappagh Theobald le Butler Theobald de Verdun Peter de Brimingham of Athenry Peter de Brimingham of Thetmoy Eustace de Poer John de Poer Hugh de Purcel John de Cogan John de Barry William de Barry Walter de Lacy. Richard de Excester John Pipard Water L'enfant Jordan de Exon. Adam de Stanton Symon de Phipo William Cadel John en Val. Morris de Carew George de la Roch. Maurice de Rochfort Maurice Fitz-Thomas of Kerry William de Ross 1296. Prior of Kilmainham was left Lord Deputy to Wogan but either the Irish did not fear him being a Clergyman or they thought this a time of Advantage whilst the Lord Justice and many of the Nobility and best Soldiers were in Scotland and therefore to improve it as they were used to do they rose in Rebellion in several Places Those of Slewmargy burnt Leighlin and other Towns 1297. But O Hanlon and Mac Mahon met with more Opposition in Vrgile for they were both slain John Wogan 1298. Lord Justice returned again from Scotland in October and throughly reconciled the Burks and the Giraldines and kept every thing so quiet that we hear of no Trouble in a great while except some Disturbance the Irish gave to the Lord Theobald de Verdun in attacking his Castle of Roch. Pollard Mony was now decryed both in England and Ireland 1300. and the King did again enter Scotland and sent to Ireland for Aid and wrote not only to the Lord Justice but also sent particular Letters to every one of the Nobility to attend him Whereupon the Lord Justice accompanied by John Fitz-Thomas Peirce Brimingham and many others made a second Expedition into Scotland with good Success In the mean time part of the City of Dublin and particularly S. Warberg's Church was burnt on S. Colme's Eve and the Irish were again at their usual Pranks taking Advantage of the Lord Justices absence who I suppose did again depute William de Ross and in Winter assaulted and burnt Wicklow and Rathdan 1301. but they were well paid for their pains and in Lent had been ruin'd but for the Dissention and Discord of the English and in the Harvest before some of the Irish also had their share of Civil Discord for they fell out amongst themselves so that the O Phelims and O Tools slew three hundred of the Birns
to defend the Realm against the Scots was sent for to England and Sir Theobald de Verdon was made Lord Constable or Justice of Ireland Prin 259. 31 Dec. 1314. In whose time the King sent John de Hothum Clerk into Ireland to treat with the great Men there about the Kings Affairs and by him sent Writs in the Nature of Letters of Credence to Richard Earl of Vlster and all the rest of the Nobility by Name and a general Writ or Letter to the Lord Justice and the great Officers of State to the same effect Ibid. 260. and another Writ to assist him and to summon the Nobility to a general Meeting that Hothum might communicate the Kings Pleasure unto them He also sent Writs to the Lord Justice the Earl of Vlster and several other great Men to attend his Parliament in England and to appoint a sufficient Deputy or Keeper of Ireland till their Return Prin 261. And because the Words Vestrumque Concilium impensuri are omitted Mr. Prin observes rightly that these Irish Lords went as Commissioners or Agents from Ireland to inform the King and Parliament of the state of Affairs there and did not go to serve in Parliament as my Lord Cooke would have it 4 Inst 350. I do not find whether the Lord Justice went or not nor if he did what Deputy or Keeper of Ireland was appointed in his room but whoever had it did not keep the Office long for on the 27th of Febr. Sir Edmond Butler Frag. 5. 1315. Lord Justice returned and soon after viz. on the 25th of May 1315 Edward Bruce and six thousand Scots Landed near Carigfergus in Vlster with them joyned several of the Irish and together they marcht to Dundalk which they took and burnt on the 29th of June they also spoil'd Vrgile and drove most of the English out of Vlster To oppose them an Army was rais'd which rendezvouz'd at Dundalk July 22. But whether it were that the Scots were retired or that the English Commanders could not agree the Lord Justice return'd to Dublin and left the Earl of Vlster to pursue the Scots with whom that Earl had a Battel near Colrain Camb. 169. on the 10th of September and was defeated and many of the English slain and William Burk John Stanton and others were taken Prisoners This great Loss could not be recompensed with the slaughter of forty Scots which was performed by some English Mariners and therefore Bruce to follow his Blow caused his Army to besiege Carigfergus Septem 15. and sends his Brother William Bruce into Scotland for a Supply 1315. In the mean time the Irish every where insult over the unfortunate English and generally rebel throughout Vlster and Connaught they burnt Athloan October and Randan and Cathol Roe O Connor razed three Castles of the Earl of Vlster's in Connaught In November following the English under Roger Mortimer 1315. had another Battel with the Scots at Kenlis in Meath and were routed with great Slaughter by the Treachery of the Lacies Hereupon Bruce burnt Kenlis Granard Finagh and Newcastle and came to Loghsendy where he kept his Christmas and afterwards also burnt it thence he marched through the County of Kildare unto Rathingan Kildare Castle-Dermond Athy Raban and Sketheris where the Lord Justice accompanied by the Lord John Fitz-Thomas and many others encountred him on the 26th of January and was defeated by reason of some unhappy Fewds and Misunderstandings in the English Army Hereupon the Irish of Munster and Leinster rose in Rebellion and the Birns Tools and Moors burnt the Countrey from Arclow to Leix but the Lord Justice gave them a Rebuke and brought fourscore of their Heads to the Castle of Dublin Ireland being in so tottering a condition the King sent Sir John Hotham over again to take the Oaths and Hostages of the Nobility and Gentry that still remained loyal which was accordingly performed by the Lord John Fitz-Thomas afterwards Earl of Kildare Cambd. 171. Richard de Clare Maurice afterwards Earl of Desmond Thomas Fitz-John Poer Arnold le Poer Febr. 4. Maurice Rochford David and Miles de la Roch and many others 1315. And now both Armies were early abroad The Scots having burnt the Castle and Church of Ley did on the 14th of February rendezvouz at Geashil as the English did the same day at Kildare But the Scots for want of Provision were forced to return to Vlster nevertheless in their way they took Northburgh Castle and then sate down in their Quarters to that degree of quietness that Bruce kept Court and held Pleas there as if it were in times of the most profound Peace For the English Army had work enough nearer home and therefore the Lord Justice on the Scots retreat did likewise return to Dublin and there summoned a Parliament or general Assembly which reconciled some great Men then at odds cleared Walter Lacy of the Treachery imputed to him and established the Measures of carrying on the War And it was wisely done to begin with the Moroughs Tools and other Mountaineers of the County of Wicklow because they daily infested the City of Dublin and had destroyed both the Town and Country of Wicklow and because the Army was not strong enough to secure the City and at the same time to pursue the Scots 1316. the Success justified their Conduct for in April the Tories were defeated However the Scots were not so much neglected but that the Lord Thomas Mandevil was appointed to have an eye to them but he could but skirmish with them which he did valiantly Camb. 172. and kill'd Thirty Scots in one Encounter and was himself slain in another But Bruce came over with fresh Supplies from Scotland and so despised the small force of the English that in May he caused himself to be Crowned King at Dundalk 1316. and thereupon grew so insolent that he spared neither Churches nor Abbeys Women or Children found no Mercy at his hands but on the contrary he destroyed all that opposed him or that belonged to the English and he burnt great part of the Countrey as the Irish did the Church of Athird It was high time to encourage the English to their defence and the defence of the Kingdom and therefore as well to reward for Services past 1316. as to engage them for the time to come Selden 838. says Kildare's Patent is the ancientest Form of Creation he had seen the Lord Justice was made Earl of Carrick and John Fitz-Thomas was made Earl of Kildare May 14. 9 Ed. 2. and others received other Favours from the King The Burks and Geraldines were reconciled and every one in his station set himself manfully to the preservation of the Kingdom Richard de Clare and Bremingham had the better of the Irish in Connaught and slew many of them and about Whitsontide made a Sally into Munster and kill'd three hundred Irish there and the
Andrew Birmingham Nicholas de London and many others were slain and though the Lord Justice lost his Son Richard Lord of Athenry who died about this time yet all this did not hinder him from attending the King but he left in his place Ralph de Gorges Lord Deputy or Governor who continued so until the Second Day of February 1323. and then he was superseded by Sir John Darcy 1323. Lord Justice in whose time Philip Talon and his Son Fragm 7. and eight and twenty others were kill'd by Edmond Butler Rector of Tillagh and amongst the Records in the Tower of London Anno 15. E. 2. This notable Memorandum is to be found viz. In Abbathia Melifontis talis inolevit Error Lib. GGG quod nullus ibi admittatur in domum praedictam nisi primitus facta fide quod Non sit de genere Anglorum About this time Sir Henry Traherne took Mac Morough and kill'd O Nolan and four and twenty of his Followers It seems the King was muâ—h in the Favour of Pope John the twenty second for besides the aforesaid Release of the Peter-Pence the Pope did this Year 16 Edw. 2. impose a Disme on the Irish Clergy for two Years Lib. GGG payable to the King and commanded the Dean and Chapter of Dublin to levy it but the Prelates and Clergy refused to pay it to them unless they would shew the Original Bull. But on the the twenty fourth of November Vide postea ad annum 1344. at Notingham the King by assent of his Council made and published most excellent Ordinances for the Reformation of Ireland Pryn. 264. which are to be found at large in Mr. Pryns Animadversions on the fourth Institutes and are to this effect I. That no Officer of the Kings in Ireland whilst in Office shall purchase Lands or Tenements within their Jurisdiction on Pain of forfeiting the same II. That no Man by colour of his Office take Victuals or any other thing without the consent of the Party unless in case of Necessity for the Publick and then he must have the Advice of the greatest of the Council and a Writ out of the Chancery or unless he have the King's Letters or an Order from the Chancery of England III. That the Exportation of Corn to England or Wales be not hindered the Party paying the usual Customs be he Native or Stranger and giving Security not to carry it to our Enemies IV. That the Lord Justice take but four Pence for the Seal and two Pence for the writing of a Bill of Grace and that the Marshal take but four Pence for a Commitment V. No Protections or Pardons to be granted to Felons without special Order under one of the Seals of England VI. No Writs to be obeyed except such as are under the great Seal or the Seal of the Exchequer if the matter concerns that Court Lastly That the Lord Justice shall not adjourn Assizes before him unless he be present in the same County nor for any longer time than he continues there And at the same time a Writ issued to the Chancellor of Ireland Ibid. 26â— to Publish Enrol and Observe the aforesaid Ordinances and to send the Exemplifications of them to the rest of the Courts By reason of the fourteen Years Truce the King had made with the Scots 1325. there was not much other Disturbance in Ireland than what was occasioned by private Murders Walter de Valle and his Son were slain near Nenagh and the Lord John Barry of Hely a very stout Man was murthered by the O Kerals and therefore to fill up this Space I will insert the Famous or rather foolish Story of Alice Kettle in the Words of my Author In those Days lived in the Diocess of Ossory Holingshead 69. the Lady Alice Kettle whom the Bishop ascited to purge her self of the Fame of Inchantments and Witchcraft imposed unto her and to one Petronil and Basil her Complices She was charged to have nightly Conference with a Spirit called Robin Artisson to whom she sacrificed in the High-way nine red Cocks and nine Peacocks Eyes Also that she swept the Streets of Kilkenny between Complin and Twilight raking all the Filth towards the Doors of her Son William Outlaw murmuring and muttering secretly with her self these Words To the House of William my Son Hie all the Wealth of Kilkenny Town At the first Conviction they abjured and did Penance but shortly after they were found in Relapse and then was Petronil burnt at Kilkenny the other twain might not be heard of she at the Hour of her Death accused the said William as privy to their Sorceries whom the Bishop held in Durance nine Weeks forbidding his Keepers to eat or drink with him or to speak to him more than once in the Day but at length through the Suit and Instance of Arnold le Powre then Seneschal of Kilkenny he was delivered and afterwards he corrupted with Bribes the Seneschal to persecute the Bishop so that he thrust him into Prison for three Months In rifling the Closet of the Lady they found a Wafer of Sacramental Bread having the Devil's Name stamped thereon And a Pipe of Oyntment wherewith she greased a Staff upon which she ambled and galloped through thick and thin when and in what manner she listed This Business about these Witches troubled all the State of Ireland the more for that the Lady was supported by certain of the Nobility and lastly conveyed into England since which Time it could never be understood what became of her At Whitsontide 1326. the Parliament met at Kilkenny and thither the Earl of Vlster and most of the Nobility came what they did does not appear Lib. GGG saving that five thousand Quarters of Corn were sent out of Ireland to Aquitain for the King's use about this time and it is probable they raised Mony to pay for it Cambden tells us That the Earl of Vlster made a great Feast at this Parliament and that not long after he died But we must make a step to England before we can come to an end of this Unfortunate Reign and there we shall find the King for his Male administration in Disgrace with his People and which was worse reduced under the Power and Scorn of an Adulterous Wife the consequence of these things was That he was first imprisoned and afterwards murthered in Berkly Castle In this King's Reign flourished the famous Irish Philopher Johannes Dunus Scotus commonly stiled Doctor subtilis And it was in the same Reign that the Lord Mortimer Owner to Proprietor of Leix now Queens County being obliged by his Inclination or Business to reside in England did entrust one of the Omores with the management of his Estate but in process of time the Irishman sets up for himself and for a long time enjoyed that Country and still pretends a Right to it although his Claim is built on this perfidious and ungrateful Foundation Davis 198
175. In like manner did one of the Cavenaghs serve Carew about the Barony of Idrone and if I thought that no Body else would ever be served so hereafter I would have omitted this Remark In those Days there was small Respect paid to the Sabbath Fragm M. S. 4. in Ireland for the Markets were in several Places kept on Sundays but at Carlow the Market was about this time changed to another Day In England the sixth Penny of the Goods of Lay-men Baker 117. through England Ireland and Wales was granted to the King but how it was levied here non constat It appears by the Writ mentioned Pryn 263. that the denized Irish would not punish Felony with Death and therefore that Writ enjoyns them that are 14 Edw. 2. and them that shall be denized for the future to submit to the English Laws in that particular which confirms my former Observation That the Irish were fond of the Benefit of the English Laws but were very averse from the Penalties of them And by another Writ recited Pryn 263. it appears That Common Pleas were held before the chief Governour and because the Parties were poor and could not prosecute their Writ of Error in England according to Law the King did aâ—thorize the new Governour to examine the former Judgment and to reverse it if he found just cause c. And lastly we find a Writ which was sent to John Earl of Louth Pryn 264. whilst he was Lord Justice authorizing him to remove all such insufficient Persons as his Predecessor Mortimer had put into Office in that Kingdom which is a notable President worthy Imitation in all Places and Ages THE REIGN OF EDWARD III. King of England c. And LORD of IRELAND EDWARD the Third upon the Resignation of his Father was proclaimed King the twenty fifth day of January 1327. and Crowned the first day of February following 1327. and being but fifteen years old had twelve Governors of him and the Kingdom appointed but they were but Ciphers and only had the bare Name of Governors whilst Mortimer and the Queen-Mother usurp'd and exercis'd the Power As for Ireland Thomas Fitz-John Earl of Kildare was made Lord Justice and Letters were sent to the Great Men of Ireland by Name to swear Fealty to the new King and to continue their Loyalty as they had done to his Predecessors And in his Time Adam Duff of the Family of O Toole in the County of Wicklow was burnt at Hoggin-Green in Dublin for Heresie or rather for most horrid Blasphemy for he denied the Trinity and the Incarnation of our Blessed Saviour c. And because it may be pleasant and useful to a curious Reader Lib. H. Lambeth I will give you a short Account of the Great Officers and others of Ireland and their Salaries as they were 1 Ed. 3. Earl of Kildare Lord Justice 500 Lib. Roger Outlaw Chancellor 040 Lib. Elias de Ashborne Justice for holding Pleas before the Justice and Council of Ireland 040 Lib. Roger de Werthorp Justice Itinerant 040 Mar. A Second Justice Itinerant Nicholas Falstoff Chief Justice of the Bench 040 Lib. John de Granset Second Justice 040 Mar. Roger de Preston Third Justice John Battalk Custos Brevium Rot. de Banc. 005 Lib. John Garnon Narrator Domini Regis 005 Lib. Simon Fitz-Richard Secundus Narrator 005 Mar. Richard Mayning Kings Sergeant 005 Mar. Robert Poer Treasurer 040 Lib. Thomas de Monte Pessulano Chancellor of the Exchequer 010 Lib. Roger de Birthorp Chief Baron 010 Lib. The Second Baron 010 Lib. Two Chamberlains of Exchequer 010 Lib. Remembrancer 010 Lib. A Summoner 004 Mar. Two Ingrossers of the Rolls in Term-time five pence per diem The Treasurers Clerk five pence per diem whilst the Exchequer is open Usher of the Chequer three half pence per diem A Chaplain of the Castle fifty Shillings per annum For Wax two Shillings Note a pound of Wax cost nine pence It was a common thing for the Great Men of Ireland as well Irish as English upon private Quarrels to make War one with another and sometimes upon very slight occasions an Instance whereof happened at this time Fragm 8. for Maurice Fitz-Thomas afterwards Earl of Desmond being disgusted with the Lord Arnold Poer for calling him Rimer did associate with the Butlers and Birminghams as Poer did with the Burks and began a War Davis 134. says it was Kildare that had like to have been fatal to the Burks and the Poers many of them were slain and more of them driven into Connaught and their Lands were burnt and preyed In vain did the Lord Justice interpose in this bloody Quarrel he appointed a Day to hear both Parties but the Lord Arnold Poer was so far from attending the issue of such a Meeting as well knowing that he was the first Aggressor and therefore the unlucky Causer of all those Calamities and Desolations that ensued that he fled to Waterford and thence into England The Army of the Fitz-Giralds and their Confederates was mightily increased in expectation of a greater resistance than they found but assoon as they understood that Poer was fled they executed their Revenge upon the Lands of their Enemies which had been to that time left undestroyed Cambden 181 They grew so formidable even to the Cities and Towns that they fortified and provided against them but upon notice of this the Confederates immediately sent word to the Lord Justice that they design'd no prejudice to the King or his Towns but had assembled to revenge themselves of their Enemies and that they were ready to appear before him at Kilkenny to clear themselves And accordingly in Lent they did meet at Kilkenny with the Lord Justice and the Kings Council 1327. and humbly crav'd a Charter of Peace or Pardon whereon the Lord Justice took time to advise But the Irish of Leinster hoped to advantage themselves of these Commotions and therefore set up Donald Mac Art Mac Morough of the Family of Mac Morough formerly Kings of Leinster for their King It seems he led his Army within two Miles of Dublin but he was defeated and taken Prisoner by Sir Henry Traherne and Walter de Valle who had one hundred and ten pounds reward for their pains and many of the Irish were slain but Mac Morough in January 1329. escaped out of the Castle of Dublin by help of a Rope sent him by Adam Nangle for which Fact Nangle was afterwards condemned and hang'd In the mean time the Lord Justice died at Minooth on Easter-Tuesday and Roger Outlaw Prior of Kilmainham Lord Chancellor was made Lord Justice in whose time David O Tool a strong Thief who had been taken Prisoner by the Lord John Wellesly the Lent before was this Summer condemned and executed at Dublin At this time in the Second Year of this Reign the Noble James Butler married the Earl of Hereford's Daughter Bakâ— which he had by
Year And it seems there was also a Parliament at Dublin this Year Prin 266. wherein it was ordained That the King's Peace should be fully kept and that every Nobleman and Chieftain should keep in his own Sept. Retinue and Servants Roger Outlaw Prior of Kilmainham was made Lord Deputy 1330. and kept the Kingdom quiet ' all the Summer and the Winter was so stormy and wet that nothing could be done till January and then the Macoghegans began to be troublesome again in Meath but the Earls of Vlster and Ormond gave them a Defeat near Loghynerthy about Lent whereupon they were so enraged that they burnt fifteen Villages but they paid for it in another Skirmish wherein three Irish Lords Sons and one hundred of their Followers were slain This Year a Parliament was holden at Kilkenny Pryn 267. at which were present Alexander Archbishop of Dublin the Earls of Vlster and Ormond the Lord William Birmingham and the Lord Walter Burk of Connaught and each of these brought a considerable Power with him to pursue O Brian and expel him from Vrkiffe near Cashil It seems this great Army march'd to Limerick and that the Burks did prey some of the Giraldines Lands in their March whereupon such Fewds arose between those Families that the Lord Justice was necessitated to confine the Earl of Vlster and Maurice of Desmond to the Custody of the Marshal at Limerick but Maurice quickly found means to escape and thereupon 't is probable the Earl was also enâ—arged It seems that both of them went to England But what became of this mutinous Army Frag. 9. I find no mention save that an anonymous Author reports Quod nihil perfecerunt But the next Year was more propitious 1331. for on the twenty first of April the English gave the Irish an Overthrow in O Kensâ—le And in May the English at Thurles defeated O Brian and slew many of his Followers And about the same time O Tool came to Tullagh and robbed the Archbishop of Dublin took three hundred of his Sheep and killed some of his Servants Upon notice of it Sir Philip Britt and others sallied out of Dublin but they were too forward and careless so that they fell into an Ambush in Culiagh and were most of them slain whereupon the Irish were elevated to that degree Cambd. 184. that they attacked the Castle of Arklow and took it but the Lord Birmingham with a smart Party undertook them and mortified them to the lowest degree of Submission and might have ruined them if he had not trusted to their false Promises Sir Anthony Luey 3 June 1331. a Man of great Authority in England was sent over Lord Justice he brought with him the Lord Hugh de Lacy who was now pardoned and in some Favour He also brought the King's Letters to the Earl of Vlster and others of the Nobility to give their best assistance to him the Lord Justice The Lord Justice designed by a severe Government to correct and reform the Distempers of those Times but alass it was too great an Undertaking for one Man and required more time than he had to spend in Ireland However his Government was auspicated with a Victory which those of the English Pale on the eleventh of June obtained over the Irish at Finnagh in Meath And though there was a great Dearth and Scarcity still continuing yet it was somewhat moderated by the great Plenty of large Fishes called Thurlehides sent by Providence into the Bay of Dublin in a prodigious number for the relief of the Poor A Parliament was summoned to meet at Dublin at Mid-summer by which it is manifest that they did not hitherto practise the formality of forty Days Summons the Appearance was so thin that the Parliament was adjourned to Kilkenny to the seventh of July And thither came Thomas Earl of Kildare and others that were not at Dublin and were freely pardoned what was past being first sworn on the Holy Evangelists and the Reliques of the Saints to Allegiance and Preservation of the peace for the future But in August the Lord Justice received the bad News That the Irish had taken and burnt the Castle of Ferns Whereupon he grew jealous That some of those English Lords that absented themselves from the Parliament at Kilkenny did underhand abet the Irish or else they durst not so frequently rebel and therefore he resolved to apprehend as many of them as he could get And first Henry Mandevil was by Warrant from the Chief Justice taken in September and Maurice of Desmond being arrested in Limerick in the beginning of October was by warrant from the Lord Justice and Council brought to Dublin Walter Burk and his Brother were seised in November and William and Walter Birmingham were secured in Clonmel in February following and afterwards sent to Dublin It seems there was more than bare Suspicion in this Matter for the Lord William Birmingham who had often done good Service for his King and Country was nevertheless executed the eleventh of July 1332. and his Son Walter had not escaped but that he was in Orders and Maurice of Desmond was likewise kept in Prison a Year and a half and then discharg'd upon very great Bail and sent into England to the King But let us look back to the third of March 1331. at which time the King and Parliament of England made Ordinances and Articles for the Reformation and Tranquility of Ireland and sent them thither in haec verba REX Justic Pryn 267. Canc. Thes suis Hibern salutem Mandamus vobis quod articulos subscriptos quos pro emendatione status Terrae nostrae Hiberniae quiete tranquilitate populi nostri ibidem per advisamentum Concilii nostri in ultimo Parliamento nostro apud Westmon tento ordinavimus in dicta Terra Hiberniae quantum ad vos attinet teneatis observetis per alios fideles nostros dictae Terrae teneri observari faciatis Tenor autem articâ—â—â—orum praedictorum talis est Imprimis Justiciarius qui nunc est vel pro tempore fuerit non concedat Cartas Pardonationis de morte hominis nec roberiis incendiis aliquibus nisi de roberiis incendiis ante festum Paschae anno regni Domini Edwardi Regis Angliae tertii post Conquestum quinto perpetratis Et quod de caetero certificet Regem de nominibus hujusmodi Pardonationes petentium de avisamento suo quod Rex faciat inde voluntatem suam quod nullus in Terra Hiberniae ex nunc faciat tales Pardonationes infra libertatem extra sub gravi forisfactura Domini Regi Item Quod dictus Justic de caetero non concedat tuitionem pacis felonibus ad silvam existentibus Item Quod una eadem lex fiat tam Hibernicis quam Anglicis excepta servitute Betagiorum penes Dominos suos eodem modo quo usitatum est in Anglia de Villanis Item
Quod Justic nec aliquis alius Minister de caetero det alicui custodiam vel maritagium alicujus haeredis ad regem pertinentis nec pardonet debita Regis seu fines amerciamenta vel catalla forisfacta sed quod Justiciarii alii Ministri hujusmodi custodias maritagia vendant aliud comodum Regis inde fac juxta discretiones suas Item Quod Vic. Coronatores de caetero eligantur per Communitates Comit. non alio modo quod catalla forisfacta remaneant in custodia Villar Item Quod Justic seu aliquis alius Minister non recipiet aliquem magnatem in pleg vel manucaptor versus Dominum regem nisi quatenus pro commodo Regis viderint faciendum Item Quod Justic obsides pro conservatione pacis sive liberatos in carceris Domini Regis fac salvo custodire ad sumptus suos proprios quod si ipsi qui posuerunt hujusmodi obsides conditiones conventiones quas fecerunt non observent Justic faciant Judicium de hujusmodi obsidibus Item Quod Justic seu aliquis Magnus Hibern non concedat protectiones alicui contra pacem Regis existent Item Quod nullus Minister Regis de caetero recipiatur in pleg vel manucaptorem versus Dominum Regem Item Quod fines de vaccis de caetero pro redemptione non capiantur sed denarii Item Quod Treuga capta capienda inter Anglicos Hibernicos de caetero observetur quod neutra pars damnum alteri durante hujusmodi Treuga inferat si fecerit pro felone habeatur Item Quod nullus ut lagatus in Gildabili receptetur infra libertates nec e converso inde fiat Ordinatio per Justic alios Ministros Dominos libertatum Item Quod Vic. alii Ministri computent quolibet anno semel ad minus si comode fieri poterit Item Quod Seneschallus alicujus Domini in Hibern non ponatur in aliquo Officio Regis Item Quod Thes vel aliquis alius Minister Regis ubi ipse intendere non potest supervideat quolibet anno castra Regis statum eorundem quod emendare fac defectus eorundem Item Quod vic in Turnis quae faciunt de Brevibus Domini Regis ponant nomina sua ita quod quilibet Vic. de exitibus forisfacturis aliis proficuis quae requiruntur sub nomine Vic. oneretur ad Scac. pro tempore suo proprio Item Quod extranei non assignentur Collectores Custumorum Regis sed Burgenses Villarum ubi tales Custumae colligi debent assignentur ad eas colligendas hoc fiat de potentioribus discretiorbus Item Quod Justic fac inquirere quolibet anno de Ministris Domini Regis eorum factis quod puniat delinquentes pert concilium avisamentum Canc. Thes aliorum de concilio Regis amoveat insufficientes Item Quod nullus manuteneat neo ducat Kernes nec Gentes vocat Idle men nisi in Marchis suis propriis ad custus eorundem nec faciat prizas Item Quod omnes Ministri Regis qui tenentur ad computandum non habent Terras seu Tenementa sufficientia in Hibernia invenient manucaptionem in Hibern ad respondendum Regi de compotis suis ibidem Item Quod habentes Terras Tenementa in Hibernia tam religiosi quam alii praemuniantur quod resideant in iisdem si sint in Marchis vel alibi vel ponent sufficientem Custodiam pro conservatione pacis in iisdem citra Fest S. Petri ad vincula prox futur si non fecerint quod Rex in eorum defectum Terras Tenementa illa in manum suam capiet de sufficiente custodia eorundem ordinabit Item Quod nullus cujuscunque status seu conditionis manuteneaâ— foveat nec defendat Hibernicos seu alium quemcunque contra pacem Domini Regis insurgentem si aliquis sic fecerit inde convictus fuerit pro Felone habebitur c. And at the same time the King sent another Writ Prin 269. commanding them to observe the Law of England in case of wardships without regard to the Custom or Usage of Ireland In July the Irish razed the Castle of Bunratty to the ground but in lieu of that 1332. the English on the 8th of August took the Castle of Arcklow and re-edified it They had also the good fortune to defeat the O Bryans Mac Carthyes and other Irish in Munster and to kill a great many of their Men and they also took the Castle of Coolmore The Irish Hostages that were kept at Limerick and Nenagh made notable Attempts to surprize and seize both those Castles and they pursued the Project so far as to get both of them into their possession but the English were resolved to regain them which they perform'd in a very short time and the Hostages at Limerick were put to death for their Treachery and those at Nenagh were still kept in durance But the O Tools of Leinster made a more successful Attempt on the Town of Newcastle in the County of Wicklow for they not only took it but also burnt it In the mean time Cottons Rec. 9. at the English Parliament holden in September principally for the Affairs of Ireland and the Kings Expedition thither it was fully agreed that the King should pass to Ireland in person Ibid. 10. and that in the mean time a Power should be sent to that Country and Commandment was given that all such as have Lands there should repair thither for defence of that Kingdom and that all such Learned in the Law as shall be sent as Justices or otherwise to serve in Ireland shall have no Excuse and that Search be made amongst all the Kings Records to see what hath been done for the Amendment of the Irish Lib. Z Z. And soon after a Writ was sent to William de Burgo and others to attend the King to consult of his Voyage to Ireland but because the time of year did not serve for the Kings Voyage nothing more was done than that the Lord Justice was recalled in November and in February after came over Sir John Darcy Lord Justice to whom the King gave the Mannors of Louth and Ballyogany which Simon Earl of Eu had forfeited by adhering to the French King Soon after his coming the Birminghams took a Prey of two thousand Cows from the O Connors in the County of Sligo But this small Success was quickly over-ballanced by a great Misfortue 1333. for William Burk Earl of Vlster was on the 6th of June basely murdered by his own perfidious Servants at Carigfergus whereupon his Wife and only Daughter sailed to England the Daughter was afterwards Married to the Duke of Clarence and had one only Daughter who was Wife to Roger Mortimer Earl of March and Lord of Trim And from her the Earldom of Vlster and Lordship of Connaught came by descent to be
three Estates were assembled and this sort of Parliament is intended in the Submission of Mac. Mahon 25. Hen. 6. whereby he promiseth that in time of Arch-Parliaments he will carry nothing away out of the English Pale contrary to the Statutes Thus the Annals of Ross mention Quod Magnum Parliamentum tenetur apud Dublin 1333. And Mr. Cambden ad annum 1341 calls it Commune Parliamentum But after all there were but very few Cities or Corporations that were concerned in or summoned to an Irish Parliament until of later Days The Earl of Desmond did indeed associate with the Deputies of many Towns in his Assembly at Kilkenny but that was to strengthen his Party and to enlarge his Confederacy so that whoever will look for an Irish Parliament consisting of Lords Spiritual and Temporal Knights Citizens and Burgesses summoned by the King 's Writ on forty Days Notice and sitting in several Houses as the Custom is now must search the Parliament Rolls to satisfie himself which was the first Parliament of that sort in Ireland for he will not in any History find a sufficient Information in that Particular as I suppose But let us return to the Lord Justice 1345. who summoned a Parliament to meet at Dublin the seventh of June but the Earl of Desmond still refused to come thither and had appointed another Assembly at Calan at which Place several great Men had promised to come Fryar Clun ad annum 1344. but they were prohibited by the King 's Writ and therefore excused themselves to the Earl But the Lord Justice to abate the Insolence of the Earl of Desmond advanced the King's Standard into Mâ—nster he seized on the Earls Lands and gave them in custodiam to those that would take them He also by Stratagem took the Castles of Iniskilly and Island in October following and he hanged three Knights that commanded them viz. Poer Grant and Cotterel Ware antiq 69. Quia multas graves extraneas intolerabiles leges exercuissent tenuissent invenissent viz. Coyn and Livery c. It is probable that Desmond was so mortified with this Usage that he surrendred himself to the Lord Justice and was let to bail on the Recognizance of the Earls of Vlster and Ormond Lib. P. and twenty four Knights but finding the Severity of this Governor he thought it dangerous to appear according to the Condition of the Recognisance and therefore it was estreated into the Exchequer and though the Noblemen and some of the Knights made a shift to get rid of this matter yet eighteen of the Knights lost their Estates and were utterly ruined thereby This Lord Justice did also use means to apprehend the Earl of Kildare which at last he effected and kept him in Prison where he continued till the twenty sixth of May 1346. and then he was discharged by the new Justice on the Recognisance of twenty four Lords and Gentlemen About this time viz. 18 Edw. 3. Seals were made for the Courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas in Ireland And the King pardoned the Archbishop of Dublin late Treasurer of Ireland for sundry false Writs and Acquittances which he had put into his Treasurers Account in deceipt of the King But on Palm-Sunday being the ninth Day of April this severe Governor submitted to his Destiny 1346. to the great Joy of the generality of the People And it is observeable That his Lady who was received like an Empress and lived like a Queen was fain to steal away through a Postern-Gate of the Castle to shun the Curses of her Enemies and the Clamour of her Creditors Sir Roger Darcy was immediately appointed Lord Justice ex assensu ordinatione Regalium aliorum in Hibernia and sworn the 10th of April but he continued only till the 25â—h of May and then surrendred to Sir John Morris Lord Justice who met the bad News that in April before the O Mores had burnt the Castles of Ley and Kilmehide He released the Earl of Kildare out of Prison as aforesaid but continued not long in his Government so that there is little mention of what was done in his time saving that in June the Irish of Vlster slew three hundred of the English of Vrgile and immediately thereupon Sir Walter Birmingham 1346. Lord Justice landed in Ireland and was sworn the 19th of June he procured leave for the Earl of Desmond to manage his Cause in England where that Earl was kindly received and allowed by the King twenty Shillings per diem from the day he landed for his Expences his Estate being I suppose in Custodiam he was diligent in his business and followed the Law hard says my Author for satisfaction for the wrongs done him by Vfford The Lord Justice and the Earl of Kildare in November pursued the O Mores so effectually that they forced them to submit and give Hostages and thereupon the Earl of Kildare obliged by the kindness shewed to his Cozen Desmond in England went in May to serve the King at Calice 1347. where he was Knighted by the King for his good Service and the Lord Justice return'd to England leaving John Archer Prior of Kilmainham Lord Deputy in whose time Donald Oge mac Morrough call'd Prince of Leinster was murdered by his own Followers on the 5th of June and the Town of Nenagh was burnt by the Irish on St. Stephens Day Sir Walter Birmingham 1348. Lord Justice came again from England having first obtain'd for himself the Barony of Kenlis in Ossory which formerly belonged to Sir Eustace Poer one of the Knights taken by Vfford in the Earl of Desmonds Castle of Island and there executed It was about this time Cottons Rec. 66. viz. 21 Edw. 3. that the Commons in the English Parliament did petition the King that Enquiry might be made by good men why he taketh no Profit of what he hath in Ireland seeing he hath more there than any of his Ancestors had And if default be found in the Officers that then such others be put into their places as will answer the King of the reasonable Profit thereof and the King was pleased it should be so They also desire that the Estate of the Earl of Vlster which if the Kings Daughter-in-Law the Duchess of Clarence should die without issue might descend to Co-parceners some of which are the Kings Enemies might be setled otherwise And it seems that by the good usage Desmond and Kildare found in England and France and the daily expectation to have the resumed Lands and Jurisdictions restored which was done anno 1352. the Kingdom was so quiet that we find little or nothing recorded of these times except the alteration of the Governors viz. that The Lord Carew 1349. Lord Justice succeeded Birmingham and that Sir Thomas Rokeby 1349. Lord Justice came over the 20th of December and afterward he returned to England and left Maurice de Rochford 1351. Bishop of Limerick Lord
Deputy who held that Place and discharg'd it worthily until Sir Thomas Rokeby 1353. Lord Justice returned he brought with him ten men at Arms and twenty Archers which were allowed him by the King over and above the ordinary Retinue of twenty Men. About this time lived Sir Robert Savage a very considerable Gentleman in Vlster who began to fortifie his dwelling House with strong Walls and Bulwarks but his Son derided the Fathers Providence and Caution affirming that a Castle of Bones was better than a Castle of Stones and thereupon the old Gentleman put a stop to his Building It hapned that this brave Man with his Neighbors and Followers were to set out against a numerous Rabble of Irish that had made Incursions into their Territories And he gave Orders to provide plenty of good Cheer against his return but one of the Company reprov'd him for doing so alledging that he could not tell but the Enemy might eat what he should provide to whom the valiant old Gentleman replied That he hoped better from their Courage Camb. 193. but that if it should happen that his very Enemies should come to his House he should be asham'd if they should find it void of good Cheer The Event was suitable to the Bravery of the Undertaking Old Savage had the killing of three thousand of the Irish near Antrim and return'd joyfully home to Supper But let us return to the Lord Justice of whom it is recorded that he us'd to say That he would rather eat his Meat in wooden Dishes and pay Gold and Silver for it than to eat in Golden Dishes and make wooden Payment However on the 20th day of July 1355. he did resign to Maurice Fitz-Girald 1355. Earl of Desmond Lord Justice he obtained so much favour in England Lib. M. that he had this Office granted to him for Life which expired the 25th day of January he was so just a man that he spared not his very Relations when they were criminal And about this time the Barons of the Exchequer were reduced to Three Lib. CCC 10. 29 Ed. 3. and John de Pembrook Chancellor of the Exchequer was made the third Baron Sir Thomas Rokeby 1356. Lord Justice returned again to Ireland and held a Parliament at Kilkenny at which many good Laws were enacted In his time a Memorable Writ was sent to the Lord Justice and Chancellor reciting That whereas the Subject found great difficulty to get Restitution according to Law of such Lands as were at any time seized into the Kings Hands Prin. 286. 29 Ed. 3. And whereas they refused in Parliaments here to take cognizance of erronious Proceedings in the Kings Courts but put the Subject to the trouble and charge of prosecuting a Writ of Error in England the King orders amendment and Reformation in both those Cases And not long after this worthy Lord Justice died at the Castle of Kilkea and was succeeded by Almaricus de Sancto Amando 1337. Lord Justice in whose time a great Controversie happened between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Regulars but at length by the favour of the Pope the Friers got the better of the Bishop To this Lord Justice the King sent a Writ or Commission Prin 294. authorizing him with the Advice of the Chancellor and Treasurer to give a special Pardon to as many English or Irish as he shall think fit for all Crimes except Treason Moreover for the better instruction of the People and because of the Non-residence of their Pastors Ibid. the King by his Sovereign Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Authoriz'd and Licenc'd the Archbishop of Dublin to constitute perpetual Vicars in all Benefices and Prebendaries belonging to his Archbishoprick and of the Kings Patronage with certain proportions of greater and lesser Tithes and other Profits to those who should reside upon them But which was more than all this the King by advice of his Council made most excellent Ordinances in England for the better Government of the Church and State of Ireland and the maintenance of the good Laws and Statutes of England there established they are to be found at large in Prins Animadversions on the 4th Instit pag. 287. and therefore are omitted here being very long though also very good only this must be observed that the Clause formerly quoted ad annum 1344 out of the 4th Instit is by my Lord Cooke mistaken both as to Time and Form as to the Time it was not 17 Edw. 3. as he says but it was 31 Edw. 3. And as to the Form it is thus VOlumus praecipimus quod Nostra ipsius terrae Negotiâ—a praesertim majora ardua in Conciliis per peritos Conciliarios nostros ac Praelatos Magnates quosdam de discretioribus probioribus hominibus de partibus vicinis ubi ipsa Concilia teneri contigerit propter hoc evocandos In Parliamentis vero per ipsos Conciliarios nostros ac Praelatos Proceres aliosque de Terra praedict prout Mos exigit secundum Justitiam Legem Consuetudinem Rationem tractentur c. But to return James 1359. Earl of Ormond Lord Justice was commonly stiled The Noble Earl because he was of the Royal Blood being great Grand-son to King Edward the first In his time 34 Edw. 3. the King ordered Proclamation to be made in Ireland That no Meer Irishman should be Mayor Bayliff or Officer of any Town within the English Dominion i.e. the Pale nor be advanced to any Ecclesiasâ—â—cal Benefice or Promotion 35 Edw. 3. but the next Year the King by his Writ explains the former Proclamation Pryn 296. and orders that it shall not extend to any Irish Clerks who have done him Service or are Loyal to him But it seems that the Lord Justice was sent for into England and until his Return Maurice Fitz-Girald March 30. Earl of Kildare was constituted Lord Justice 1360. by Patent under the Great Seal of Ireland he was to have the usual Sallary of five hundred pound per annum maintaining thereout Ninteen Horsemen besides himself but he did not continue long in this Station before James Earl of Ormond March 15. Lord Justice return'd and the King intending to send his Son to Ireland 1357. with a good Force summoned the Duchess of Norfolk and all other Noble and Gentle Men and Women that held Lands in Ireland to appear in Person or by Proxy 4 Instit. Pryn 296. before him and his Council to advise concerning the Defence of Ireland and to repair to that Kingdom in Person with all the Forces they could raise by a certain Day or to send their sufficient Deputies to assist the Kings Son in Defence of the Country And the same Day issued a Writ or Proclamation prohibiting the transporting of any Corn or Victuals out of Ireland on pain of Forfeiture and another Proclamation or Writ to seize all the Lands or Tenements purchased
Pound six Shillings and eight Pence per annum Lib. G. and obtained an Order from the King and Council That all those who had Lands in Ireland should repair thither or send sufficient Men in their Room to defend the Country on Pain of forfeiting their Estates Nevertheless this Lord Justice was so far from subduing the Irish that he confessed he could never get access to know their Countries or Habitations and yet he had spent more time in the Service of Ireland than any Englishman then living So finding he could do no good he resigned to James Earl of Ormond July 24. 1376 Lord Justice In whose time the Counties Cities and Burroughs of Ireland sent Commissioners to the King to Treat and Advise about the Affairs of that Kingdom and not to the English Parliament as some have mistaken it Pryn. 305. And the King did Issue a Writ to the Lord Justice and the Chancellor requiring them to levy the reasonable Expences of these Commissioners from the respective Places that chose them by Writ under the great Seal of Ireland And accordingly John Draper who served for Cork had a particular Mandate to the Mayor and Bayliffs of that City to pay him his reasonable Expences as aforesaid It will not be unuseful to recite this Lord Justice his Commission because the Reader will thereby perceive what Authority he had and will also note the Difference between this brief Commission and the prolix Forms that are now used REX omnibus ad quos Ibid. c. Salutem Sciatis quod commisimus dilecto consanguineo nostro Jacobo le Bottiler Comiti de Ormond officium Justic nostr Hibern Terram nostram Hibern cum Castris aliis pertinentiis suis custodiend quamdiu nobis placuerit percipiend per ann ad Scac. nostrum Hibern quamdiu in Officio illo sic steterit quingent libras pro quibus Officium illud terram custodiet erit se vicessimus de hominibus ad arma cum tot equis coopertis continue durante commissione supradicta c. But by a subsequent Patent the sixth of August he had Power to Pardon all Offences generally or to particular Persons and by consent of the Council to remove or displace any Officer those made by Patent under the great Seal only excepted Ibid. 307. And by another Writ of the same date the former Commission was explained not to extend to the Pardon of any Prelate or Earl for any Offence punishable by loss of Life Member Lands or Goods And the same time Alexander Bishop of Ossory was made Treasurer of Ireland and a Guard of six Men at Arms and twelve Archers at the King's Pay allowed him I have seen a Copy of a Commission to Maurice Fitz-Thomas Lib. G. 13. Earl of Kildare to govern Ireland till Sir William Windsor's return it bore date the sixteenth of February 50 Edw. 3. and Stephen Bishop of Meath was appointed to oversee Munster but because I find no other mention of his being in the Government about this time I have therefore omitted to name him as Lord Justice And so we are come to the twenty first Day of June 1377. 1377. on which Day this victorious King died at Shene in Surry in the sixty fourth Year of his Age and of his Reign the one and fiftieth Lib. M. His Revenue in Ireland did not exceed ten thousand Pound per annum though the Medium be taken from the best seven Years of his Reign THE REIGN OF RICARD II. King of England c. And LORD of IRELAND RICHARD the Second only Son of Edward commonly called the Black Prince Eldest Son of King Edward the Third was by his Grandfather declared to be his Heir and lawful Successor and accordingly succeeded him in the Throne on the 21st of June and was Crowned at Westminster the 16th of July following 1377. His tender Age being but eleven years old required a Protector and because it seemed dangerous to commit that great Authority and Power to a single Person it was given to the Kings Unkles the Duke of Lancaster and the Earl of Cambridge and others who thought fit to continue in the Government of Ireland James Earl of Ormond Lord Justice he kept the Kingdom in as good order as those dangerous and troublesom Times would admit of Baker 141. for both the French and the Scots took advantage of the Kings Infancy to disquiet his Dominions but especially the Realm of England This Lord Justice according to the Usage in those days held Pleas of the Crown Lib. G. Lambeth and Gaol-delivery at the Naas on Monday after Valentines Day 1378. and not long after surrendred to Alexander Balscot Bishop of Ossory Lord Justice who continued in the Government until November following Lib. G. and then gave place to John de Bromwick 1379. Lord Justice in whose time Beauchamp Earl of Warwick was by the Parliament of England made sole Protector of the King and Kingdom And then was made that first Act or Ordinance against Absentees Lib. M. Lambeth 138. by the Assent and Advice of the Lords and Nobles of England Davis 38. 199 being in Parliament Whereby it is Ordained That all that have Lands 4th Instit. 356 360. Rents or Offices in Ireland shall return thither but if they have reasonable cause to absent that then they shall send sufficient Deputies to defend their Castles and Estates or contribute two Thirds of the yearly value towards the defence thereof but that Students and those in the Kings Service and those absent for reasonable Cause by Licence under the Great Seal of England shall be excused for one Third of the yearly Profit of their Estates This Act was confirmed afterwards Lib. F. 19 Edw. 4. and by vertue hereof the Mannor of Ballymaclo in Meath was seiz'd into the Kings Hands for the absence of William de Carew but was the next year restor'd to him on his Petition Prin 308. Septemb. 27. 1380. And it is to be remembred That this Act was occasioned by a Petition from Ireland and that it is mentioned in the Body of the Act that the Loss of Ireland would be a Disinherison to the King and his Crown of England Ibid. At the same Parliament at Westminster there was another Irish Petition for Mine and Coigne which I take to be a Liberty to dig Mines and a Mint to coyn Money For the Kings Answer is That for six years to come every one may dig in his own Grounds for any Mineral whatsoever even Gold and Silver paying the Ninth part thereof to the King and sending the rest to the Kings Mint at Divelin for the Coynage of which they shall pay the usual Rates but must transport none to any place except England on pain of forseiting it if it be seized or the Value if he be convict of it unless the Party had special Licence under the Great Seal of
England There was also another Petition for a free intercourse of Trade between Ireland and Portugal Ibid. whereunto the King gave a Gracious Answer And it seems that the State of England was intent upon the Recovery and Improvement of Ireland for Sir Nicholas Dagworth was sent thither to survey the Possessions of the Crown Davis 201 and to call the Officers of the Irish Revenue to account and the more to humour the Irish who thiink themselves disgraced when ignoble Men are put in the highest Authority over them Edmond Mortimer Earl of March and Vlster Jan. 24. 1380. was sent over Lord Lieutenant Sometime before he came viz. in Jun. 1380. the French and Spanish Gallies which did much Mischief on the Coasts of Ireland were by the English Fleet forced to retire into the Harbour of Kinsale where they were assailed and vanquished by the English and Irish so that their Chief Captains were taken Paâ—ata Hiberniae 360. and four hundred of the Enemies slain there were also taken four of their Barges and one Ballenget and one and twenty English Prizes were recovered I cannot find but that Ireland was pretty quiet during the Government of this Lord Lieutenant which did not continue very long for he died at St. Dominicks Abby near Cork on the 26th of December 1381. and the next day John Cotton then Dean of St. Patricks Ware de Praesulibus 28. and Lord Chancellor afterwards Achbishop of Armagh was chosen and sworn Sord Justice 1381 in the Convent of Preaching Friars at Cork Pryn 309. but it seems he did not long exercise that Office for in Mr. Prins Animadversions on the 4th Institut we find a Writ Dated the 29th Day of March anno 1382. viz. 5 R. 2. Directed to Roger Mortimer Earl of March Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whereby he is directed to call a Parliament there for the good Government of that Country and the support of the Kings great Charge and Expence but it is probable that this young Lord could not manage that unruly Kingdom and therefore Philip de Courtny the Kings Cousin was sent over Lord Lieutenant 1383. he had a great Estate in Ireland and therefore was the fitter for that Government He came over on good terms for he had a Patent to hold that Office for ten years nevertheless he behaved himself so ill Lib. M. Lamb. that he was not only superseded but also was arrested whilst he was Lord Lieutenant and afterwards grievously punished for the wrongs and oppressions he had done in Ireland Davis 201. In his time hapned a great Mortality called the Fourth Pestilence and upon the removal of him the Government of Ireland was given to the great Favourite of that Age Robert de Vere Earl of Oxford afterwards Marquess of Dublin Decemb. 1384. and Duke of Ireland Lord Lieutenant The English Parliament to get rid of him gave him a Debt of thirty thousand Marks due from the French King upon condition that after Easter he should pass into Ireland to recover the Lands the King had given him there he had five hundred Men at Arms at twelve pence per diem and a thousand Archers at six pence apiece a day appointed him for two years super conquestum illius Terrae He was trusted with the whole Dominion of the Realm during his Life without paying any thing therefore or making any Account for it He had Power to pass all Writs under his own Test and to place and displace all Officers how great soever even the Chancellor Treasurer Admiral c. and to name his own Deputy and all other Ministers And it seems that he had afterwards a larger Patent 4th Instit 357 9 Rich. 2. whereby the King granted him Totam Terram Dominium Hiberniae Insulas eidem Terrae adjacentes ac omnia Castra Comitatus Burgos Villas Portus Maris c. una cum Homagiis Obedientiis Vassallis Servitiis Recognitionibus Praelatorum Comitum Baronum c. cum Regaliis Regalitatibus Libertatibus c. omnibus aliis qnae ad Regaliam Nostram pertinent cum Mero Mixto Imperio adeo plene integre perfecte sicut Nos ea tenuimus habuimus tenuerunt habuerunt Progenitorum nostrorum aliqui ullis unquam temporibus retroactis Tenendum per Homagium Ligeum tantum c. But that which is most strange is That those illegal Letters Patents should be authorized by Parliament Assensâ— Praelatorum Ducum aliorum Procerum Communitatis nostri Angliae in Parliamento but nullum violentum est perpetuum novus iste insolitus umbratilis honor cito evanuit But it is time to return to the great Minion the Earl of Oxford who came as far as Wales and the King with him but they could not be perswaded to part and therefore this Lord Lieutenant never went to Ireland but deputed Sir John Stanly 1385. Lord Deputy in whose time the Bridge of Dublin fell and at the Parliament held at Westminster Roger Mortimer Earl of March Son of Philippa Daughter of Lionel Duke of Clarence Third Son of Edward the Third was established and soon after proclaimed Heir Apparent to the Crown and yet he was but Heir Presumptive but this Lord Justice was sent for and Alexander de Balscot April 26. alias Petit 1387. Bishop of Meath who had been Treasurer and Chancellor did execute the Office of Lord Justice until the return of Sir John Stanly 1389. Lord Deputy to the aforesaid Earl of Oxford Lib. D. Lambeth to him O Neal and his Sons made an humble Submission in Writing wherein they renounced the Bonaught of Vlster they also promised Allegiance and gave Oaths and Hostages for the performance thereof And it is to be noted 1390. That almost in every Parliament of this Reign held in England the King did desire Aid from them for the carrying on the War in Ireland But at length the English Parliament did so vigorously prosecute the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland that he was forced to fly beyond Seas and not long after died miserably at Brussels and thereupon James Earl of Ormond July 25. was made Lord Justice and the Archbishop of Dublin was constituted Lord Chancellor 1392. This Lord Justice beat the Mac Moyns at Tascoffin in the County of Kilkenny and slew six hundred of them And now the State of England began to think seriously of the Recovery of Ireland and finding that that Country was poor and almost depopulated by the mighty Concourse of Irish into England whereby the Kings Revenue was decayed and the Power of the Irish Rebels increased it was thought fit to revive the Law against Absentees and to issue a Proclamation requiring all those whose Habitations were in that Kingdom to repair home Also some Recruits of Men and Money were sent to Ireland and the King had by Indenture agreed with Thomas Duke of Glocester to be Lord Lieutenant of
discourage the Transportation of Bullion the King shall have twelve Pence Custome out of every Ounce Upon his Return to England the Lord Lieutenant accused the Earl of Ormond of Treason Burlace 78. before the Duke of Bedford Constable of England in the Marshal's Couâ—t but the King abolished the Accusation Richard Talbot 1447. Archbishop of Dublin Lord Deputy he wrote a Tract de Abusu Regiminis Jacobi Comitis Ormondiae dum Hiberniae esset locum tenens Caâ—ton chron And it seems Thomas Fitz-Thomas Prior of Kilmainham was on the Archbishops side for he accused the Earl of Ormond of Treason and the Combat was appointed between them at Smithfield in London but the King did interpose and prevent it Hitherto the English had made but a bordering War in Ireland and that it self but very unluckily and the small Army that was kept on foot was ill paid and therefore more hurtful to the Subject by their Oppression than to the Enemy by their Valour so that it was necessary to send some great Man thither and no Body so fit for it as Richard Duke of York Earl of Vlster March Rutland and Cork Lord of Conagh Clare Trim and Meath for besides his Quality and Valour he had a great Estate in that Kingdom and it answered another Design of the Cardinal of Winchester who did then in effect govern England which was to remove this Duke from the Regency of France to make room for the Duke of Somerset and so he was made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1449. and landed at Hoath the fifth of July 1449. But the Duke of York who fathomed their Designs and had other Intrigues of his own would not accept of the Government of Ireland Davis 51. but upon very advantagious Conditions which were reduced to Writing by Indenture betwixt the King and him and are recorded by Act of Parliament in Ireland and were to this effect I. That he should be the King's Lieutenant in Ireland for ten Years II. That to support the Charge of that Country he should receive the whole Revenue certain and casual without Account III. That he should be supplied with Treasure out of England in this manner viz. four thousand Marks the first year whereof he should be imprested two thousand Pounds before-hand and for the other nine years he should receive two thousand Pounds per annum IV. That he might let the Kings Lands to Farm and place and displace all Officers at his Pleasure V. That he might Levy and Wage what Number of Souldiers he thought fit VI. That he might make a Deputy and return at his Pleasure I do not find that this Lord brought over any considerable Forces with him or that he was able to keep any such on foot here not only because his Allowance was but small but also because that small Allowance was ill paid as appears by his passionate Letter to his Brother-in Law the Earl of Salisbury which is to be found Registred by Mr. Campion pag. 99. At his first coming 1450. the Irish were very insolent but he won upon them strangely Lib. M. partly by force and partly by their own Art of Wheedling He held a Parliament at Dublin in October Friday before S. Lukes Day and the Bishops of Leighlin Ossory Down and Limerick were fined for not coming to it This Parliament Enacted many good Laws viz. 1. That no Marcher or other keep more Horsemen or Foot than they can maintain and will answer for and that they give in a List of their Names to the Sheriff c. 2. It suppresseth Coynees Rep. 11. Car. 1. c. 6. Cuddies and Night-suppers and well sets forth the Grievances of those Times 3. That the Accuser shall give Security to pay the Damages of the Defendant if the Impeachment be found untrue 4. That every man may kill Robbers and notorious Thieves and shall have a Penny out of every Plow-land and a Farthing from every Cottage for his Reward 5. That the great Officers of the Kingdom shall not give Protections to any other than their Menial Officers and Attendants This Lord Lieutenant also held another Parliament at Drogheda in April on Friday before S. Mark 's Day which Enacted 1. That if the Remembrancer issue Process against any body that is discharg'd on Record in the Exchequer he shall forfeit his Office and treble Damage 2. That the Chancellor Treasurer and Judges or one of them be present at all Commissions of Oyer and Terminer in the Counties of Dublin Kildare Meath and Vriel 3. That no body shall sell Liquor but by Sealed Measures It seems that some of these Statutes were occasioned by a doleful Letter sent from Cork which the Irish Historians place in the Reign of Henry the Fourth and yet direct it to the Earl of Rutland and Cork and therefore it will be more properly applied to this Time when he was Lord Lieutenant and follows in haec Verba IT may please your Wisdoms to have pity of us Camp 94. the Kings poor Subjects within the County of Cork or else we be cast away for ever for where there was in this County these Lords by Name besides Knights Esquires Gentlemen and Yeomen to a great number that might dispend yearly eight hundred pounds six hundred pounds four hundred pounds two hundred pounds one hundred pounds one hundred Marks twenty pounds twenty Marks ten pounds some more some less to a great number besides these Lords following First The Lord Marquess Carew his yearly Revenues were besides Dorsey-Haven and other Creeks two thousand two hundred pounds sterling The Lord Barnewale of Bear-haven his yearly Revenues were besides Bear-haven and other Creeks sixteen hundred pounds sterling The Lord Uggan of the great Castle his yearly Revenues were besides Havens and Creeks one thousand three hundred pounds sterling The Lord Balram of Emforle his yearly Revenues were besides Havens and Creeks one thousand three hundred pounds sterling The Lord Courcy of Kilbreton his yearly Revenues besides Havens and Creeks one thousand five hundred pounds sterling The Lord Mandevil of Barnhely his yearly Revenues besides Havens and Creeks one thousand two hundred pounds sterling The Lord Arundel of the Strand his yearly Revenues besides Havens and Creeks one thousand five hundred pounds sterling The Lord Baron of the Guard his yearly Revenues besides Havens and Creeks one thousand one hundred pounds sterling The Lord Sleynie of Baltimore his yearly Revenue besides Havens and Creekss eight hundred pounds sterling The Lord Roche of Pool Castle his yearly Revenues besides Havens and Creeks one thousand pounds sterling The Kings Majesty hath the Lands of the late young Barry by Forfeiture the yearly Revenues whereof besides two Rivers and Creeks and all other Casualties is one thousand eight hundred pounds sterling And at the end of this Parliament your Lordship with the Kings most Noble Counsel may come to Cork and call before you all these Lords and other Irishmen and bind them in
pain of loss of Life Lands and Goods that never any of them do make War upon another without Licence or Commandment of you my Lord Deputy and the Kings Council for the utter destruction of these parts is that only cause and once all the Irishmen and the Kings Enemies were driven into a great Vally called Glanehought betwixt two great Mountains called Maccorte or the Leprous Island and there they lived long and many years with their White-Meat till at the last these English Lords fell at variance among themselves and then the weakest part took certain Irishmen to take his part and so vanquished his Enemy and thus fell the English Lords at variance among themselves till the Irishmen were stronger than they and drave them away and now have the whole Country under them but that the Lord Roch the Lord Courcy and the Lord Barry only remain with the least part of their Ancestors Possessions and young Barry is there upon the Kings Portion paying his Grace never a penny of Rent wherefore We the Kings poor Subjects of the City of Cork Kinsale and Youghal desire your Lordship to send hither two good Justices to see this Matter ordered and some English Captains with twenty Englishmen that may be Captains over us all and we will rise with them to redress these Enormities all at our own Costs and if you do not we be all cast away and then farewel Munster for ever and if you will not come nor send we will send over to our Liege Lord the King and complain on you all However I will not pretend to be exact in the timing of this Letter This Lord Lieutenant had a Son born at Dublin well known afterwards by the Name of George Duke of Clarence to whom the Earls of Ormond and Desmond were Godfathers and thereupon Desmond grew so insolent and haughty that his Oppressions were the chief Cause of the aforesaid Letter from Cork but it is probable that the Lord Lieutenant return'd to England and left James Earl of Ormond afterward Earl of Wiltshire 1451. and Lord Treasurer of England Lord Deputy in whose time Sir John Talbot was made Lord Chancellor of Ireland and it seems Complaint was made against him because he put in a Deputy in his room absque Regis licentia Lib. CCC This Lord Deputy was made Lord Lieutenant and went for England leaving John Mey Archbishop of Armagh Lord Deputy 1453. wherewith the Government of England being dissatisfied a Writ was sent to the Earl of Ormond commanding him Quod circa praemissis intenderet I suppose the Reason might be because there was a Necessity for the Presence of a Military Governour of Power and Authority in that Kingdom to repel the daily Incursions of the Irish into the Pale and therefore Ormond not being willing to come over the Government was committed to Thomas Earl of Kildare 1454. Lord Deputy who held it only until the arrival of Sir Edward Fitz-Eustace Lord Deputy to the Duke of York Who held a Parliament in Dublin at which it was enacted I. That all Statutes against Provisors in England or Ireland should be held in Force II. That Inquests before Coroners shall be discharged after a second Verdict that they do not know the Felon III. That no Appeals shall be to England except for Treason against the King's Person and in all false Appeals the Plaintif shall pay Damages and twenty Pound and one hundred Shillings Fine In the mean time the Duke of York in England obtained a famous Victory over the King's Forces at S. Albans where the Duke of Somerset was slain and the King himself was wounded in the Neck and afterwards on the ninth of July he was made Protector of the King's Person by Parliament And in Ireland Thomas Earl of Kildare was Lord Deputy to the Duke of York 1455. and held a Parliament at Dublin wherein it was enacted I. That no Exigents nor Outlawries be made by Commissioners II. That the Recorder of Dublin and Drogheda shall have but two Pence for every Plaint III. That every Man shall answer for his Sons and waged Men. IV. An Act about Escheators V. That a Parliament should be held every Year And he held another Parliament at the Naas Lib. M. 48. Friday after All Saints which enacted I. That all Strangers pay forty Pence per Pound Custom for transporting Silver II. That every Man shall answer for his Sons except in Cases Capital III. That no Person not amesnable to Law shall distrain without Licence on pain of forfeiting his Title And he held another Parliament at Dublin Friday after the Purification at which it was established I. That Beneficed Persons should reside II. That the Inhabitants to enclose the Village might remove the High-way forty Perch Richard Duke of York 1459. upon the Revolt of Andrew Trollop and the Callicians broke up his Army and fled first to Wales and afterwards to Ireland where he was kindly received and by his Deputy the Earl of Kildare he held a Parliament at Dublin the third of February which enacted That Warrants to the Chancellor bear the Date of the Delivery and that the Patents be of the same Date or else be void And the same Day twelve month he held another Parliament at Drogheda 1460. wherein it was enacted That no Man should sue in the Exchequer but a Minister of that Court on pain of ten Pound This Duke and his Abettors were in a Parliament at Coventry declared Traytors and thereupon the Earl of March came to his Father into Ireland and soon after returned to Calice and thence invaded England at Sandwich and on the ninth of July he fought and defeated the King at Northampton and took him Prisoner whereupon the Duke of York went to England and called a Parliament in the King's Name and in that Parliament boldly claimed his Title and so it was enacted That King Henry should keep the Crown during his Life and the Duke should be declared Heir apparent and in case of Opposition or farther Bustle about it should have present Possession But not long after the Duke was defeated and slain at the Battle of Wakefield This Duke behaved himself exceeding well in Ireland he appeased the Tumults there and erected Castles on the Borders of Louth Meath and Kildare to stop the Irish Incursions and was so well esteemed in that Kingdom that Multitudes of the Irish Subjects attended him into England to pursue his Claim to the Crown Nevertheless the Publick Revenue was but very low because the whole Kingdom was in Possession of the Irish except the Pale and some few Places on the Sea-Coast in Vlster and even that was so far from being quiet that they were fain to buy their Peace by yearly Pensions to the Irish and to pay Tribute and Contributions to them for Protection which nevertheless was but very ill observed to the English It cannot be expected I should give the Reader an exact
List of all that did pay this scandalous Contribution Lib. P. 174. and yet I am not willing to conceal from him the Account I have met with which is as follows lib. The Barony of Lecale to O Neal of Clandeboy per annum 20 The County of Vriel to O Neal 40 The County of Meath to O Connor 60 The County of Kildare to O Connor 20 The King's Exchequer to Mac Morough 80 Marks The County of Wexford to Mac Morough 40 The Counties of Kilkenny and Typerary to O Carol 40 The County of Limerick to O Bâ—â—an 40 The County of Cork to Mac Carty of Muskry 40 And whilst the English were engaged in England the Irish advantaged themselves of the Opportunity and without Colour of Right usurped many considerable Estates as they had done before in the time of Richard II and these two Seasons set them so afloat that they could never since be cast out of their forceable Possessions holding by plain Wrong the most part of Vlster and upon very frivolous Pretences great Portions of Laâ—d in Munster and Connaugh And so we are come to the end of this unfortunate Reign which determined some Years before the King's Life for he did not dye until the twenty first Day of May 1472. And it must not be forgot That one of the Articles against this King was That by the Instigation of divers Lords about him he had wrote Letters to some of the Irish Enemy whereby they were encouraged to attempt the Conquest of the said Land of Ireland THE REIGN OF EDWARD IV. King of England c. And LORD of IRELAND EDWARD Earl of March 1460. Son and Heir of Richard Duke of York immediately after his Fathers Death at the Battle of Wakefield betook himself with all Diligence to gather an Army near Shrewsbury and having got twenty three thousand Men together on the second of February he defeated the Earls of Ormond and Pembrook near Mortimers-Cross and killed three thousand eight hundred of their Soldiers and although the Queen not long afterward defeated the Earl of Warwick at Bernard-Heath near S. Albans yet he wisely made slight of that Misfortune and without any Regard to it marched directly to London where on the fourth Day of March by vertue of the aforementioned Act of Parliament he was proclaimed King by the Name of Edward the Fourth He was as to his Person the goodliest Man of his Time and he was not less Valiant than beautiful On the twelfth of March he advanced against his Enemies and on Palm-Sunday with an Army of forty thousand and six hundred Men he encountred with sixty thousand and obtained so great a Victory that thirty six thousand seven hundred and seventy two of his Adversaries were slain And so being safe in his Throne 1461. he thought it time to put the Crown upon his Head which was solemnly performed on the twenty eighth Day of June In the mean time Thomas Earl of Kildare was on the thirtieth of April chosen Lord Justice by the Council of Ireland and continued so until Sir Rowland Fitz-Eusâ—ace 1462. Lord of Portlester and Treasurer was appointed Deputy to the Duke of Clarence He held a Parliament at Dublin Friday before S. Luke's Day which enacted That ten Pound per annum Davis 96. be received out of the Profits of the Courts to repair the Castle hall It seems that one William O Bolgir was made Denizen about this time Lib. G. and that on the fourth of May 1463. Robert Barnwal was made Baron of Trimlets-Town and it must not be forgot That the Earl of Ormond was beheaded at Newcastle and attainted by Parliament in Englaâ—d ◠〈◊〉 4. and that that noble Family was in Disgrace all this â—eâ—gn for their firm adhesion to the House of Lancaster This Lord Justice was long after this in a very old Age made Viscount Baltinglass by King Henry VIII and now was forced to resign to George Duke of Clarence the King's Brother who was made Lord Lieutenant for Life and deputed his Godfather Thomas Earl of Desmond Lib. M. Lord Deputy in whose time Mints were established at Dublin Trim Drogheda Waterford and Galway to coyn Groats two Penny pieces Pence Halfpence and Farthings And not long after it was ordered That English Mony should advance a fourth Part in Ireland viz. That an English Nine Pence should pass for a Shilling in Ireland and a Shilling for sixteen Pence and so proportionably And it seems the Gold Noble coyned in the time of Edward III. was inhanced higher than the rest for it was ordered to pass for ten Shillings And this was the first time any difference was made in the value of Mony between England and Ireland This Lord Justice held a Parliament at Weys Friday before S. Martin's Day 1463. which the Thursday after was adjourned to Waterford to be held the Monday following It was again on Saturday before the Feast of Edward the Confessor adjourned to Naas Irish Statutes 19. to be held Monday before S. Matthias Day and thence on the Friday after it met there it was adjourned to Dublin to be held Monday before S. David's Day and there on the Saturday after it was dissolved having first enacted I. That all Parliament Men should have Priviledge forty Days before and forty Days after every Sessions And II. That the Attorneys Fees be regulated And III. That clipped Mony should not be currant He held another Parliament at Trim 1465. on Wednesday after S. Lawrence his Day at which it was enacted I. That the like Challenge may be had against the Feofee as against cestuy que use II. That any Body may kill Thieves or Robbers Repealed 11 Car. 1 c. 6. or any Person going to rob or steal having no faithful Men of Good Name in English Apparel in their Company III. That the Irish within Pale shall wear English Habit take English Names and swear Allegiance upon pain of forfeiture of Goods IV. That English and Irish speaking English and living with the English shall have an English Bow and Arrows on pain of two Pence V. That there be a Constable and Butts in every Town And Lastly That no Foreign Vessels fish on the Rebels Coast on pain of Forfeiture And every one that fisheth on the Coast of the Pale to pay a Duty But this Lord Justice who was the greatest Man that ever was of his Family began now to decline in the King's Favour and was obliged to give place to John Lord Tiptoft 1467. Earl of Worcester Treasurer of England and Constable of England for Life Lord Deputy of Ireland he was one of the most learned and eloquent Men in Christendom and held a Parliament at Drogheda At which it was enacted I. That the Governour for the time being may pass into Islands II. That none shall purchase Bulls for Benefices from Rome under great Penalty III. That the King's Pardon to Provisors be void IV. That the
Courts of Exchequer and Commonpleas be removeable at the Discretion of the chief Governour on twenty eight Days notice V. That the Earls of Desmond and Kildare and Edward Plunket Esq as well for Alliances Fosterage and Alterage with the King's Irish Enemies as in furnishing them with Horse and Arms and supporting them against the King's Subjects which is notoriously known to be against the Kings Laws and the laudable Statutes of the Land Lib. D. be attainted of Treason and that whoever hath any of their Goods or Lands and doth not discover it to the Deputy within fourteen Days shall be attainted of Felony By vertue of this Act of Parliament Davis 186. the great Earl of Desmond was beheaded at Drogheda the fifteenth of February 1467. Report makes his Crime to be That of extorting Coyn and Livery And the Irish say it was for an affront he put upon the Queen for being of a noble Race and a generous or rather proud Spirit he despised the King's Marriage with so mean a Subject as the Lady Elizabeth Grey and often said She was a Taylors Widow Perhaps he had more reason than any Man to speak bitterly against such Matches because he had no other Title to the Earldom of Desmond than by the Marriage of his Nephew Thomas the fifth Earl of Desmond to Katherin ni William mac Cormock one of his Vassals for which that Earl was so persecuted by his Relations that he was forced to resign his Earldom to this his Unkle who is commonly called by the Irish Thomas of Drogheda And it would be a very hard case that the Nephew should be so abused for an Act which the King had justified by following the Example and therefore the Unkle exclaimed against that Action as a thing too base to be imitated or excus'd There is also another Vulgar Tradition about this matter which seems very unlikely Lib. P. if not impossible and that is That the Queen should steal the Privy Signet and put it to an Order for his Execution But it is well worth our Observation Davis 185. That as the Earls of Desmond were the first Introducers of Coyn and Livery among the English and the first that broached the distinction between English of Birth and English of Blood and the first Peers that refused to come to Parliament upon Summons so they were the only Peers that ever were executed in Ireland and the only Noble English Family that was by the Hand of Justice extinguished there so that this degenerate Family which of all others was most injurious and ungrateful to the English Government did suffer more by the same Government than any other Family in that Kingdom and those Exactions of Coyn and Livery which were the Foundations of their Grandure did at last prove the cause or occasion of their Ruine in the person of Gerald the fifteenth Earl of Desmond On the twenty sixth of February Edmond Lord Dunboyn Lib. G. for taking Con O Connor Prisoner and delivering him to the Lord Deputy and for other Services he had done the State obtained a Patent for ten Pound per annum payable out of the Fee farm Rents of Waterford forfeited by the Attainder of James Earl of Ormond and also the Prisage of Limerick Cork Ross Galway Youghal Kingsale Dungarvan and Dingle and the Lands of Castle-Richard in Meath habendum during his Life It is plain by many Circumstances and particularly that of his short stay in Ireland that this Lord Deputy came over meerly to serve a turn for as soon as the Earl of Desmond was executed the Earl of Kildare was not only pardoned but also the Lord Deputy hastned to England and left Thomas Earl of Kildare 1467. Lord Justice and afterward Lord Deputy to the Duke of Clarence Selden 841. In whose time John Bold was made Baron of Ratooth This Lord Justice held a Parliament at Drogheda which enacted I. That whereas it was doubted October 1468. whether the Act of 6 Rich. 2. That Women consenting to Ravishers should forfeit their Inheritance were of Force in Ireland it is now put out of Doubt and that and all other English Statutes made before that time are confirmed here II. Against Regrators and Ingrossers He also held another Parliament at the Naas Friday after S. Andrew's Day 1472. which was adjourned to Dublin to the Friday after S. Gregory's Day and enacted I. That Staple Wares be not transported to Scotland without payment of the Custom called the Coquet upon Pain of Forfeiture of the same II. That every Merchant shall bring twenty Shillings worth of Bows and Arrows into Ireland Repeal 10 Car. 1. ch 22. for every twenty Pounds worth of other Goods he imports from England III. That no Grain be transported out of Ireland if the Market Price exceed ten Pence a Peck on pain of forfeiting Ship and Goods But it was all repealed by the Parliament Lib. G. 18 Edw. 4. Nevertheless there was an Act of Parliament this Year of 12 Edw. 4. to this effect That there should be a Fraternity of Arms of the number of thirteen Persons Ex offic magistr Rot. in Castr Dublin Davis 55. of the most Honourable and faithfully disposed in the Counties of Kildare Dublin Meath and Louth viz. three out of each County and four from Meath that is to say Thomas Earl of Kildare Rowland Eustace Lord of Portlester Sir Rowland Eustace Knight for the County of Kildare Robert Lord of Hoath the Mayor of Dublin for the time being and Sir Robert Dowdal Knight for the County of Dublin the Lord Gormanstown Edward Plunket Seneschal of Meath Alexander Plunket Esq and Barnaby Barnewal Esq for the County of Meath and the Mayor of Drogheda Sir Lawrence Taaf Knight and Richard Bellew Esq for the County of Louth And that they and their Successors should yearly assemble at Dublin on S. George's Day and there chuse one of them to be Captain for the next year the which Captain and Brethren shall be created a Society by the Name of the Captain and Brethren at Arms the Captain shall have an hundred and twenty Archers on Horseback at six pence a Day for Meat Drink and Wages and forty Horsemen and forty Pages at five pence a day for him and his Page and four Marks per annum Wages the Captain and Brethren and their Successors to support this Charge shall have twelve pence per Pound out of all Merchandize sold in Ireland whether it be imported or exported except Hides and the Goods of the Free-men of Drogheda and Dublin and the Mayors of Dublin and Drogheda to be the Receivers of the foresaid Poundage the Fraternity shall have Power to make Laws for the good Governance of the Society and to elect a new Brother in the place of any deceasing and the Captain shall have Authority to apprehend all Out-law'd Rebels and others that will not be justified by Law And this was the Original of the
York Second Son of Edward the Fourth to whom the Crown did really belong if he were living and this Perkin did personate him so well that there remains some doubt to this day whether he were an Impostor or not but supposing he was it was cunningly contrived to let him first appear in Portugal as a Child that had in a skulking manner fled from the Cruelty of his usurping Unkle besides Portugal was a Place with which the Duchess of Burgundy had not much Correspondence and therefore it could not be suspected that she had a hand in the Cheat but however that be young Perkin set Sail from Lisbon and arrived safely at Cork where he was kindly received by the Citizens and particularly by John Walters an eminent Merchant of Cork who probably was then Mayor and whose Apprentice Perkin had been as they say he wrote Letters to the Earls of Kildare and Desmond for their Assistance against King Henry but before he received their Answers he received Letters from the French King inviting him thither and so to France he went and was royally received and entertained until that King made Peace with King Henry and then Perkin made a seasonable Retreat into Flanders where he was exceeding welcome to his supposed Aunt the Duchess of Burgundy and there we will leave him for a while and return to our â—ord Deputy He held a Parliament at Dublin 1493. on Friday after Midsummer which it seems vacated some Indictments and Inquisitions that had formerly been made to the prejudice of this Lord Deputy by the Means of the Lord Portlester and now the Tables being turn'd and the Votaries of the House of Lancaster at Helm the Lord Portlester himself was questioned in the Exchequer for the miss-management of his Office of Treasurer This Parliament did also repeal a former Act made against the City of Waterford and restored that City to all its ancient Liberties and Priviledges and it is probable that there was also an Act of Parliament now made for the general Resumption of all the Crown Lands that were alienated or granted away since the first year of King Henry the Sixth but none of the Acts of this Parliament are Printed except one for the cleansing of the Water-Course in St. Patrick-street in Dublin and so this Parliament being dissolved in August the Lord Deputy on the sixth of September following resigned to Robert Preston Viscount Gormanstown Lord Deputy to the Duke of Bedford who it seems had not Commission to call a Parliament nevertheless he did call one which met at Drogheda and made several Statutes which were absolutely void for the Defect aforesaid however they were expresly repeal'd by 10 Hen. 7. cap. 23. And these farther Reasons were given for it 1. That the Lord Lieutenant had surrendred his Patent before the Summons And 2. Because the Parliamentary Summons did not issue to all the Shires but to four Shires only On the Twelfth of September this Lord Deputy called several of the Nobility to Trim where they subscribed Articles for the Peace of the Kingdom viz. That no man should make War without the Deputies Consent and that several Extortions and Tributes that were used and demanded should be abrogated and suppressed and that Murderers Thieves and Vagabonds should be punished c. There were present at this Assembly Alexander Plunket L. Chancellor Girald Earl of Kildare the Bishops of Meath Kildare the Lords of Slane Delvin Killeen Houth Trimletston and Dunsany c. And they gave Recognizanse and Hostages for the observation of those Articles and after this he called the Parliament aforesaid In October the late Lord Deputy Fitz-Symons went into England to give the King a full Account as well of his own Government as of the present State of the Kingdom of Ireland and not long after viz. in November following the Earl of Kildare hearing he was impeach'd in England went also thither to justifie himself before the King but the L. Deputy leaving the Government in the Hands of his Son followed the Earl to England and by the Assistance of Sir James Ormond Lord Treasurer of Ireland he so far prevailed that Kildare's Justification was rejected and himself sent over Prisoner to Ireland to the end the Matter might be more fully examined upon the place 1494. by Sir Edward Poynings Knight of the Garter Lord Deputy whose chief Errand was to suppress the Abettors of Perkin Warbeck he came over the thirteenth of September and immediately made great Alterations amongst the Ministers of State Henry Dean Bishop of Bangor he constituted Lord Chancellor Sir Hugh Conway was appointed Treasurer Thomas Bouring was made Chief Justice of the Kings Bench as John Topcliff was of the Common Pleas and Walter Ever was made Chief Baron of the Exchequer all which were Englishmen born and good Lawyers and were sworn of the Privy Council of Ireland This Deputy brought over with him about one thousand Souldiers and resolved to invade Vlster to pursue some of Perkins's Friends that fled thither it is strange he should use the Earl of Kildare's assistance in this Expedition however together they went accompanied with Sir James Ormond who had resigned the Office of High Treasurer they did great Execution on the Irish and harass'd the Territories of O Hanlon and Mac Genis and others It was suggested That Kildare did secretly treat and conspire with O Hanlon to destroy the Lord Deputy for which he was Attainted as shall be shewn hereafter but it seems he was innocent of that Matter not only because O Hanlon cleared him upon Oath two years after but also because he was acquitted in England upon full hearing before the King Nevertheless Kildare's Brother did at this time seize on the Castle of Caterlogh whereupon the Lord Deputy was necessitated to clap up a sort of a Peace with O Hanlon and Macgenis and so having taken their Oaths and Hostages he immediately marched to Caterlogh which after ten days Siege 1494. was surrendred unto him And so in November on Monday before the Feast of St. Andrew sate that famous Parliament at Drogheda which Enacted I. That the Treasurer might appoint his under-Officers here as is used in England and shall account once a year here before the Barons of the Exchequer and such of the Council as the Lord Deputy shall appoint and the same Accounts to be certified into England and finally determined and setled there II. That no Minister of Justice viz. The Chancellor Treasurer Judges Clerk or Master of the Rolls nor any Officer Accomptant shall have their Places but during the King's Pleasure III. An Act adnulling a Prescription which Traytors and Rebels claimed in Ireland The Reason of this Act was because Richard Duke of York at his last being in Ireland did Cause an Act to be made That Ireland should be a Sanctuary for Refugees and that it should be Treason to disturb any body there by any Writ Privy Seal or other Matter from England and
Resumption of all the Grants made by the Crown since the last day of the Reign of King Edward the Second Lib. G. except some Particulars mentioned in the Act and another Act Rot. Parl. c. 41. attaints the Earl of Kildare and his Brother James for High Treason for corresponding with O Hanlon and seizing the Castle of Caterlogh for extorting Coyn and Livery and for treating with the King of Scotland however he was afterward acquitted in England and received into favour and perhaps there was another Act to dissolve the Fraternity of S. George for it is certain that about this time that Brotherhood fell and so I have done with this Famous Parliament when I have told you that it is a Mistake in the Printed Statute-Book to place it anno 1495 because it is manifest That November 1494 was in the tenth Year of this King's Reign It is scarce worth mentioning Ware 43. That during this Parliament the Lord Deputy made another Expedition into Vlster because the Irish fled into their Fastnesses so that he reaped but small Fruit for his Journey In his Absence he left a Commission with the Chanchellor to continue adjourn prorogue or dissolve the Parliament as he saw cause About this time Cormock mac Teige mac Carthy of Muskry 1495. was basely murdered by his Brother Owen Ancestor of the Mac Carthyes of Cloghroe and was buried in the Abby of Kilcrea which he himself had founded But let us return to Perkin Werbeck who set sail from Flanders with about six hundred Men and arrived on the Coast of Kent but he found ill treatment there for one hundred and sixty of his Men were taken Prisoners and afterwards executed Thence he sailed to Ireland where he staid some time in Munster probably at Cork but finding the Irish unable to give him any considerable Assistance and fearing the Forces of the Lord Deputy he went thence into Scotland and by that King's Consent married the Earl of Huntly's Daughter who was nearly related to the Crown of Scotland The King of Scots did invade England in favour of Perkin but finding that none of the English came to assist the Impostor he wasted Northumberland and returned And thus Sir Edward Poynings drove Perkin out of Ireland and suppressed his Abettors and established many good Laws which though for the present they extended no further than the Pale yet their Effect and Influence increased and inlarged as fast as the King's Authority did so that those Statutes are at this day in full force over all the Kingdom And the King finding Ireland in so quiet a condition recalled the Lord Deputy and for his good Service made him Knight of the Garter And in his place appointed Henry Dean 1495. Bishop of Bangor Chancellor of Ireland and afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury 1496. to be Lord Justice and on the twenty sixth of April William Ratcliff was made Vice-Treasurer and John Pimp Treasurer at War and on the twenty fifth of June the Lord Delvin was made General for defence of the Pale and in July Octavianus Archbishop of Armagh held a Synod at Droghedah the Acts whereof are not to be found and in August Hugh O Donel being returned out of Scotland encountred and defeated O Connor near Sligo Whereupon he besieged the Castle of Sligo but without Success for being frightned with the News of the Approach of the Burks of Clanrickard he raised the Siege and retired in hast towards Tyrconnel But Burk was not so satisfied but burnt and destroyed all the adjacent Territories that belonged to O Donel's Partisans But the Earl of Kildare was still kept in Prison in England for Grief whereof his Countess died The Earl was accused of burning the Church of Cashel and many Witnesses were ready to prove it when contrary to all their Expectations he readily confessed the Fact and swore by Jesus That he would never have done it but that he thought the Archbishop was in it Which being uttered with a bluntless peculiar to this Lord did exceedingly work upon the King for whilst the Earl did so earnestly urge that for his Excuse which was the greatest Aggravation of his Crime the King easily perceived That a Person of that Natural Simplicity and Plainness could not be guilty of those Finesses and Intrigues that were objected against him It is reported of this Earl That he desired the King to permit him to have Council to manage his Cause since he was altogether unqualified to deal with such cunning Knaves as his Adversaries The King told him He should have what Counsel he would choose and that it concerned him to get Counsel that were very good for that he doubted his Cause was very bad The Earl replied That he would pitch upon the best Counsel in England Who is that said the King Marry even your Majesty quoth the Earl Whereat the King laughed But nevertheless he so requited Kildare for his Complement that when the Adversary concluded his Oration That all Ireland could not govern this Man the King took that occasion to make reply That therefore he was the fittest Man to govern Ireland Ware 49. And so for his Jest-sake made him Lord Lieutenant of that Kingdom by his Letters Patent of the sixth of August and restored him to his Honour and Estate Nevertheless the King kept the Earls eldest Son Girald as Hostage of the Father's Fidelity which proved to be a matter of Caution rather than of Necessity for no body could behave himself with more Loyalty to his Prince nor more Vigor against the Irish than the Earl of Kildare did from henceforward But to proceed Girald Earl of Kildare 1496. being made Lord Lieutenant in a short time after he had received the Sword marched towards Thomond against O Brian he went through the City of Limerick and took the Castle of Feyback from Finin Mac nâ—marra and afterwards took and rased the Castle of Ballyniti or Ballynice and so returned to Dublin and was reconciled to the Archbishop of Armagh to their mutual Ease and Quiet and to the great Advantage of Publick Affairs which often suffer especially in Ireland by the private Animosities of the Grandees But the Bishop of Bangor was recalled into England and Walter Archbishop of Dublin was made Lord Chancellor in his stead This good Archbishop in a Synod at Dublin anno 1492 procured a Pension for a Divinity-Reader there to be paid by him and his Suffragans and their Successors for ever And it is reported of him That being present when a famous Orator made a most eloquent Speech to the King his Majesty asked the Archbishop How he liked the Oration The good old Man replied That he saw no other Fault in it but Flattery As God shall love me quoth the King That is the very Fault I my self espied The King by advice of the Lord Lieutenant resolved to pardon those great Men that had been concerned with Perkin Warbeck lest Despair might induce
them to new Disturbances And accordingly the Earl of Desmond the Archbishop of Cashel the Bishops of Cork and Waterford and many other of the principal Men of Munster were pardoned and the Liberties and Charters of Youghal were restored and confirmed and their Priviledges enlarged In the mean time dyed Rowland Fitz-Eustace Baron of Portlester who at several times had been Deputy Chancellor and Lord High Treasurer of Ireland which last Place held thirty eight Years And about the same time died Cnoghor mac Trelagh O Brian Chief of Thomond and was succeeded by his Brother Gil duff by Popular Election according to the Custom of Tanistry But it is time to return to Perkin Warbeck whom we left in the Arms of a fair Lady in Scotland that King had already made several Essays in favour of this supposititious Prince but now his Affairs pressed him to make a Peace with the English which King Henry would not hear of unless Perkin were delivered up It was therefore necessary for the Impostor to seek new Quarters 1497. And therefore being secretly supplied by the King of Scotland with Necessaries for his Voyage he embarqued with his Wife and Family and landed safely at Cork the twenty sixth of July he could not have pitcht upon a Place more prone to Rebellion at that time but curst Cows have short Horns and their Ability was not suitable to their Inclinations however he listed one hundred and twenty Soldiers and by the Aid or at least Countenance of the Earl of Desmond he got Conveniences for their Transportation And so finding the Earl of Kildare so firm and potent that no good was to be done in Ireland and receiving an Invitation from the Cornishmen he sailed directly to Cornwal in September and landed safely at Whitsand-bay The City of Waterford which for its loyalty to the Crown against Lambert Symnel had received great Favours and Priviledges from his Majesty was now altogether as vigorous against Perkin and by its discreet behaviour in this Affair well deserved the Motto Intacta manet Waterfordia That City manned out four Ships and sent them in pursuit of Perkin but Fortune did not favour that Generous and Loyal Design This Impostor being thus arrived in England took upon him the Name of Richard IV King of England and as such behaved himself and acted his Part so well that he would often lament the Destruction of his People and would frequently bemoan the Tyranny and Oppressions they lived under which sort of Deportment took with the common People exceedingly insomuch that some thousands of them came to him at Bodmin with them he besieged Excester and assaulted the City with great vigour and Resolution which the Couragious and Loyal Citizens by the help of some of their Country Neighbours as valiantly defended Hereupon Perkin raised the Siege and marched to Taunton and although the Cornishmen continued resolute to conquer or dye yet Perkin perceiving their Courage was greater than their Strength and finding that the King's Army did daily increase whilst his did decrease he privately withdrew to the Sanctuary of Beaulieu in Hampshire and afterwards surrendred himself and being imprisoned in the Tower he made his escape once and attempted it the second time and was therefore together with his Friend John Waters Mayor of Cork hanged at Tyburne where he confirmed the Confession he had formerly made which was to this effect I Being born in Flanders Campion 104. in the Town of Turney put my self in Service with a Britton called Pregent Meno the which brought me with him into Ireland and when we were there arrived in the Town of Cork they of the Town because I was arrayed with some Cloaths of Silk of my said Masters threeped upon me That I should be the Duke of Clarence's Son that was before time at Divelin and forasmuch as I denyed it there was brought unto me the Holy Evangelists and the Cross by the Mayor of the Town called Ino Lavallin and there I took my Oath That I was not the said Duke's Son nor none of his Blood After this came to me an Englishman whose Name was Stephen Poytow with one John Walter and sware to me That they knew well that I was King Richard's Bastard-Son to whom I answered with like Oaths That I was not and then they advised me not to be afraid but that I should take it upon me boldly And if I would so do they would assist me with all their Power against the King of England and not only they but they were assured That the Earls of Desmond and Kildare should do the same for they passed not what part they took so they might be avenged on the King of England and so against my Will they made me to learn English and taught me what I should do and say And after this they called me Richard Duke of York second Son to Edward IV because King Richard's Bastard-Son was in the Hands of the King of England And upon this they entred into this false Quarrel and within short time after the French King sent Embassadors into Ireland viz. Lyot Lucas and Stephen Frayn and so I went into France and thence into Flanders and thence into Ireland thence into Scotland and so into England again But let us return to the Affairs of Ireland 1498. which were briskly managed by the Lord Lieutenant He called a Parliament at Trim which met on the twenty sixth of August in the fourteenth Year of the King's Reign which must be anno 1498. and not 1499. as it is mistaken in the printed Statutes for the King began his Reign the twenty second Day of August 1485. There is but one Act of this Parliament extant and that is To make all the Statutes in England about the Officers of the Custom-house to be of force in Ireland after Proclamation at Dublin and Drogheda A very needless Law certainly since it could have but four Years retro-spect all former English-Statutes being ratified here by Poyning's Act of 10 Hen. 7. cap. 22. In the mean time Henry O Neal who had murdered his Brother Con was this Year served in the same kind by Tirlagh and Con Sons of the former Con And not long after the Lord Lieutenant invaded Vlster in favour of the aforesaid Tirlagh O Neal who was his Nephew by the Mother he was joyned by O Donel Macguire and all Tirlaghs Friends and effectually besieged Dungannon took the Castle and set at Liberty all the Prisoners that Neal mac Art O Neal kept there and forced Neal mac Art himself to submit and give Hostages The Vlster Expedition being over the Lord Deputy in October marched to Cork where he placed a Garrison and forced the Inhabitants of that City and of Kingsale to swear Allegiance and to bind themselves thereunto both by Indentures and Hostages which it seems he thought were stronger Obligations upon them than their Oaths After his return in the beginning of March Ware 's Annals he held
Monasterpheoris in the King's County And this Year began the Lateran Council under Julius II which ended under Leo X anno 1518. Kildare having the last Year put himself into a Condition of appearing early and formidably abroad this Spring 1512. undertook an Expedition into Vlster the Castle of Belfast which he had demolished nine Years since was now again repaired but unable to resist the Power of the Deputy it was again the second time taken and destroyed It is not recorded that Kildare met with much opposition so that he had little to do but to burn and waste the Country and to gather the Preys together most part whereof he divided among his Soldiers Rokeby Archbishop of Dublin held a provincial Synod at Dublin but what they did non constat for the Canons are lost And the Lord Deputy built the new Chappel in the Choir of Christ Church Dublin where himself was afterward buried About this time the Citizens of Dublin did assault the Earl of Ormond in S. Patrick's Church and shooting at random defaced Images c. For which Sacrilege they were enjoyned this Penance by a Legate sent on purpose viz. That the Mayor should go barefoot through the City before the Eucharist on Corpus Christi Day which was performed accordingly But because of the manner of Expression used in those Days and some other Curiosities in the Story I will insert it at large in the Words of Holingshead Between Gerald Earl of Kildare and James Butler Hâ—â—ingshead 82. Earl of Ormond their own Jealousies â—ed with Envy and Ambition kindled with certain lewd factious Abetters on either side as generally to all Noblemen so especially to both those Houses very incident ever since the ninth Year of Henry the Seventh bred some trouble in Ireland The Plot of which mutual Grudge was grounded upon the factious Dissention which was in England between the Houses of York and Lancaster Kildare cleaving to York and Ormond relying to Lancaster to the upholding of which Discord both these Noblemen laboured with Tooth and Nail to overcrow and consequently to overthrow one the other And for so much as they were in Honour Peers they wrought by Hook and by Crook to be in Authority Superiors The Government therefore in the Reign of Henry the Seventh being cast on the House of Kildare James Earl of Ormond a deep and far reaching Man giving back like a butting Ram to strike the harder Push devised to inveagle his Adversary by Submission and Courtesie being not then able to over-match him with Stoutness or Preheminence Whereupon Ormond addressed his Letters to the Deputy specifying a Slander raised on him and his That he purposed to deface his Government and to withstand his Authority And for the clearing of himself and his Adherent so it stood with the Deputy his Pleasure he would make his speedy Repair to Dublin and there in an open Audience would purge himself of all such odious Crimes of which he was wrongfully Suspected To this reasonable Request had the Lord Deputy no sooner condescended than Ormond with a puissant Army marched towards Dublin incamping in an Abby in the Suburbs of the City named S. Thomas Court The approaching of so great an Army of the Citizens suspected and also of Kildare's Counsellors greatly disliked Lastly the Extortion that the lawless Soldiers used in the Pale by several Complaints detected These three Points with divers other suspicious Circumstances laid and put together did minister occasion rather of further Discord than of any present Agreement Ormond persisting still in his humble Suit sent his Messenger to the Lord Deputy declaring That he was prest and ready to accomplish the Tenor of his Letters and there did attend as became him his Lordship his Pleasure and as for the Company he brought with him from Munster albeit suspicious Brains did rather of a malicious craftiness surmise the worst than of charitable Wisdom did judge the best yet notwithstanding upon Conference had with his Lordship he would not doubt to satisfie him at full in all Points wherewith he could be with any Colour charged and so to stop up the Spring from whence all the envious Suspicions gushed Kildare with this mild Message intreated appointed the Meeting to be at S. Patrick his Church where they were ripping up one to another their Mutual Quarrels rather recounting the Damages they sustained than acknowledging the Injuries they offered The Citizens and Ormond his Army fell at some jar for the Oppression and Exaction with which the Soldiers surcharged them with whom as part of the Citizens bickered so a round knot of Archers rushed into the Church meaning to have murthered Ormond as the Captain and Bell-Wether of all this lawless Rabble The Earl of Ormond suspecting that he had been betraied fled to the Chapter-House put too the Door sparring it with Might and Main The Citizens in their Rage imagining That every Post in the Church had been one of the Soldiers shot hab nab at random up to the Rood-Loft and to the Chancel leaving some of their Arrows sticking in the Images Kildare pursuing Ormond to the Chapiter-House-door undertook on his Honour That he should receive no Villany Whereupon the recluse craving his Lordships Hand to assure him his Life there was a Clift in the Chapiter-House-Door pierced at a trice to the end both the Earls should have shaken Hands and be reconciled But Ormond surmising that this Drift was intended for some further Treachery that if he would stretch out his Hand it had been percase chopt off refused that Profer vntil Kildare stretch'd in his Hand to him and so the Door was opened they both embraced the Storm appeased and all their Quarrels for that present rather discontinued than ended In this Garboil one of the Citizens surnamed Blanchfield was slain This latter Quarrel being like a green Wound rather bungerly botcht than soundly cured in that Kildare suspected That so great an Army which the other alledged to be brought for the Guard of his Person to have been of purpose assembled to outface him and his Power in his own Country and Ormond mistrusted That this tracherous Practice of the Dublinians was by Kildare devised These and the like Surmises lightly by both the Noblemen misdeemed and by the continual twatling of Fliring Clawbacks in their Ears whispered bred and fostered a Malice betwixt them and their Posterity many Years incurable which caused much Stir and Unquietness in the Realm until the Confusion of the one House and the nonage of the other ended and buried their mutual Quarrels Ormond was nothing inferior to the other in Stomach and in reach of Policy far beyond him Kildare was in Government mild to his Enemies stern to the Irish such a Scourge that rather for despite of him than for Favour of any part they relyed for a time to Ormond came under his Protection served at his Call performed by Starts as their manner is the Duty of good Subjects Ormond was
secret and of great forecast very staid in Speech dangerous of every Trifle that touched his Reputation Kildare was open and plain hardly able to rule himself when he was moved to Anger not so sharp as short being easily displeased and sooner appeased being in a Rage with certain of his Servants for Faults they committed one of his Horsemen offered Master Boice a Gentleman that retained to him an Irish Hobby on condition That he would pluck an Hair from the Earl his Beard Boice taking the Profer at rebound stept to the Earl with whose good Nature he was throughly acquainted parching in the Heat of his Choler and said So it is and if it like your good Lordship one of your Horsemen promised me a choice Horse if I snip one Hair from your Beard Well quoth the Earl I agree thereto but if thou pluck any more than one I promise thee to bring my Fist from thine Ear. But after all this simple Story is founded on a Mistake for the Earl of Ormond whose Name was Thomas lived in England in great Repute all the Reign of Henry the Seventh and afterwards until his Death anno 1515 and therefore the Person intended by the Story must by Sir James Ormond formerly Lord High Treasurer whom I have often mentioned in the Reign of the last King But this digression has been too long 1513. let us therefore return to the Lord Deputy whom we shall find animated with the last Years Success and resolved to invade Ely O Carol early in the Summer but his Preparations being great took up more time than he thought they would require but at last they were got ready and he began his March in August but at Athy he fell sick and from thence was removed to Kildare where on the third Day of September he died and was buried in Christ Church in Dublin to which he had been a liberal Benefactor And thus were the great Designs of this mighty Lord defeated even in the midst of his Career and at the very time when he promised himself most Glory and Success Gerald Earl of Kildare Son of the deceased Earl and Lord Treasurer was by virtue of the Act of Parliament formerly mentioned anno 10 Hen. 7. and by reason of his Place of Treasurer Spelm. Glos 334. made Lord Justice by assent of the Council But it seems that afterwards viz. 32 Hen. 8. there was a Statute made intituled An Act for the electing of the Lord Justice which restrained the Council from electing any body but an Englishman born and not in Orders The Lord of Slane was made Lord High Treasurer and Sir William Crompton Lord Chancellor and all other publick Matters were ordered as well and expeditiously as they could nevertheless so much time was taken up in these Alterations and in the Formalities of State that the Season was too far spent for any military Action this Year so that Daniel Mac william met with little Interruption in taking the Castle of Dunluce nor did the rest of the Irish find any Opposition this Winter but ravaged over the Country as they pleased However they paid dearly for it the next Spring For the valiant Earl of Kildare 1514. who was Heir to his Fathers Courage as well as to his Honour grew impatient at the Insolencies of O More and O Reyly and therefore resolved to attack them successively He began with O More and invaded the county of Leix and beat that Rebel and his Party into the Woods which being done he turned aside into the Brenny and took the Castle of Cavan and having slain Hugh O Reyly and many of his Followers he chased the rest into their inaccessible Fastnesses and then burnt and destroyed the Country and returned loaden with Booty William Viscount Gormanstown was the thirteenth of June made Lord Justice 1515. probably in the Absence of the Earl of Kildare who might then go to England to confer with the King about the Parliament designed to be holden in the Spring But however that be it is certain That Girald Earl of Kildare was by the King made Lord Deputy and on the twenty fifth Day of February held a Parliament at Dublin which by several Prorogations continued until the Thursday after Michaelmas 1517. Ware 92. This Parliament gave the King a Subsidy and made one good Act for those times viz. That no Man shall be compelled by Privy Seal to answer any Complaint in England until the Accuser enters into Recognizance in the Chancery of Ireland to pay the Defendant his Costs and Damages if he be acquit which very much abated that vexatious Course of Proceeding so that it is now obsolete and quite out of use On the third Day of August Ware 93. died Thomas Earl of Ormond at London he had been Embassador into France Privy-Counsellor in England and had Place in the English Parliament above all the Barons He was the richest Subject the King had and left forty thousand Pound in Money besides Jewels and as much Land to his two Daughters in England as at this Day would yield thirty thousand Pound per annum but he left no Issue Male to enjoy his Irish Estate which therefore descended to his Kinsman Sir Pierce Butler Earl of Ormond The Lord Deputy to repress the Incursions of the bordering Irish 1516. and to shew himself as fit for War as Peace invaded Imaly and slew Shane O Toole in Battle and sent his Head to the Mayor of Dublin Thence he marched into Ely O Carol where he was joyned by several Noblemen of Munster and Leinster of English Extraction and particularly by Pierce Earl of Ormond and James eldest Son of the Earl of Desmond and being strengthned with this Supply he undertook the Seige of Lemevan-Castle which the Garrison defended for a Week and then by Night deserted and left it to be demolished as it was by the Lord Deputy With this good Success he was encouraged to attempt the Town of Clonmel which he did with so much celerity that the Townsmen being surprized immediately surrendred upon Conditions And so the Deputy ended this Campeign and returned loaden with Hostages Prey and Glory It is worthy observation That the Irish had great Expectations of Advantage this Year by reason of a blind Prophecy generally believed among them Ware 95. That the poorest and weakest Sept in Ireland should this Year prove the most Powerful and Warlike It is probable that they were encouraged thereby to provoke the Lord Deputy to the aforesaid Expedition But however that be this is certain That Superstition hath been often fatal to the Irish Nation But Kildare finding it necessary to advance his Victorious Arms in Vlster 1517. reinforced his Troops and marched into Lecale where he took the Castle of Dundrum which had been very offensive to the neighbouring English thence he marched against Fylemy Macgenis whom he easily conquered and took Prisoner with the Slaughter of many of his Followers
And so having wasted that Country he marched into Tyrone where he took and burnt the Castle of Dungannon and preyed and burnt all the Country thereabouts But the Citizens of Dublin had not so good luck for a Company of them thinking that the very Name of the King's Forces could obtain Victories over the Irish made an Incursion into Imaly but being as we say Fresh-Water Soldiers upon the Slaughter of a few of them the rest were frightned back to their Shops The Winter this Year was exceeding Cold and the Ice strong enough to bear all manner of Carriages which is very unusual in Ireland And this Winter Queen Mary was born whose Superstitious Zeal proved as extream Hot as the Weather was Cold. The Fortune and Victories of the Lord Deputy influenced the Irish to be quiet this Year and the Reputation of the Government was somewhat augmented by the Honourable Peace which the King made with the French 1518. in September which was afterwards proclaimed in Dublin In the mean time Ware 54. places this Anno 1597. but is mistaken great were the Dissentions in Ireland between Sir James Ormond a Man of great Courage and Reputation and Sir Pierce Butler a valiant Gentleman about the Earldom of Ormond the former was a Natural Son of John by some called Earl of Ormond elder Brother of Thomas the last Earl and the other was Son of Sir James Butler Son of Sir Edmund Son of Sir Richard Butler who was Brother to James the Fifth Earl of Ormond so that Pierce his Grandfather Sir Edmond was Cozen German to the Deceased Earl Thomas Hereby it appears that the Right to that Earldom was in Sir Pierce who had married the Lady Margaret Fitz-Girald the Lord Deputies Sister nevertheless Sir James having formerly been Lord Treasurer and a very popular Man and probably the Manager of this Estate for his Unkle Thomas who always resided in England by the help of the Tenants got into possession and by the same assistance and his own vigor he kept what he had got without allowing any thing to the right Heir towards his maintenance whereby that Noble Pair Sir Pierce and his Wife were reduced to great extremity It is scarce credible that Persons of that Quality and so well allied should be forced to lurk in Woods and want a Bottle of Wine for their Refreshment Holingsh 84. and yet Stanyhurst reports a formal Story That the Lady Margaret Fitz-Girald Wife of Sir Pierce Butler being great with Child complained to her Husband and their Servant James White that she could no longer live on Milk and therefore earnestly desired them to get her some Wine whereto Sir Pierce replied That she should have Wine enough within twenty four hours or feed alone on Milk for him and immediately he went away with his Page to lie in wait for his Competitor whom he met the next day riding with six Horsemen Attendants between Drumore and Kilkenny March 17. and upon a sudden Sir Pierce rushed in upon him and kill'd him with his Spear and thenceforward enjoyed the Estate in quiet This Year Rokeby Archbishop of Dublin who was likewise Lord Chancellor held a Provincial Synod at Dublin the Canons whereof are to be found in the Registry of the Bishop of Clogker And this Year or the next Art O Neal invaded and wasted O Dogherty's Island of Inisowen in the County of Donegal The Enemies of the Earl of Kildare had the last year done what they could underhand to disgrace him in England but he had so well defended himself by his Friends there 1519. that their Design was ineffectual wherefore they address'd themselves to Cardinal Wolsey and by his means procur'd Kildare to be recalled to answer Articles exhibited against him for Male-administration First Ware 98. That he had enriched himself and Followers by the King's Revenue and Land Secondly That he had Alliance and Correspondence with several Irish he had the King's Leave to substitute a Deputy so he appointed Sir Thomas Fitz-Girald of Lackagh a Knight of his own Family Lord Justice in the mean time Kildare marries in England with Elizabeth Grey Daughter of the Marquess of Dorset by whose means he got favour in England and was dismiss'd but Cardinal Wolsey suggesting the King had neglected Ireland too long and that some worthy man ought to be sent over that was impartial to any Faction or Party and was able to keep them not only more peaceable amongst themselves but also more serviceable to the King to the end that the Blood and Vigor which else would be spent in their Civil Dissentions might be opposed to the common Enemy he procured to be sent into Ireland Thomas Howard Earl of Surrey Lord Admiral of England Wales and Ireland Knight of the Garter Lord Lieutenant 1520. he came over the Wednesday before Whitsontide with an hundred of the Guards and a thousand others Horse and Foot by this the Cardinal obtained a double Advantage first In disappointing his Enemy the Earl of Kildare of the Government of Ireland and secondly In removing the Earl of Surry from the Court of England where he was a great Favourite On Whitsunday the Lord Lieutenant was alarum'd with a Report That Con Buckah O Neal who by Popular Election succeeded his Brother Art had invaded Meath with four thousand Horse and twelve thousand Foot says Paulus Jovius but falsly Surry was in haste to encounter the Rebel not doubting but that the Victory would be an honourable and happy Omen of his future Government and therefore adding to his small Army such of the Militia called The Risings out of City and Country as he could get on so short warning he marched to Slane but O Neal was frightned with the Name of this General and retir'd so fast that the Lord Lieutenant could neither find him nor his Army but not long after O Neal sent Letters to implore Pardon which was granted him on promise of future Obedience On the sixth of September the Lord Lieutenant wrote to the Cardinal That some Soldiers had seized on a Boat with design to be Pyrates but being prevented and apprehended they continued in Gaol because they could not be capitally punished by the Common Law and he had no Clause of Martial Law in his Commission as indeed he had not nor of conferring Knighthood which is strange and the better to ingratiate with the Cardinal he added That the Earl of Kildare will be found guilty of sending Letters to O Carol to raise a Rebellion and that if Kildare should be suffered to come to Ireland the whole Kingdom will be undone and he concludes That there is so great a Scarcity and Dearth in Ireland that the Soldier cannot live on four pence a day and therefore desires that a penny a day may be added to their Pay In October Lib. CCC the King wrote to the Lord Lieutenant That there will never be a thorough Reformation in Ireland until all
H. Lambeth to this effect That the Irish were not to be reduced but by Conquest and that if the Army undertook but one Province at once then two thousand five hundred Men would suffice but their Conâ—ederacies would make it necessary to attack them in several Places at once and then less than six thousand would not do the Business all which must be paid and victualled out of England That Ireland is five times as big as Wales and therefore the Conquest would not be perfected in ten Years And that when it is conquered it must be inhabited by a new Colony of English for the Irish will relapse do what you can In Munster there were great Fewds between James Earl of Desmond and Cormock Oge Lader Mac Carthy of Muskry Ware 's Annals 104 says Mac Carty Riagh but is mistaken the Archbishop of Dublin and other Commissioners went to Waterford to appease them but in vain for Desmond persisted to burn and prey Mac Carthy's Lands And Cormock Oge was not backward to revenge the Injury for being Confederate with Sir Thomas Desmond the Earl's Unkle and yet implacable Enemy they fought a Battle with the Earl in September killed one thousand of his Men put himself to Flight and took two of his Unkles John and Gerard Prisoners But the Lord Lieutenant January 1521 Lib. H. being weary of the Government or indisposed in his Health obtained the King's leave to return and left behind him a good Reputation and by the King's Orders his intimate Friend Pierce Earl of Ormond February Lord Deputy who fearing the Defection of the Irish because the Earl of Surry had carryed with him all the Forces he brought out of England whereby the Army was left exceeding weak And being also doubtful of an Invasion from the Scots he desired of the Cardinal That six of the King's Ships might be ordered to cruise between Ireland and Scotland I have seen a Patent of Denization to Charles Mac Carthy of Castlemore too long here to be recited though there are many things observable in it particularly the Proviso Quod idem Cormacus homagium ligeum nobis faciet ut est justum And I suppose the like Proviso was in all other Patents of that sort and imported that the should have the Benefit of the Law no longer than they persisted in their Allegiance But though the King's Army was not in Action 1522. yet O Neal's and O Donel's were for the last Years Injury manet alta mente repositum However they managed their Wars rather like Tories than Soldiers for after some light Skirmishes O Neal pretending a Retreat on a sudden rushed into Tyrconnel where he burnt and demolished all he could find and particularly O Donel's best Castle of Ballyshanon Which he in the mean time revenged by an incursion into Tyrone and thence returned loaden with Prey and Prisoners And thus these valiant Princes made War almost fatal to both sides without Blows or Battle But let us leave the Camp and a while turn to the Court Lib. H. where we shall find an Irishman sent by Mac Gilpatrick Chief of Vpper Ossory to the King to complain against the Deputy He met the King going to Chapel and delivered his Embassie in these Words Sta pedibus Domine Rex Dominus meus Gillapatricus me misit ad te jussit dicere Quod si non vis castigare Petrum Rufum ipse faciet bellum contra te This Year was fatal to Ireland no less by the Plague than the Sword it raged especially at and about Limrick the Mayor whereof died of that Distemper And about this time died the famous Poynings and at Christmas the City of Rhodes was forced by the Turk The Earl of Kildare who returned in January last got leave of the Deputy to invade the Country of Leix 1523. and being accompanid with Jons Fitz-Simons Mayor of Dublin and some Citizens he entred the Country and burnt a few Villages but he was intercepted by an Ambush and lost a great many of his Followers and with some Difficulty made his Retreat And now Jealousies and Discords began to arise between the Earls of Ormond and Kildare which were so maliciously fomented by evil Instruments that the Affinity between them was little considered nor did their Animosities determine otherwise than by the Ruine of one Family and the Infancy of the other Among all their Followers James Fitz Gerald had most Credit with Kildare and Robert Talbot of Belgard was the chief Favorite of Ormond This Talbot was going to keep his Christmas at Kilkenny with the Deputy but being met by James Fitz Gerald near Ballymore was by him slain or rather murdered which so exasperated the Earl of Ormond that he immediately sent to England an Impeachment against Kildare Hereupon a Commission issued to Sir Ralph Egerton 1524. Sir Anthony Fitz-Herbert and James Denton Dean of Litchfield to examine that Matter with Instructions That if the Earl of Kildare purged himself of the Crimes objected that then they should depose the Deputy and place Kildare in his room This Commission and Instructions were procured by the Marquess of Dorset Kildare's Father-in-Law and the Success was according to his Desire for after a slight Enquiry into this Affair the Commissioners made a formal Agreement between both Earls by an Indenture dated the twenty eighth of July and in a little time after deprived Ormond of the Government and placed in his stead Gerald Earl of Kildare Lord Deputy It seems that his Patent and other necessary Circumstances were prepared beforehand for the Indentures made between the King and this Earl bear date the fourth of August 16 Hen. 8. and import That he took the Government as from Midsummer before and that the Earl of Ormond should receive the Revenue till that time That the Earl shall support the Government of Ireland with the Revenue of the Country and shall not take Coyn and Livery Lib. H. but at Hostings and then his Soldiers shall be content with Flesh Bread and Ale on Flesh-Days or two Pence in lieu of it and Fish or Butter on Fish-Days or two Pence in lieu of it the Foot Soldiers shall be content with three half Pence a Day in lieu of the said Allowance and Boys shall be content with what they can get or a Penny in lieu of it and each Trooper shall take but twelve Sheaves of Oats a Night or two Pence in lieu thereof The Day this Lord Deputy was sworn Con O Neal carried the Sword before him to Thomas-Court where he entertained the Commissioners at a splendid Banquet And so these Commissioners having determined this great and some lesser Controversies returned into England and according to their Instructions carried with them the aforesaid James Fitz-Gerald as a Prisoner The Cardinal Wolsy the implacable Enemy of the Giraldines was glad of this occasion to affront that Noble Family and therefore caused this James Fitz-Gerald to be carried through the
City of London to Prison with a Rope about his Neck Nevertheless it so happened afterwards that by the Intercession of the Dean of Litchfield James obtained his Pardon and was sent back home in spight of the Cardinal James Earl of Desmond a Man of great Power and Estate in Munster had for some time designed a Rebellion and to that end by his Agent Anthony Doily had solicited Francis the First the French King for Assistance and entred into Covenants with him anno 1523. however it came to nothing because of the Peace that ensued between both Kings upon which this Intrigue was fully discovered The Deputy had Orders to apprehend Desmond and to that end did march into Munster but either that Earl's Intelligence or Kildare's Correspondence with him prevented the Arrest the latter was vehemently suspected and not without Reason because of the great Friendship and the Consanguinity between them After this the Earl of Kildare and Con O Neal invaded Tyrconnel but upon notice That Hugh O Neal Competitor with Con was up in Tyrone they clapt up a Peace with O Donel and turned their Forces against O Neal whom they totally defeated and slew 1525. Maurice Cavenaugh Arch-Deacon of Leighlin had barbarously murdered his Diocesian Maurice Doran at Glanreynold for which he and his Complices were hanged and their Bowels burnt The last Year there was a great Dearth by reason of a Wet Autumn and this Year there was a great Plague especially about Dublin by reason of a Hot Summer Con O Neal and Manus O Donel Ware 118. repaired to Kildare to reconcile their Controversies 1526. but after many Altercations and Disputes they returned re infecta But Kildare had not only engaged the Birnes to serve the Earl of Desmond Lib. CCC but also by his Letter of the eighteenth of July invited Desmond to meet him in Ossory and this Letter being intercepted by the means of the malicious Cardinal Kildare was sent for to England to answer an Impeachment against him and particularly I. That he did not obey the King's Orders to apprehend Desmond II. That he had contracted Alliance with several of the King's Irish Enemies III. That he had executed several good Subjects only because they were Dependants upon the Family Ormond IV. That he had made private Confederacies with O Connor and other Enemies to invade the Territories of Ormond when he was Deputy Upon this Kildare was imprisoned in the Tower of London and being brought to the Council-Table Cardinal Wolsy then Lord Chancellor as the Mouth of that Honourable Board spoke to him as followeth I wot well my Lord that I am not the meetest at this Board to charge you with these Treasons because it hath pleased some of your Pew-fellows to report That I am a professed enemy to all Nobility and namely to the Giraldines but seeing every shrewd Boy can say as much when he is controlled and these Points so weighty that they should not be dissembled of us and so apparent that they cannot be denied of you I must have Leave notwithstanding your stale Slander to be the Mouth of these Hononrable Lords at this present and to trump your Treasons in your way howsoever you take me First You remember how the lewd Earl of Desmond your Kinsman who passeth not whom he serveth might he change his Master sent his Confederate with Letters of Credence unto Francis the French King and having but cold Comfort there went to Charles the Emperor proffering the Help of Munster and Connaught towards the Conquest of Ireland if either of them would help to win it from our King How many Letters what Precepts what Messages what Threats have been sent you to apprehend him and yet not done Why so forsooth I could not catch him Nay nay Earl forsooth you would not watch him If he be justly suspected why are you partial in so great a Charge if not why are you fearful to have him tried Yea for it will be sworn and deposed to your Face that for fear of meeting him you have winked wilfully shunned his Sight altered your Course warned your Friends stopped both Ears and Eyes against his Detectors and whensoever you take upon you to hunt him out then was he sure aforehand to be out of your Walk Surely this jugling and false Play little became either an honest Man called to such Honour or a Nobleman put in so great Trust Had you lost but a Cow or a Horse of your own two hundred of your Retainers would have come at a Whistle to rescue the Prey from the uttermost edge of Ulster All the Irish in Ireland must have given you the way But in pursuing so needful a Matter as this was merciful God How Nice how Dangerous how wayward have you been one while he is from Home and another while he keepeth Home and sometimes fled sometimes in the Borders where you dare not venture I wiss my Lord there be shrewd Buggs in the Border for the Earl of Kildare to fear the Earl nay the King of Kildare For when you are disposed you Reign more like than Rule in the Land Where you are pleased the Irish Foe standeth for a just Subject Hearts and Hands Lives and Lands are all at your Courtesie who fawneth not thereon cannot rest within your Smell and you smell so rank that you track them out at Pleasure Whilst the Cardinal was speaking the Earl chafed and changed Colour and at last brake out and interrupted him thus My Lord Chancellor I beseech you pardon me I am short-witted and you I perceive intend a long Tale if you proceed in this order half my purgation will be lost for lack of Carriage I have no School-tricks nor Art of Memory except you hear me while I remember your Words your second Process will hammer out the former The Lords associate who for the most part loved Kildare and knew the Cardinal's manner of Taunts so ready being inured therewith many years together humbly besought his Grace to charge him with Particulars and to dwell in some one Matter until it were examined throughly That granted it is good reason quoth the Earl that your Grace bear the Mouth of this Board But my Lord those Mouths that put these things into your Mouth are very wide Mouths such as have gaped long for my wreck and now at length for want of better Stuff are fain to fill their Mouths with Smoak What my Cozen Desmond hath compassed as I know not so I beshrew his naked Heart for holding out so long If he â—an be taken by mine Agents that presently wait for him then have mine Adversaries bewrayed their Malice and this heap of heinous Words shall resemble a Scare crow or Man of Straw that seemeth at a Blush to carry some proportion but when it is felt and poized discovereth a Vanity serving only to fear Crows and I verily trust your Honours shall see the proof by the thing it self within these few
he substituted his Brother Thomas Fitz Girald of Leixlip Lord Deputy but he in a very little time was forced to quit the Sword to Richard Nugent 1527. Lord Baron of Delvin Lord Deputy who could the easier keep the Kingdom quiet because the great Enemies and Competitors the Earls of Kildare and Ormond were both in England and about this time it hapned that the Title of Ormond was taken from Sir Pierce Butler who in lieu thereof was with great Pomp created Earl of Ossory 1528. at Windsor the 23d of February And whoever is curious to see the Copy of the Patent Ware says 1527. and a large and full Account of the whole Solemnity may find it Lib. G. 121 Baker says 1529. in the Library at Lambeth and particularly that he gave the Trumpeters twenty Pounds whereas the great Earl of Tyrone gave them but forty Shillings About the same time Sir Thomas Bullen who had married one of the Daughters and Co-heirs of Thomas Earl of Ormond was as it were Selden's Tit. of Honour 840. in her Right Created Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond and though there is but one Patent for both Titles yet there are several Clauses of Investiture several Habendums and several Grants of Creation-Money It has been already observed That many Irish Potentates had received Pensions for many years on the account of giving Protection to the King's Subjects or at least of sparing them from Plunder and although this scandalous and dishonourable Tribute was duly paid yet the Irish did not perform their Engagements but made frequent Sallies and Incursions as they had opportunity and particularly this very Spring O Connor made an irruption into the Pale 1528. and carryed away much Prey and Plunder into Offaly it seems the L. Deputy was too weak to revenge this Outrage by force Ware 's Annals 121. all that he could do was to withold O Connor's Pension which he did Hereupon the Rebel complained as if he had received the greatest Injury and desired to have a Parly with the Lord Deputy about it on the 12th of May the Lord Deputy consented and came at the time appointed not doubting but that he should convince all the World and even O Connor himself of the unreasonableness of his Demand but alas he was mistaken O Connor did not intend to argue the Matter fairly but was resolved to help himself by a Stratagem as they call it for he perfidiously set upon the Deputy and took him Prisoner and killed and wounded many of his Attendants And thereupon the Council chose Pierce Earl of Ossory Lord Deputy who being returned from England came to Dublin accompanied with O More O Carol and one of the O Connors and a numerous Train The first thing he did was to send a Message to O Connor to enlarge the Lord Delvin but he received a flat Denial and therefore the Lord Deputy and Council did by Act of State suspend the aforesaid Pension and not long after all those Pensions and the like Irish Exactions were suppressed and for ever extinguished by Act of Parliament Ware 122. The Sweating Sickness called Sudor Anglicus was fatal to many of the Irish this Year amongst the rest the Lord Chancellor died of it and was succeeded by the aforesaid Alan a Creature of Wolsy's raised by him to this Office purposely to oppress the Earl of Kildare That unfortunate Earl continuing his Enmity against the Earl of Ossory sent his Daughter the Lady Slane from Newington into Ireland to excite his Brothers and Friends O Neal and O Connor and whomsoever else she could to oppose the Lord Deputy and she was unhappy in being successful in her Negotiation for she procured much Mischief to the Lord Deputy and great Devastations on his Lands which afterward occasion'd great Trouble and Danger to her Father as aforesaid The Famous Emperor Charles the Fifth sent his Ambassador Gonzagues to the Earl of Desmond to stir him to Rebellion The Emperor's Instructions bear Date at Tolâ—do Feb. 24. and are 1529. to treat with Illustrissime il Conde de Desmond c. But this Embassie was ineffectual because that Earl died at Dingle the eighteenth of June 1529. He left one only Daughter who was afterwards married to James the sixth of that Name Earl of Ormond so that he was succeeded in the Earldom of Desmond by his Unkle and Enemy Thomas Moyle And now was the King's Divorce publickly ventilated in England and the Pope revoked his Legates and resumed the Cause to himself which enraged the King and was the Ruine of Cardinal Wolsy In the mean time the King made his Natural Son Henry Fitz-Roy Duke of Richmond and Somerset Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and sent over Sir Willian Skeffington Lord Deputy he arrived in August with Mony and with two hundred Horse accompanied by the Earl of Kildare freed from all his Troubles and were received by the Citizens of Dublin with great Joy His Instructions were I. To preserve the Peace between the Earls of Kildare Desmond and Ossory that so they might be the better able to assist the Deputy and the common Cause II. To be on the Defence only III. To make no Hostings without Advice of Council IV. To assist the Earl of Kildare privately I suppose in his Designs against the Irish V. To moderate the Exactions of the Soldiers VI. To subject the Lands of the Clergy to their part of the Publick Charge VII To call a Parliament And Lastly which is the strangest of all to endeavour to get a Subsidy before the Parliament sit About the same time Edmond Butler Archbishop of Cashel indicted a Provincial Synod at Limerick at which were present Nicholas Bishop of Lismore and Waterford John Bishop of Limerick Ware 125. and James Bishop of Killaloo they gave Power to the Mayor of Limerick to imprison Ecclesiastical Debtors until they pay their Debts without incurring any Excommunication of which Constitution or Canon the inferior Clergy grievously complained alledging That it was a Breach of their Priviledge But let us return to the Lord Deputy who invaded the Territory of Leix 1530. to suppress the Insolencies of O More and O Connor and their Confederates he destroyed O More by slight but frequent Skirmishes And so having preyed the Country he returned with these happy First-Fruits of his Government In the mean time the great Minster of State Cardinal Wolsy came to Disgrace in England and died the last Day of November And about the same time great Jealousies and Misunderstandings began to arise in Ireland between the Lord Deputy and the Earl of Kildare Nevertheless The Lord Deputy took that Earl to his Assistance in his Expedition into Vlster and there they took the Castle of Kinard and returned loaden with Prey and Plunder according to the Custom of those Times And with this Atchievment Hugh O Donel was frighted into a Submission which being himself sick he performed by his Delegates Con O
Faghil Abbot of Derry and Richard O Craghan 1531. who in the behalf of their Master perfected Indentures and swore Fealty to the King in presence of the Lord Deputy Davis 105. at Tredagh on the sixth of May 1531. And at the same time it is probable he made the Proposal mention by Sir John Davis Quod si Dominus Rex velit reformare Hiberniam He and His would gladly be governed by the Laws of England O Sullevan tells us a Story Sullevan 77. with great Ostentation That an English Ship took a Spanish Vessel that was fishing on the Coast of Ireland near the Dursies And that his Grand-Father Dermond O Sullevan Prince of Bear and Bantry having notice of it manned out a small Squadron of Ships and took both the Englishman and the Spaniard and hanged the English Captain but set the Spaniard at Liberty By which may be easily perceived What sort of Inclinations that sort of Men bear to an Englishman and what kind of Loyalty they paid to their King when they murdered his Subjects and cherished his Enemies But the Animosities and Feuds between the Lord Deputy and the Earl of Kildare did every Day increase and at length came to that height that they reciprocally impeached each other in England and Kildare did wisely to sail thither and personally solicite his own Affairs which he managed so successfully that Skeffington was superseded and Girald Earl of Kildare made Lord Deputy in his stead He also procured Alan the Lord Chancellor a Creature of Wolsies to be removed and Cromer Primate of Armagh to be placed in the Chancery July 5. 1532. in his room Nevertheless lest Kildare should grow too powerful the King to ballance him gave the Lord High Treasurers Staff to James Lord Butler who notwithstanding that he was Kildare's Nephew was nevertheless his bitter Enemy and heartily espoused the Quarrels of his Father the Earl of Ossory as it was his Interest and Duty to do But the Earl of Kildare having again gotten the Supreme Power into his Hands little valued the Opposition of his Enemies On the contrary he was transported with the Contemplation of the prodigious Success he had hitherto met with and presumed so far on its continuance that he precipitated himself into many vain and unaccountable Actions for he not only married two of his Daughters to O Connor and O Carol obstinate Enemies to the Crown of England but also with his Forces invaded Kilkenny and destroyed all he found belonging to the Earl of Ossory and his Friends he also persuaded his Brother John Fitz-Girald and O Neal to invade the County of Louth which they burned and preyed without Resistance And all these Extravagances contributed to the Destruction of a Noble Family and to leave this Earl of Kildare an Example to Posterity of the great folly of using Power immoderately On the nineteenth of May 25 Hen. 8. which was anno 1533 and not 1534 as is mistaken in the printed Statutes the Parliament met and enacted I. That sturdy Beggars should not leaze Corn nor any Body out of his Parish And that no Body should give Sheaves of Corn for Reaping or Binding And in all these cases the Corn may be taken away from the Transgressor II. That the Parsonage of Galtrim should be appropriated to the Priory of S. Peter's near Trim. III. That the Royal Fishing of the Banne be resumed into the King's Hands Ware 's Annals 130. But this last Act is not printed At this Parliament the Controversie was renewed between Cromer Primate of Armagh and Allan Archbishop of Dublin about Precedency in Dublin which was determined in favour of the Primate O Carol that married Kildare's Daughter was Tanist and Brother to the deceased O Carol and by the Law of Tanistry claimed the Signiory but the Son of the Desunct being of Age and a brisk Man would not be so served and therefore as Heir to his Father he seized on the Castle of Bi r which the Lord Deputy in favour of his Son-in-Law undertook to besiege and did so but it was in vain for at that Siege he received a Shot in his Head which sent him back faster than he came out and though he regained his Health yet he never recovered his Intellectuals but was ever after as we say A little crackbrained It is reported That when he was wounded he sighed deeply which a Soldier that was by observing he told his Lordship That himself had been shot three times and yet was recovered To whom the Earl replyed Would to God thou hadst also received the fourth Shot in my stead About this time John Allen who had been Clerk of the Council and was now Master of the Rolls a Creature of the deposed Chancellor Alans was sent by the Council into England about Publick Affairs Lib. 〈◊〉 His Instructions were To acquaint the King with the Decay of the Land and that neither English Order Tongue or Habit nor the King's Laws are used above twenty Miles in compass That this Decay is occasioned by the taking of Coyn and Livery without Order after Men's own sensual Appetites and taking Cuddees Garty and Caan for Felonies and Murder Alterages Bienges Saults and Slanciaghs c. And that they want English Inhabitants who formerly had Arms and Servants to defend the Country but of late the English Proprietor hath taken Irish Tenants that can live without Bread or good Victuals and some for Lucre to have more Rent and some for Impositions and Vassalage which the English cannot bear have expelled the English and made the Country all Irish without Order Security or Hospitality Formerly English Gentlemen kept a Retinue of English Yeomen according to the Custom of England to the great Security of the Country but now they keep Horsmen and Kernes who live by oppressing the poor People The great Jurisdiction of the Nobility is another Cause of destroying the King's Subjects and Revenue And the Black Rents which the Irish exact enriches them and impoverisheth the Englishman Also the making of a Native chief Governour and often change of the Lord Deputy are great Faults And ill keeping of the King's Records and putting unskilful Clerks in the Exchequer do occasion much Mischief But the Alienation of the Crown Lands so that the King's Revenue is not sufficient to defend the Realm is the greatest Grievance of all It is probable that these Instructions were kept secret from the Lord Deputy for it cannot be imagined That he would have consented that Articles which in effect were an Impeachment of himself should be communicated to the King and in truth Allen's Errand was to accuse the Deputy and he was imployed so to do by the Archbishop of Dublin the Earl of Ossory Ware 131. Sir William Skeffington and others and he performed his Commission so effectually that the Lord Deputy was sent for by the King's Letter to repair to England and answer the Crimes that were objected against him Kildare
did all he could to evade or at least procrastinate that Voyage which was to be fatal to him and his Family he sent his Wife to use the Interest of her Friends in England and to alledg several vain Pretences and particularly That the ill Posture of Affairs in Ireland could not permit his Absence But all these Contrivances proving ineffectual at last he seriously prepared to begin the Voyage But before he went he furnished all his Castles especially Minooth and Ley with Guns and Ammunition out of the King's Store although he had the King 's express Command to the contrary imparted to him by the Master of the Rolls Allen in the presence of the Bishop of Meath and others and the Act of Attainder also mentions That he furnished the Wild Irishmen being the King 's Mortal Enemies with Arms and Ammunition out of his Majesty's Stores which is not improbable because of his Allyance with O Connor and O Carol. It is certain That Quos Deus vult perdere dementat and the brave Earl of Kildare is a plain Example of it for being ordered by the King to leave a Deputy for whose Fidelity he would answer he substitutes his own Son Thomas Fitz-Girald 1534. a forward rash Youth scarce one and twenty Years old who nevertheless had Qualities worthy of his House and perhaps would in time have exceeded all his Ancestors if by laying this too great Burthen on his weak Shoulders so early they had not broken his Back in the beginning It seems the Earl had some Jealousies of what afterwards hapned and therefore to qualifie his Son 's youthful Passions in some measure before he delivered him the Sword he spoke to him as followeth before the Council at Drogheda where he presently after imbarqued and set sail for England Son Thomas Holingsh 88. I doubt not but you know That my Sovereign Lord the King hath sent for me into England and what shall betide me God knoweth for I know not but howsoever it falleth both you and I know That I am well stept in Years And as I may shortly dye for that I am Mortal so I must in haste decease because I am old Wherefore insomuch as my Winter is well near ended and the Spring of your Age now buddeth my Will is That you behave your self so wisely in these your Green Years as that to the Comfort of your Friends you may enjoy the Pleasures of Summer glean and reap the Fruits of your Harvest that with Honour you may grow to the catching of that hoary Winter on which you see me your Father fast pricking And whereas it pleaseth the King his Majesty That upon my Departure here hence I should substitute in my room such a one for whose Government I would answer Albeit I know that your Years are tender your Wit not setled your Judgment not fully rectified and therefore I might be with good cause reclaimed from putting a naked Sword in a young Mans Hand Yet notwithstanding forsomuch as I am your Father and you my Son I am well assured to bear that Stroke with you in steering your Ship as that upon any Information I may command you as your Father and correct you as my Son for the wrong handling of your Helm There be here that sit at this Board far more sufficient Personages for so great Charge than you are But what then If I should cast this Burthen on their Shoulders it might be That hereafter they would be so far with Envy carried as they would percase hazzard the loss of one of their own Eyes to be assured that I should be deprived of both mine But forsomuch as the case toucheth your Skin as near as mine because as I said before I rest in the Winter and you in the Spring of your Years and now I am resolved Day by Day to learn rather How to die in the Fear of God than to live in the Pomp of the World I think you will not be so brain-sick as to stab your self through the Body only to scarifie my Skin with the Point of your Blade wherefore my Son consider That it is easie to raze and hard to build and in all your Affairs be ruled by this Board that for Wisdom is able and for entire Affection it beareth to your House will be found willing to lesson you with Sound and Sage Advice for albeit in authority you rule them yet in Council they must rule you My Son you know that my late Maims stifle my talk otherwise I would have grated longer on this Matter for a good Tale may be twice told and a sound Advice eftsoons iterated taketh the deeper Impression in the attentive Hearer's Mind But although my fatherly Affection requireth my Discourse to be longer yet I trust your good Inclination asketh it to be shorter And upon that Assurance here in the presence of this Honourable Assembly I deliver you this Sword Thus he spake for his last Fare-well with trickling Tears and having ended he rose up imbraced the Council committed them to God and immediately after imbarked leaving Thomas Fitz-Girald Lord Deputy 1534. to whom both the Allens were bitter Enemies One of them being Master of the Rolls told the Lord Deputy at a Banquet where they were discoursing of Heraldry That his Lordships House gave a Marmoset whose Property it was to eat her Tail To whom the Deputy replyed That he had been fed by his Tail and should take care that his Tail did not eat him Another time the Council waited three or four Hours for the Lord Deputy's coming whereat the Archbishop being dissatisfied he asked the Lords Whether it were not a pretty Matter that all they should stay so long for a Boy Which Words the Lord Deputy over-heard being just coming up Stairs and as soon as he entred he told their Lordships He was sorry they should stay so long for a Boy whereat the Archbishop was somewhat out of countenance The Enemies of the Giraldines had spread abroad a Report that the Earl of Kildare was Beheaded in the Tower and that the same Fate was designed for the Lord Deputy and all his Unkles and Letters were purposely spread abroad to that effect one of which by a strange Accident came to the hands of James de la Hide Principal Counsellor to the Lord Deputy by whose perswasion the Lord Deputy consederated with O Neal O Connor and others and on the eleventh day of June rode through the City of Dublin to Damsgate accompanied with seven score Horsemen in their Shirts of Mayl and there crossed the River and went to S. Mary Abby where the Council according to Appointment waited his coming and whilst he was sitting in Council some of his Followers rudely rush'd into the Council-Chamber Armed as they were and fell to talking aloud until at length Silence being commanded the Lord Deputy spake as followeth Howsoever injuriously we be handled Holingshead 90. and forced to defend our selves in Arms when neither
Kingdom and concludes with Commendations of the Lord Grey and desires he may be Lord Deputy and have Orders to call a Parliament What that Letter mentions of O Neal has reference to a Treaty between the Lord Deputy and him for when he understood that the Lord Deputy design'd an Expedition against him into the North to prevent it he desired a Parly and on the first of July by his Agent Gillaspick O Donel he concluded an Agreement with the Lord Deputy which afterwards was confirmed by Con O Neal himself at Drogheda on the twenty fifth of the same Month. In the mean time the Lord Deputy finding that Fitz-Girald had retired to Munster sent after him the Lord Grey Sir William Brereton and others who had several Skirmishes with his Party wherein nothing was got but Blows whereupon Brereton's Advice on the one side and Fitz Girald's Necessity on the other side produced a Parly the effect whereof was That Fitz-Girald surrendred to the Lord Grey and rode with him to Dubliu By the Lord Deputy's Letter to the King of August 24. he acquaints his Majesty That Fitz Girald and O Connor had submitted the former without any Condition or Promise of Life Lands or Goods and that he intends to send him over by the Lord Grey whilst himself in person goes to assist O Donel against his Son Manus But the Council by their Letter from the Camp to the King of the 27th of August inform his Majesty That O Connor an Abettor of Fitz-Girald's has given Hostages to abide the King's Pleasure and that Fitz-Firald submitted on the encouragements they gave him to expect Pardon for his Life That the Lord Grey is going with him leaving the Lord Butler in his room and they desire the King to thank the Lord Grey for his good Service Nevertheless others say That Fitz-Girald was by the Lord Grey absolutely promised his Pardon but if it was so it was more than he had Comission for and therefore no regard was given to that Pretence but the King being implacably enraged at this dangerous Rebellion caused Fitz-Girald to be arrested in the way to Windsor and afterwards viz. Febr. 3. 1537. he and five of his Unkles were executed at Tyburn although three of them had for a long time opposed their Nephews Extravagancies And thus ended a Rebellion Lib. CCC 85. which cost the King twenty thousand some say forty thousand Pound At which great Expence the King was so disturb'd that he called this Victory a new Conquest and put the Question to his Council how Ireland should be managed to bear the charge of its own Preservation and whether by Act of Parliament every mans Estate should not be made liable to contribute its proportion or whether by vertue of this Conquest the King might not seize on all the Estates in that Kingdom Temporal and Spiritual By a Letter from Stephen ap Harry who was afterward a great man with the Lord Grey of the sixth of October from Waterford directed to Mr. Thomas Cromwel Secretary of State he informs his Honour That the Lord Leonard Grey was gone to England with Fitz Girald and that the Lord James Butler marched to Clonmel where his Lordships Brother-in-Law Garret Mac Shane who could not speak one Word of English met him That thence they marched to Dungarvan which surrendred unto him and thence to Youghal where he had a Gallon of Gascoyn Wine for four pence and thence to Cork where the Lord Barry made great Complaints of Cormock Oge of Muskry and Mac Carty Riagh the former was willing to submit to the Award of the State but Mac Carty Riagh answered That what he got by the Sword he would keep by the Sword The like Controversie was between James Grandson of Thomas last Earl of Desmond and Sir John Brother of that Earl the young man offered to go to England and to submit to his Majesties Pleasure but Sir John said He scorned to contest with a Boy That they marched thence to Mallow and so to Kilmallock and thence to Lymerick where the Lord Butler's Brother-in-law O Brians Son desired Aid against his Father and Unkle and that the Lord Butler would besiege Carrigonel but he could not do it for want of Artillery and therefore marched to Cashel and thence to Clonmel having worthily behav'd himself all this Journey It seems the Lord Deputy had sollicited for the King's leave to return to England by reason of his Age and Infirmities but the King in his Answer thanked him for the taking Fitz-Girald but wished it had been done in another manner viz. by force and tells him That he must continue in the Government of Ireland notwithstanding his Age and Sickness and orders a Parliament to be called as â—â—on as conveniently might be but it is probable that soon after those Letters arrived the Lord Deputy died at Kilmainham in the latter end of December and was honourably buried in St. Patrick's Church And thereupon the Council chose Leonard Lord Grey 1535. Lord Deputy who was but newly returned from England and probably did not bring over so much Treasure as the Army both expected and needed and therefore the Souldiers mutined in January and thereupon the King by his Letter of the twenty fifth of February desires to know who were the Ringleaders of it and orders that as many of the Army as can be spared may be disbanded Lib. H. To which Letter the Lord Deputy and Council return'd for Answer That after the imprisonment of Fitz-Girald they had disbanded five hundred men but that his Unkles being at that time out and the Earl of Desmond O Brian and O Connor linked in a Confederacy it was no proper time then to dismiss any more but that they have now borrowed four hundred Pounds Irish and therewith have disbanded two hundred and fifty Foot and fifty Horse That the Revenue of the Kingdom was but five thousand Pounds per annum whereof a thousand Pound was then insolvent they advise the King to grant a Pardon to the County of Kildare to the end the People of that County may return to their Habitations and they advise That the Kings Lands may be set for a Term of one and twenty years and that a Mint may be erected in Ireland and none but Sterling Money be currant and thereby every Mark of the King's Revenue will be a Pound But I must interrupt the Series of this Discourse to give the Reader an Account of the miraculous preservation of one of the remaining Branches of the Noble Family of Kildare a Child of thirteen years old Brother of the Lord Thomas and Son of the deceased Earl who happened to be sick of the Small Pox at Donoare in the County of Kildare when his Unkles were apprehended whereupon his careful Tutor Thomas Leverouse afterwards Bishop of Kildare had the Child wrapt up warm and in a Cleef or Basket conveyed him into Offaly and after he was recovered he travelled into Thomond
and Language and not to forestal the Markets of Limerick nor correspond with the Irish And so we come to the Parliament which began at Dublin on the first Day of May and on the last Day of that Month was adjourned to Kilkenny and did there sit the twenty fifth Day of July and on the twenty first was adjourned to Cashel and on the twenty eighth was from Cashel adjourned to Limerick and there it sat on the second of August and continued until the nineteenth and then was adjourned to Dublin to meet the fifteenth Day of September and so after several Prorogations it was finally dissolved the twentyeth Day of December 1537 and enacted as followeth I. The Attainder of the Earl of Kildare and his Complices This Act recites all their Treasons and Retrospects to the eighth Day of July 20 Hen. 8. II. The Parliament reciting That Ireland is appending and belonging to the Crown of England doth make void and nullifie the King's Marriage with the Princess Katharine his Brother's Wife and doth ratifie the Divorce judicially made between them by the Archbishop of Canterbury It also confirms the King's Marriage with Anne Bullen and prohibits Marriage within the Levitical Degrees and orders that Persons so married shall be divorced and their Children after such Divorce shall be illegitimate Then it entails the Crown on the King's Heir Males by Queen Anne and for want of such to his Heirs Males by any other Wife and for want of such to the King's Heirs Female by Queen Anne and particularizes the Princess Elizabeth and the Heirs of her Body c. And that it shall be Treason to Write or Act against the aforesaid Marriage or the Settlement of the Crown and Misprision of Treason to speak against either of those things and deprives the Offenders of Benefit of Sanctuary it makes the Queen and such Counsellors as the King shall appoint Guardians of the Infant King or Queen if it so happen till their respective Ages of sixteen if a Queen and eighteen if a King and prescribes an Oath for the Observation of this Settlement to be taken by the Subject and makes it Misprision of Treason to refuse it III. The Act of Absentees recites the Inconveniences that have happened by reason of the Absence of those that have Estates in Ireland and then vests in the King the Honours and Estates of the Duke of Norfolk the Lord Berkly the Earl of Waterford and Shrewsbury the Heirs General of the Earl of Ormond the Abbot of Furnes the Abbot of S. Augustins of Bristol the Prior of Christ-Church of Canterbury the Prior of Lanthony the Prior of Cartinel the Abbot of Kentesham the Abbot of Osny the Abbot of Bath and the Master of S. Thomas of Dacres 4 Inst 354. And it was resolved anno 1612. That the Earl of Shrewsbury did lose the Title of Earl of Waterford and Viscount Dungarvan by this Statute Nevertheless he had a very good Recompence in England for his Losses in Ireland And it is not unworthy our Remembrance How this Statute came to be made and the Occasion was thus The King being inclined to make Mr. Ailmer who was then Lord Chief justice of the Common Pleas Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench the Earl of Shrewsbury at the instance of some of his Tenants in Waterford or Wexford opposed his Preferment alledging That Ailmer was a silly fellow and unfit for such a Place whereupon the King repremanded the Lord Cromwel for recommending such a Coxcomb to him the Lord Cromwel begs the King to discourse with Ailmer assuring his Majesty That he was misinformed The King consented and Ailmer being come the King asked the true reason of the Decay of Ireland Ailmer Answered That it was because the Estated Men who used to Reside and Defend their own Estates and countenance their Tenants did now generally dwell in England and left Ireland a Prey to the Natives But that if his Majesty would oblige the Estated Men to Residence or seize their Estates to his own use he would soon find a Reformation The King tickled with this Advice gave Ailmer Thanks and assured him Care should be taken of it next Parliament IV. A Suspension or Repeal of Poyning's Act pro hac Vice V. That the King his Heirs and Successors be Supreme Head on Earth of the Church of Ireland and shall have Power to reform redress c. Heresies Errors and Offences c. And that his Commissioners shall take no Proxies for their Visitations but convenient Meat Drink and Lodging on pain of four times the value VI. That there shall be no Appeals to Rome on Pain of Premunire and that the Chancellor with the Consent of the two Chief Justices the Master of the Rolls and the Vice-Treasurer or any two of them may assign Delegates to Hear and Determine all Appeals to the Chief Governour VII An Act against slandering the King or Queen or their Title c. And that those guilty of High Treason shall not have the Benefit of Sanctuary and that Treasons committed beyond Seas may be tried in Ireland and that all Estates of Inheritance ergo Estates Tail shall be forfeited for High-Treason VIII That the Clergy shall pay Annates or First-Fruits i.e. a Years Profit and shall pay or compound before Possession The Chancellor Master of the Rolls and Vice-Treasurer or any two of them whereof the Vice-Treasurer to be one or any others commissioned by the King may compound and give Instalments That the Bonds for First-Fruits shall have the Effect of Bonds of the Staple and eight Pence to be paid for a Bond and four Pence for an Acquittance and no more IX An Act to vest in the King Sir Walter Delahide's Lands in Carbry in the County of Kildare X. That if the Robber or Felon be found Guilty upon an Indictment by means or Prosecution of the Party robbed that then he shall have Restitution as if it had been done upon an Appeal XI An Act to suppress all Tributes Pensions and Irish Exactions claimed by the Irish from Towns or Persons for Protection XII An Act against the Pope to suppress his Usurpations and that it shall be Premunire to defend or assert his usurped Authority or Jurisdiction and that all Persons Ecclesiastical or Lay That have Office or Benefice c. shall take the Oath of Supremacy mentioned in the Act and the Refusal of that Oath shall be Treason It seems there was much Difficulty to get this Act and the former Act for the King's Supremacy to pass both Houses many of the Clergy opposing them stifly until the Archbishop Brown made the following Speech which being well sconded by Justice Brabazon so startled the rest that at length both Bills passed The Archbishop's Speech was thus My Lords and Gentry of his Majesty's Kingdom of Ireland BEhold your Obedience to your King is the observing of your Lord and Saviour Christ Bish Brown's Life 7. for He that High-Priest of our
grand Captain four shillings a petit Captain two shillings and an hundred Harquebusses I suppose on Horseback half at eight pence and the other half at nine pence a day makes three pound sixteen shillings and ten pence per diem and an hundred and seven pound eleven shillings and four pence per mensem and per annum 1402 04 02. Mr. Brereton's Retinue a grand Captain four shillings a Captain three shillings a petit Captain two shillings and an hundred and fifty Archers at six pence apiece is four pound four shillings per diem and one hundred and seventeen pound twelve shillings per mensem and per annum 1533 00 00. The Knight Marshal's Retinue a grand Captain four shillings and twenty nine Horsemen at nine pence a day is one Pound eight shilling per diem eleven Pound eighteen shillings per mensem and per annum 0511 00 00. Clerk of the Cheques Retinue ten Horsemen at nine pence and himself a shilling is eight shillings six pence per diem eleven Pounds eighteen shillings per mensem and per annum 0155 02 06 The Treasurers Retinue forty Horse at nine pence and himself at six shillings and eight pence per diem is per annum 0669 03 04 The Lord Deputy's Stipend is per annum 0666 13 04 Master of the Ordnance's Stipend per annum 0048 13 04 Charge of the Ordnance besides what comes out of England is per annum 0040 00 00 7982 06 08 It seems the reason why they had so little Foot was because the Lords and Gentlemen of the Country were bound by their Tenures to assist the King with a certain number of Men at every Hosting or rising out as they call it and as for the Artillery it was so contemptible that I find by one of the Letters from the Council at the Camp that the Army had but one broken Piece and therefore they desire another may be sent them But before we proceed farther in the Affairs of Ireland it will be fit to pay that respect to the Memory of the late Lord Deputy the Lord Grey as to give some Account of his Misfortunes and Destiny He had certainly performed considerable Atchievments in Ireland and great Commendations of him are contained in most of the Letters from the Council to the King and his Majesty did so well approve of his good Services that he Created him Viscount Grany and although the Earl of Ormond the Lord Chancellor Allen the Vice-Treasurer Brabazon and Sir John Travers went with him or immediately followed him into England to impeach him yet he was kindly received by the King and and carried the Sword before him on Whitsunday Nevertheless he was in a short time after imprisoned in the Tower and accused of very many Articles the principal of which are these First That O Connor feasted him and mended Toghercroghan for him and that in favour of O Molloy a Rebel he took a Castle from Dermond O Molloy whose Father-in-Law O Carol was a good Subject for which the Lord Grey had a Bribe and Stephen ap Harry had twenty Cows Secondly That he took the Castle of Bi r from a Loyal O Carol and gave it to a Rebel O Carol who married the Earl of Kildare's Daughter and also took Moderhern a Castle belonging to the Earl of Ormond and gave it to the Rebel O Carol and wasted the Earl of Ormond's Lands for which he had an hundred and forty Kine and Stephen ap Harry had forty and Girald Mac Gerrot had a black Hackny Thirdly That he took forty Kine from O Kenedy a Tenant of the Earl of Ormond's and his Son for Hostage Fourthly That he held secret and private familiar Correspondence with James of Desmond and went to visit him in his Tents in his Night-Gown and forced the Abbot of Owny to give him forty Pounds sterling to preserve that Abby from Ruine and O Brian to give him thirty Kine and Hostages Vlick Bourk a Bastard gave him 100 Marks to have Ballimacleere-Castle and to be made Mac William and that he carried the Artillery in a small Vessel to Galway and made the Town of Galway pay thirty four Pounds for that Carriage Fifthly That the Exploits at Bryans Bridge c. were in favour of O Bryan a Rebel Desmond's Son-in-Law and to the prejudice of Donough O Bryan a good Subject and that he took a Bribe of eighty Kine from Macnemarra Sixthly That trusting Desmond and O Bryan he hazarded the King's Army in a long and dangerous Journy wherein Desmond quarrelled and deserted him and O Bryan sent but one man with a Battle-Ax to guide him Seventhly That he rifled the Abby of Ballyclare and left neither Chalice Cross nor Bell in it Eighthly That he destroyed the Castles of Lecagh and Derriviclaghny in favour of Vlick Burk though the rightful Proprietor offered Submission and Rent to the King Ninthly That he had secret Conference with and received a Horse from O Connor Roe who was the chief Instrument in conveying away the young Fitz-Girald Tenthly That he took eighty Kine from O Maddin and forced O Mlaghlin's Son from Mr. Dillon whose lawful Prisoner he was for which he had seventy Kine And there was a Commission sent to Ireland to examine Witnesses and they say that these Articles were proved by the testimony of above seventy Persons whereof some were of Quality that is some of them swore to one Article and some to another so that the Lord Grey who was Son to the Marquess of Dorset and Viscount Grany in Ireland but no Peer in England being tried by a common Jury thought it his best way to confess the Indictment in hopes of the King's Grace and Pardon but in that he was mistaken and although his Services did infinitely over-balance his Faults yet he was publickly Executed on the twenty eighth day of July 1541. There are four other Articles mentioned by others Holingsh 102. to be laid to his Charge Ware 162. 1. His Partiality to his Nephew Fitz-Girald afterwards Earl of Kildare whom they say he might have taken 2. That his Servants pillaged the Gentlemen in Munster that entertained them 3. That he had inveigled Thomas Fitz Girald to submit by Promises which he had no Commission to perform and that he did it to destroy that Lord that his own Nephew might come to be Earl of Kildare as afterwards he did 4. His Sacrilege at Down But however that be it was not long after his Execution before a Commission was directed to Archbishop Brown and Cowly Master of the Rolls to make an Estimate or Survey of the Lord Grey's Estate in Ireland and to deliver it to the Lord Deputy Saintleger to be disposed of as the King shall direct Sir William Brereton 1540. Marshal of Ireland was sent by the Lord Deputy into Munster to take the Submission of James Fitz-John Earl of Desmond and to bring him to Dublin but the Marshal died at Kilkenny nevertheless the Earl on the
the Ordinances already mentioned The Seventh Article is That if any of their Followers break the Peace they will prosecute and pursue him till he make amends And the Eighth is That they will not exact any Black Rents for the future from the Inhabitants of Cork Youghal or Kingsale And it seems that about this time Commissioners were appointed in every Province to decide the Controversies instead of Brehons viz. in Connaught the Bishops of Tuam and Clonfert and the Captains Wakely and Ovington in Munster the Bishops of Cork and Waterford and the Mayors of Cork and Youghal and in Vlster the Archbishop of Armagh and Lord of Louth And it is to be noted Davis 215. That these Submissions were so universally made all over the Kingdom that there was not a Lord or Chieftain of any note in Ireland but submitted in this or the like Form for they made no scruple to renounce the Pope when once they had resolved to obey the King And by these Means the Kingdom was so quiet and there was so great a Prospect of a Settlement that several of the Principal Lords of the Irish took Patents for their Estates and desired Titles of Honour according to the Law of England which hitherto they had despised But alass Ireland is an unfortunate Country that cannot be happy any considerable time and notwithstanding these dawnings of Felicity it must expect nothing but War and Desolation and this fourth general Submission of the Irish will be as vain and ineffectual as the other three and will manifest to the World That that Kingdom is not to be governed by Kindness but by Force But let us not anticipate our Misery by dreadful Prognostications of War but rather enquire into the management of Affairs during the short interval of Peace And first we shall find the great O Neal in September sailing toward England accompanied with the Bishop of Clogher and attended with many Gentlemen his Followers He came to the King at Greenwich where he was well received and having surrendred his Estate to the King and covenanted 1. To renounce the Name of O Neal. 2. That he he and his Followers should use English Habit Language and Manners 3. That their Children should learn English 4. That they should build Houses and husband their Land in English manner 5. That they should obey English Laws and not Cess their Tenants nor keep more Gallowglasses than the Lord Deputy allows And 6. That they should answer all general Hostings as those of the Pale do and shall not succour any of the King's Enemies On the first of October his Estate was regranted to him by Patent and he was created Earl of Tyrone for Life with remainder to his Son Matthew who for the present was made Baron of Dunganon in Tayl and two of his Followers Denis and Art Mac Genis were knighted and the Bishop of Clogher was confirmed and the Earl after his return was on the seventh Day of May sworn one of the Privy Council of Ireland In like manner the Earl of Desmond pursuant to his Promise repaired into England where he was graciously received and having made his Submission he returned with Orders likewise to be of the Privy Council In the mean time the Lord Deputy on the twenty fourth Day of May made an Order of Agreement between the Macgenis's and did the like between the O Carols on the second of July And on the fourth of July the O Birnes did submit by Indenture and granted the Town and Castle of Wicklow to the King and also surrendred to his Majesty the Castle of Mac Eningham and all spiritual Livings in their Possession Lib. D. They also covenanted to find one hundred and twenty Gallowglasses and their Servants for three Months when the Counties of Carlow and Kildare do so and twelve Horse and twenty four Foot at every Hosting and to raise their whole Force and keep them three days on any emergency And it is allowed by the Deputy that O Birn shall have twenty four Kerns called Kerne Tee for this year at the Charge of the Country as is usual wherewith he promises to aid the Sheriff and if O Birn misbehave himself the Lord Deputy may give the Kerns next year to whom he pleases And 't is agreed That no body shall keep Idlers but in his own House and concludes Quod si posthac ad morem Hibernicorum resilierit vel cum Hibernicis aliis susurraverit confederaverit vel consentierit impedire vel obstare Reformationi Hiberniae quam Dominus Rex intendit that then they will forfeit all And it seems that at the same time they proposed to have their Country made a County Davis 104. by the Name of the County of Wicklow and that in consideration thereof they would divide it into eight Plow-Lands and pay ten Groats per annum for ever to the King out of each Plow-Land On the 19th of November Thomas Butler was made Baron of Cahir and in the beginning of the next year Maurice O Bryan 1534. and Vlick Burk induced by the Example and Success of the Earl of Tyrone went to wait upon the King in England and having made their Submissions and surrendred their Estates O Brian obtained a Grant of all his Lands in Thomond and all the Abbies and Patronage of Benefices in the King's Gift within his Precincts to him and his Heirs Males and he was made Baron of Insiquine to him and his Heirs and Created Earl of Thomond for Life with a remainder to Donough O Bryan and his Heirs for ever who for the present was made Baron of Ibracane but whether this Donough were Nephew or Natural Son of the Earl's is not very plain This Lord of Ibrahcan had also an Annuity of twenty Pounds per annum granted to him in Tail and the Abby of Insula Canonicorum and half the Abby of Clare and the King bore the Earl of Thomond's Charges and gave him an Order to be of the Privy Council As for Vlick Burk he had likewise his Charges born and was Created Earl of Clanrickard and his Estate was regranted to him and the Abbies and Patronage of all Benefices within his Precincts The Cocquets of Galway were excepted in the Patent but in lieu of them the Earl had a Pension of thirty Pound per annum and the third part of the First-Fruits and the Abby of Via Nova or Confert And about the same time the Lord of Upper Ossory obtain'd a Grant for Fairs and Markets and the House of the Friars at Haghevo and the Monastery of Hackmacart and to each of these four Noblemen Davis 219. viz. the Earls of Desmond Tyrone Thomond and Clanrickard the King gave a House and a Parcel of Land near Dublin to encourage them to make their Appearance frequently at Court And it is to be noted Council Book of Ireland fol. 73. That many times the chief Governors of Ireland instead of Risings out and
Carriages to a general Hosting did coss the Country or tax it to find so much Mony as would maintain a certain number of men three Months and accordingly in July this Year the Counties of Kilkenny Waterford Typerary and Wexford were ordered to levy Maintenance for two hundred and forty Kerns for three Months which came to no more than two hundred and four Pounds thirteen Shillings and four Pence whereby one may perceive that the Tax was easie enough but the Grievance was in the irregular Assessments and the oppressive manner of levying it The French King by his Ambassador Theobald de Boys tempted O Donel with Offers of Money and Arms to make an Insurrection but he could do little of himself and it was too soon to seduce others after such solemn and formal Submissions so lately made and so that Negotiation had little or no effect but in February the Lord Deputy was recalled to give the King an Account of his Administration of Affairs in Ireland and Sir William Brabazon was sworn Lord Justice in his stead Ware 168. his Patent bears date the twelfth of October 35 Hen. 8. To this Lord Justice new Seals were sent because of the Alteration of the King's Stile from LORD to KING of Ireland and the old Seals were sent back to England The Lord Justice 1544. by the King's Orders sent him seven hundred Men to Calice under the Command of the Captains Poer Finglass and Skurlock they were very serviceable to the King at Bulloign and did much Mischief to the French for being light of foot Holingshead 103. they would often range twenty or thirty Mile into the Country and as they returned would burn and spoil where-ever they came They had a pretty Trick to get a Prey which was to tie a Bull to a Stake and set fire about him and as the Fire scorched him the Bull would bellow and thereupon all the Cattel within hearing of him would flock that way and so were taken These Irishmen would never give Quarter and therefore whensoever the Frenchmen took any of them they gelded them and otherwise tormented them exceedingly After the Surrender of Bulloign a large Frenchman on the other side of the Haven braved and defied the English Army whereupon one Nicholas Walsh did swim over the River and cut off the Frenchmans Head and brought it back over the River in his Mouth for which bold Action he was bountifully rewarded Sir Anthony Saintleger June 11. 1544. being for his good Services made Knight of the Garter returned Lord Deputy and found the Kingdom quiet and he made it his Business to keep it so which he effectually accomplished by imprisoning two or three turbulent People and by taking Indentures and Hostages from those he suspected And this Lord Deputy knowing it was the only way to keep the Kingdom in peace Lib. D. made it his Business to break the Dependencies of the Irish and to that end upon all References to him he took care that the weaker Party might depend on the Government for Protection and that he should not rely upon nor be under the Subjection of any other and particularly on the fourteenth of July he made an Award or final Order between the Earl of Tyrone and O Donel whereby O Donel was freed from depending on O Neal any farther than that he still continued obliged to pay a yearly Rent of sixty Beeves to O Neal for the Island of Inisowen and it so hapned that the very next year O Neal invaded Tyrconel because that Rent was not paid whereupon there was another Reference to the Government and a new Peace was made between them Aug. 24 1546. In the mean time the Earl of Lenox 1545. who fled out of Scotland was kindly received by King Henry and married his Neece was by the King sent into Ireland to levy an Army to recover his Inheritance in Scotland he came to the Deputy at Kilmainham where he lived and being effectually recommended by the King he was so kindly received and his Business so heartily followed that by the middle of November he had raised fifteen hundred Men under the Command of Sir John Travers Master of the Ordnance to whom the Earl of Ormond joyned as many of his own Followers and was himself General of the Army They set Sail for Scotland in twenty eight Ships but the Levity of their Confederates in Scotland or the Power of Duke Hamilton disappointed this Design for not being able to gain Dunbritton-Castle which was promised to be delivered up to them and finding a potent Army ready to encounter them instead of Friends which they expected to embrace them and being shattered by a violent Storm the Irish were necessitated to return home re infecta In the mean time Lib. D. on the Nineteenth of October died Vlick Earl of Clanrickard whereupon a great Contest arose between his Sons about the Title and Inheritance because the Earl's first Wife Grany O Carol Mother of the Earl's Eldest Son Richard Burk had been formerly married to O Mlaghlin who was still living and undivorced as was alledged and she being still alive the Earl married Honora Burk and was afterwards divorced from her and married Mary Linch Mother of John Burk Grany the first Wife being still living But the Earl of Ormond and other Commissioners sent by the Lord Deputy and Council to settle this Affair soon determined the Matter and finding that the pretended Marriage with O Mlaghlin could not be proved they adjudged Grany to be the Earl's true Wife and placed her Son Richard Burk in the Earldom and Estate of his Father according to the Law of England and because he was under Age they made Vlick Burk Captain of the Country during his good Behaviour and the Minority of the Earl But now the Spirit of Rebellion had again seized the Irish Melvin's Memoirs 8 9. and O Neal O Donel O Dogharty and one Callock had made some Overtures to the French King about assistance to manage an Insurrection and they proposed to him to become his Subjects and to shake off the Yoke of England provided he would procure the Pope's Gift of Ireland and send two thousand Harquebusses two hundred Light Horsemen and four Canon to their assistance The French King thought the Offer so considerable that he sent over John de Monluck Bishop of Valence his Ambassador to Ireland to learn the Truth of their Circumstances and to certifie the King what probability there was of Success if he should engage in that Affair The Bishop arrived at Loghfoyle on Shrovetuesday and the next day was by O Dogharty carried to his House which was a great dark Tower there the Bishop found bad Entertainment and was forced to be contented with Herrings and Bisket and such like Lenten Fare which was the best the House afforded The Bishop had a Months Mind to O Dogharty's Daughter which two English Fryers observing to prevent any Abuse of the Damsel
they procur'd as good a Bed-fellow for the Ambassador though she was of meaner Quality this Liquorish Harlot unfortunately met with a small Bottle of choice Balm valued at two thousand Crowns which was given to the Bishop by Solyman the Magnificent when he was Ambassador in Turky she was invited by its Odour to try its Relish and it seems liked it so well that she licked it all out whereat the Bishop grew so outragious and loud that he discovered his Debauchery frightned the Woman away and made sport for the Irishmen and his own Servants After this the Bishop met with O Neal and the Titular Primate Robert Wachop in a secret place and heard the Overâ—ures of them and their Confederates and it is not to be doubted but they came to an Agreement because the Bishop soon after went to Rome but being unable to separate the Pope from the Interests of the Emperor this Negotiation had no effect In the mean time two of the Cavenaghs viz. Cahir Mac Art of Polmonty and Girald Mac Cahir of Garochil had fierce Contests about their Territory at length it came to a Battel as it were by consent and about an hundred on each side were slain but Cahir Mac Art had the better of it and finally obtain'd that Signiory But the Exchequer being empty the Lord Deputy designed to levy a Tax upon the People but the Earl of Ormond would by no means suffer that 〈…〉 whereupon the difference grew so high between him and the Lord Deputy that at last it came to mutual Impeachments whereupon both of them were sent for to England and by the King's Mediation were reconciled whilst the ambodexter Allen was imprison'd in the Fleet and deprived of the Great Seal and Sir Thomas Cusack was made Lord Keeper and not long after viz. about the twenty eighth day of October the Earl of Ormond and thirty five of his Servants were poyson'd at a Feast at Ely-House in Holborn so that he and sixteen of them died but whether this hapned by Accident or Mistake or were done designedly could not be discovered Sir William Brabazon was sworn Lord Justice on the first of April 1546. although his Patent bore Date the sixteenth of February Ware 174. In his time hapned a strange and unnatural Action for Bryan Lord of Upper Ossory sent his own Son Teige Prisoner to Dublin where he was executed and in July Patrick O More and Bryan O Connor with joint Forces invaded the County of Kildare and burnt Athy but the Lord Justice immediately pursued them and leaving a Garrison at Athy he marched into Offaly and made a Fort at Dingen now Philipstown and forced O Connor to fly into Connaught But the Necessities of the State obliged the King to Coyn Brass or mixt Moneys and to make it currant in Ireland by Proclamation to the great dissatisfaction of all the People especially the Soldiers and about the same time Edward Basnet Dean of St. Patrick's in Dublin and the Chapter after some Reluctancy surrendred their Possessions to the King Three Things are observable in the Letters during this King's Reign 1. None of them do mention either the Year of our Lord or the Year of the King's Reign though all of them do take notice of the Day of the Month whereby this Part of the History was so perplex'd and confus'd that I will not promise that I have always guess'd the time aright though I have used my utmost diligence and endeavours to do so 2. All the Letters of this Reign conclude thus So knoweth God to whom we pray for your Graccs Prosperity or to that effect but these Words So knoweth God are always in although in the subsequent Words there is some Variation according to the Fancy of the Writer 3. Most of the Letters from the great Irish Lords even some of English Extraction are subscribed with a Mark very few of thembeing able to write their Names Sir Anthony Saintleger Lord Deputy returned on the sixteenth day of December with Sir Richard Read who was made Lord Chancellor in the room of Cusack and Cusack was made Master of the Rolls And thus stood the Government of Ireland during the Reign of King Henry the Eighth who Died on the twenty eighth day of January in the thirty eighth Year of his Reign and of his Age the fifty sixth THE REIGN OF EDWARD VI. KING OF England France AND IRELAND EDWARD 1546. the Sixth of that Name since the Norman Conquest was born at Hampton Court on the twelfth Day of October 1537. and succeeded his Father in the tenth Year of his Age on the twenty eighth Day of January 1546. and on the first of February Edward Seymour who was the King's Unkle by the Mother was made Protector of the King and Kingdoms and was afterwards created Duke of Somerset and on the twentieth Day of February the King was crowned at Westminster with great Solemnity Sir Anthony Saintleger continued in the Government of Ireland Ware 177. at first by the name of Lord Justice and afterwards by the Title of Lord Deputy and he proclaimed the new King on the twenty sixth Day of February 1547. and not long after Sir Richard Read was made first Lord Keeper and afterwards Lord Chancellor and the Earl of Desmond was constituted Lord Treasurer of Ireland on the twenty ninth Day of March and on the seventh Day of April the Privy Council was sworn viz. Sir Richard Read Chancellor George Archbishop of Dublin Edward Bishop of Meath Sir William Brabazon Vice-Treasurer Sir Girald Ailmer Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench Sir Thomas Luttrel Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas James Bath Esq Lord chief Baron of the Exchequer Sir Thomas Cusack Master of the Rolls and Thomas Houth Esq one of the Judges of the King's Bench to whom afterwards others were added But the O Birnes took advantage of the Change of the Government and hoping that the Infancy of the King would occasion Disturbances in the State they began to be very unruly and troublesome insomuch that the Lord Deputy was necessitated to invade their Country he pursued them so close that he slew their Captain and drove themselves into the Woods and Fastnesses He also took two of the Fitz-Giralds who had formerly been Proscribed and now joyned with O Toole and he brought them and other Prisoners to Dublin where they were executed Nor were Patrick O More and Brian O Connor less forward than the rest but briskly invaded the County of Kildare and loaded themselves with Prey and Plunder but the Lord Deputy came seasonably to intercept them and having killed two hundred of the Rebels upon the Place the rest of them with their light-footed Captains fairly ran away But the Government of England wisely considering the fickle Inclinations of the Irish and the danger of a general Defection of that Nation from a Protestant King seasonably provided for that Kingdom so that Edward Bellingham with the
this Journey the Deputy received the Submissions of some of the Irish and drove others of them into Fastnesses About this time the Name of the King at Arms who was formerly called Ireland was changed to that of Vlster and Nicholas Narbon Richmond Herald in England was the first King at Arms by the Name of Vlster Ware 192. and upon his Death Bartholomew Butler succeeded him June 21. anno 1552. But upon the Lord Deputy's Return to Dublin Matthew Baron of Dungannon complained to him against his Father the Earl of Tyrone whereupon that Earl was imprisoned which enraged his other Sons to that degree that they burnt and destroyed that part of the Country which belonged to Matthew On the other side the Baron being assisted by the English resolved to revenge that Injury and at length it came to a Battel which was doubtful for some time but ended in the Defeat of Matthew and the Slaughter of two hundred of his Soldiers English and Irish Nevertheless the Earl of Tyrone remain'd confin'd to stay within the Pale until at the end of three Months he gave Hostages in February and returned to Vlster And about the same time O Connor made his escape out of the Tower of London but was retaken and again imprisoned but Mac Coghlan being weary of wandring in the Woods made his Submission and was restored to his Territory of Delvin And the Publick Records were removed from Birmingham's Tower to S. Patrick's Library in Dublin The Year 1552 1552. was propitious to the Noble Family of the Giraldines for Girald Son of the last Earl of Kildare whose miraculous Preservation hath been already mention'd was now received into Favour and on the twenty fifth of April was restored to Minooth and good part of his Estate and about two years after in the Reign of Queen Mary viz. on the thirteenth of May 1554. he was Created Earl of Kildare Lib. G. and Baron of Ophaly at Westminster But Donough Earl of Thomond who had that Title confirmed to him and his Heirs Males in January last had great Contests with his Unkle Daniel who claimed the Estate by Tanistry but at length by the Mediation of the Lord Deputy they came to an Agreement which is mentioned in an Indenture Tripartite between the Deputy the Earl and Daniel O Bryan Dated May 9 1552. In the mean time Sir Nicholas Bagnal was sent against Hugh Mac Morough and they came to a Battel which was so well fought on both sides that the Loss as well as the Victory is uncertain But the Garrison of Athloan had better Success at Cluan macnoise where they robbed or destroyed all they met with not sparing even the Church-Books The Lord Depury marched to Vlster and repaired and garrison'd the Castle of Belfast but it seems he brought but a small Army in expectation that the Baron of Dungannon would joyn him with his Forces and indeed the Baron designed it and endeavoured it but his Brother Shane O Neal surprized his Camp by night and routed his Army with a great Slaughter Whereupon the Lord Deputy returned to Dublin and intended for England but he was stopped for a while by Sir Henry Knolls whom the King sent over with Intelligence that the Queen of Scots had sent O Connor's son to Ireland to raise new Commotions but as soon as it was understood that his Negotiation was ineffectal the Lord Deputy prosecuted his former Resolution and embarked at Houth on the fourth of December and pursuant to the King's Letter of the seventh of November Sir Thomas Cusack Lord Chancellor and Sir Girald Ailmer Lord Chief Justice were chosen Lords Justices on the sixth of December and soon after one of the O Neals was imprisoned in Dublin for spreading false News about the late Lord Deputy but he was on the thirtieth of December enlarged on Bail In the mean time on the twenty eighth of December Lib. D. Hugh Mac Neal Oge of Clandeboy made his Submission to the Lords Justices or rather to the King and swore Allegiance and Agreed and Covenanted by Indenture to forfeit all if he ever relapsed or apostatized again Whereupon the King granted to him the Abby of Carrigfergus and Liberty to keep three Secular Priests as also the Castle of Belfast But Ireland was unhappy not only by the Civil Dissentions in Vlster between the Earl of Tyrone and his Son Shane O Neal and by the Scarcity of Provisions insomuch that a Kilderkin of Wheat was sold for four and twenty shillings which in the following year was sold for five shillings but also by the Death of Sir William Brabazon who died in July and was one of the most faithful men to the English Interest that had appeared in Ireland from the Conquest to that day The King was advised to lower the Value of Brass Money and to make the Bell-Groat currant at two pence and no more and also to build a Castle at Baltimore to oblige the Fishermen to pay Tribute the former he performed but the later as unpracticable was neglected or postponed The Earl of Thomond and his Unkles Donald and Trelagh were again at open Wars notwithstanding the aforesaid Agreement made between them by the Government February They took the Town of Cluanroad but the Earl defended the Castle for a time but not long after he was murdered by his Unkle Donald and was succeeded by his Son Cnogher whose Mother was Helen April Daughter of Pierce Earl of Ormond 1553. About the same time Teig Roe O Mlaghlin murdered Neal Mac Fylemy of the same Family coming from Molingar but the Murtherer was not long after slain in Battel by the Baron of Delvin and the Garrison of Athloan and in Connaught Richard Burk was at variance with the Sons of Thomas Burk Buckagh the issue whereof was that Richard was taken Prisoner and an hundred and an fifty of his Men slain Nor were the Contests less between Richard Earl of Clanrickard and John Burk the Earl besieged John's Castle but Daniel O Bryan came to John's Relief and forced the Earl to raise the Siege But whilst these things were doing the King died at Greenwich on the sixth Day of July in the seventh Year of his Reign aud the sixteenth Year of his Age. THE REIGN OF MARY QUEEN OF England France AND IRELAND MARY 1553. eldest Sister of the deceased King notwithstanding King Edward's Will and all the Endeavours that were used against her did succeed her Brother in the Throne and although she was Kept out of Possession by the Lady Jane about twelve Days so that she was not proclaimed at London until the nineteenth Day of July Yet there being no Interregnum in England her Reign must be computed from the sixth of July being the Day of her Brother's Death It may seem strange That the Protestants did so easily submit to her or that the Kingdom of Ireland should at all own her for their Queen Because I. She was the Issue
proved disadvantagious to the State and that lenity to the Irish Rebels has produced no other Effects than that it has encouraged them to relapse and others to follow their Example And of this Shane O Neal affords us one Instance for notwithstanding this Submission it was not long before he rebelled again and Rory O Connor and Donough O Connor followed the same Copy for though they submitted at Dingen and put in Hostages for their Loyalty yet they rebelled once more and therefore were on the twenty fifth Day of February proclaimed Traytors and at length were slain and their Country wasted 1557. In like manner William Odare O Carol was made Governour of Ely O Carol under certain Conditions one of which was To send a certain number of Soldiers to every Hosting but this Condescention and Kindness could not oblige him but that the ungrateful Traytor rebelled next Year and was routed and Thady O Carol was put in his Place And so we are come to the Parliament which began the nineteenth day of June and on the second day of July was adjourned to the tenth day of November to Limerick and then was adjourned to the first day of March to Drogheda but the Lord Deputy who by the Death of his Father was Earl of Sussex went to England on the fourth day of December and not returning before the first day of March the Parliament by his Absence became dissolved It seems that besides the Statutes that are in Print this Parliament enacted 1. That the Queen was Legitimate 2. That the Royal Power was vested in her 3. That her Issue should inherit the Crown and Kingdoms of England and Ireland 4. That Heresies should be punished and three Statutes to that effect were revived 5. That all Acts against the Pope made since 20 Hen. 8. be repealed 6. That the Grants made by Archbishop Brown be void and cap. 12. that First-Fruits be released But afterwards by the Act of the second of Elizabeth cap. 1. the Act of Repeal was repealed and the revived Statutes against Heresie were suppressed the Jurisdiction of the Pope was abolished and cap. 3. the First-Fruits and twentieth Part were restored to the Crown There was also an Act to give the Queen a Subsidy of thirteen Shillings and four Pence out of every Plow-land for ten Years And another to make it Treason to introduce or receive armed Scots into Ireland or to marry with a Scot without Licence under the great Seal The printed Acts of this Parliament are I. For the Disposition of Leix and Offaly II. For making the King's County and Queens County Shire-Ground and entituling their Majesties thereunto III. For making other Counties into Shire-Ground IV. To explain Poynings Act that new Bills whilst the Irish Parliament sits may be transmitted into England for Approbation as well as if they had been sent before the Parliament met V. That Labourers or Cottiers shall not buy Horses more than is absolutely necessary VI. That the Owners of stolen Goods using their best Endeavours to prosecute the Felon shall be reprized out of the Felons Goods if they cannot get their own again VII That no Body shall make Aquavitae without Licence under the great Seal except Noblemen Gentlemen and Freemen of Towns that send Members to Parliament And it is to be noted That this Act which was designed to spare Corn and prevent a Dearth was necessary at that time Yet now the Kingdom is better improved and consequently abounds in Corn this Act though not repealed is become obsolete and a quite contrary Act viz. To encourage the Making and Exportation of Aquavitae would tend very much to the Advantage of Ireland In July the Lord Deputy made an Expedition against the O Maddens whose Country called Silanchia now the Barony of Longford in the County of Galway was last Year on the Murder of John O Madden divided between Malachy Modhar and the Murderer Brasil Duff the Deputy sent a Summons to the Castle of Melik but the valiant Warders not only boasted how stoutly they would defend it but also believing that every Summons was an Affront and as it were a Suspicion of their Courage they assured the Herald That it should not be safe for him to come with any more such Messages to them It is hardly credible That after all this Ostentation these Men of War should desert the Castle the very next Night however they certainly did so and the Lord Deputy placed a Garrison in it and returned On the tenth of August the Lord Deputy advanced into Vlster Ware 220. being accompanied by the Lords of Kildare Ormond Baltinglass Delvin Dnnboyne and Dunsany his Design was against the Scots but they sheltered themselves in the Woods and Bogs so that he did them no other Mischief than that he took some Preys however some of them were thereby perswaded to submit and Daniel Mac Conel and Richard Mac Guilliam received the Honour of Knighthood On the twenty second Day of October the Lord Deputy made another Journey into Vlster And on the twenty fourth day he came to Dundalk and on the twenty fifth he took a Prey and came to Armagh the Rebels still flying before him on the twenty seventh he burnt Armagh except the Church and marched to Newry and so on the thirtieth day of the same Month returned to Dublin And being ordered to attend the Queen in England he first obliged O Carol O Molloy Macgehogan O Doyne Mac Coughlan the two O Maddens and Fylemy Duff to gives Hostages of their Good Behaviour And then on the fourth of December he set sail for England leaving Hugh Curvin 1557. Lord Chancellor and Sir Henry Sydny Treasurer at Wars Lords Justices by Patent dated at Westminster the twelfth of November after they were censed and sprinkled with Holy Water and Mass was celebrated they were sworn at Christ-Church on Sunday the fifth of December and received the Sword from Sir John Stanly the Marshal with whom it was left to that Purpose and they continued in their Office until Sir Henry Sydny Ware 222. Lord Justice was sworn on the sixth of February by the Queen's Command and by virtue of a Commission bearing date the eighteenth day of January he attacked Arthur O Molloy Chief of Fercalia who was brewing new Treasons and favoured and cherished those that were in Rebellion But the Lord Deputy did soon over-run his Country and made Theobald O Molloy Governour thereof and took his Son for a Hostage of the Father's Fidelity and then by Cess in the Pale the Deputy furnished the Forts of Maryburgh and Philipsburgh with Victuals and returned to Dublin where he made Proclamation That no Corn should be carried out of the Pale In the mean time Shane O Neal invaded Tyrconnel designing to reduce it to the former Tribute and Dependance it paid to his House Calvagh O Donel being too weak to resist by Force betook himself to his Politicks and made an Essay by Night on the
Enemy's Camp and it succeeded according to his Desire for O Neal's Army being over-confident of their Numbers and despising the Weakness of their Adversaries had made no preparation to resist an Assault which they did not suspect and wanting such Scouts Out-guards and Centinels as Martial Discipline required and as was usual in all well-governed Armies they were easily surprized and defeated and Shane O Neal himself was forced to make use of his Heels As to Ecclesiastical Affairs there was a Provincial Synod held at Dublin Anno 1555 which made some Constitutions about the Rites and Ceremonies to be used in the Church and afterwards the Church-Goods and Ornaments were restored and particularly those belonging to the Churches of Dublin and Drogheda and although many Gleabs continued Lay-Fees during all the Reign of Queen Mary yet at the Request of Cardinal Poole her Majesty restored the Possessions of the Priory of Kilmainham and Oswal Messemberg was confirmed Prior by Patent dated the eighth of March 1557. but afterwards he fled beyond Seas and the Possessions of that Priory and of that Order in Ireland were by Act of Parliament annexed to the Crown in Queen Elizabeth's Reign There was also a Provincial Synod held at Drogheda this Year by Archbishop Dowdal and therein Leave was given to Husbandmen to work certain Days in Harvest The Lord Justice having on the twenty fifth Day of April received the Submission of O Reyly and his Fealty or Oath of Allegiance 1558. did on the twenty seventh surrender the Sword to Thomas Earl of Sussex Lord Deputy who brought over with him five hundred Soldiers and an Order to coyne Brass-Money and to make it currant by Proclamation which he did On the fourteenth of June he began his March to Munster against Daniel O Brian he came to Limerick and advanced forwards into Thomond he scattered the Rebels and took the Castles of Bunratty and Clare and then restored the Country to the Earl of Thomond who together with the Freeholders of that Country did on Sunday the tenth day of July swear on the Sacrament Lib. NNN and by all the Relicks of the Church as Book Bell and Candelight they are the very Words of the Herald's Certificate to continue Loyal to the Queen and to perform their Agreements with the Lord Deputy On the twenty first of June the Earl of Desmond made his Submission to the Deputy at Limerick and on the twenty sixth the Lord Deputy was God-father to the Earl's Son whom he named James Sussex and gave the Child a Chain of Gold and gave another Chain and Pair of gilt Spurs to Dermond Mac Carthy of Muskry whom he also knighted The Lord Deputy caused a Soldier to be nailed to a Post for drawing his Sword in the Camp contrary to Proclamation and then marched to Galway where he was well received especially by the Archbishop of Tuam and the Bishops of Clonfert and Clonmacnoise who with the Clergy met him in Procession On the fifteenth day of September the Lord Deputy shipped his Army at Dalky and sailed to Raghline and though he lost one Ship in the Storm yet he pursued his Design and took the Island and placed a Colony and a small Garrison in it and thence he invaded and wasted Cantire in Scotland Nor did the Islands of Aran and Comber escape the like Desolation and he intended as much against the Island of Ila but he was by ill Weather forced to put in at Carigfergus and so having burnt many Villages which were possest by the Scots in Vlster he returned to Dublin on the eighth day of November Sir Henry Sydny was sworn Lord Justice on the eighteenth of September by virtue of a Patent dated at Richmond the fourth of August and now when the Earl of Sussex return'd he was sworn anew on the tenth of November and had a new Patent bearing date the seventeenth day of August 1558. The Lord Deputy had a new Great Seal sent him out of England and also new Seals to the other three Courts which he delivered to the Lord Chancellor Chief Justices and Chief Baron in the Council Chamber and about the same time a Party of the Islander Scots that came into Connaught to the Assistance of one of the Burks was defeated by the Earl of Clanrickard and most of them slain And because the Author quotes the Most Reverend and Learned Primate Vsher and the Memorials of the Most Noble and Industrious Richard Earl of Cork for the following Story I will insert it verbatim as it is already printed in the Life of Archbishop Brown Queen Mary having dealt severely with the Protestants in England about the latter end of her Reign signed a Commission for to take the same Course with them in Ireland and to execute the same with greater Force she nominates Dr. Cole one of the Commissioners Sending the Commission by this Doctor who in his Journey coming to Chester the Mayor of that City hearing that her Majesty was sending a Messenger into Ireland and he being a Church-Man waited on the Doctor who in discourse with the Mayor taketh out of a Cloak-Bag a Leather-Box saying unto him Here is a Commission that shall lash the Hereticks of Ireland calling the Protestants by that Title the good Woman of the House being well affected to the Protestant Religion and also having a Brother named John Edmunds of the same then a Citizen in Dublin was much troubled at the Doctor 's Words but watching her convenient time whilst the Mayor took his Leave and the Doctor complementing him down the Stairs she opens the Box and takes the Commission out placing in lieu thereof a Sheet of Paper with a Pack of Cards the Knave of Clubs faced uppermost wrap up The Doctor coming up to his Chamber suspecting nothing of what had been done put up the Box as formely The next day going to the Water-side Wind and Weather serving him he sails towards Ireland and landed on the seventh of October 1558. at Dublin then coming to the Castle the Lord Fitz-Walters being Lord Deputy sent for him to come before him and the Privy Council who coming in after he had made a Speech relating upon what account he came over he presents the Box unto the Lord Deputy who causing it to be opened that the Secretary might read the Commission there was nothing save a Pack of Cards with the Knave of Clubs uppermost which not only startled the Lord Deputy and Council but the Doctor who assured them He had a Commission but knew not how it was gone Then the Lord Deputy made answer Let us have another Commission and we will shuffle the Cards in the mean while The Doctor being troubled in Mind went his way and returned into England and coming to the Court obtained another Commission but staying for a Wind at the Water-side News came unto him That the Queen was dead And thus God preserved the Protestants in Ireland This Queen died on the seventeenth day of
Knight of the Garter came over Lord Lieutenant Lib. C. says Burlace Lord Deputy says the Statute-Book He arrived at Bullock and was sworn in Christ-Church on the thirtieth day of August His Instructions bear Date the tenth of May and are to this effect First That the Army or rather Garrison shall be three hundred twenty six Horse eight hundred sixty four Foot and three hundred Kern Secondly That Port-Corn shall be reserved towards victualling the Army Thirdly That he endeavour to People Vlster with English and to recover Lâ—cale Newry and Carlingford from the Scots and to recompence Sir Nicholas Bagnal for his Interest in Vlster Fourthly Lib. H. That Mac Cartymore be ordered to hold his Estate after the English manner as the Earls of Thomond and Clanrickard do And he had also other Instructions to him and the Council to set up the Worship of God as it is in England and to make such Statutes next Parliament as were lately made in England mutatis mutandis and to dispose of Leix and Offaly to the best Advantage of the Queen and the Country This Lord Deputy held a Parliament at Dublin on the twelfth day of January which enacted the following Laws and then was dissolved on the twelfth of February First That the ancient Jurisdiction over the State Ecclesiastical and Spiritual be restored to the Crown And Foreign Authority abolished and that the Acts of Appeals and Faculties be revived and also as much of the Act of Marriage as concerns Consanguinity And the Act of Repeal made the 3 and 4 Philip and Mary repealed And an Act of 3 and 4 Philip and Mary to revive three Statutes concerning Heresie and the three Statutes therein named be repealed except so much thereof as concerns Premunire And that the Queen and her Successors may appoint Commissioners to exercise Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction And that all Officers and Ministers Ecclesiastical or Lay all Ecclesiastical Persons and every one that has the Queen's Wages shall take the Oath of Supremacy on pain of losing his Office And shall be uncapable to take any Office Ecclesiastical or Temporal if he obstinately refuses the Oath tendered to him He that sues Livery or takes Orders must take the Oath And a Penitent upon taking the Oath shall be restored to his Office of Inheritance He that shall extol maintain or advance Foreign Jurisdiction shall for the first Offence lose his Goods and if they be not worth twenty Pound then a Years Imprisonment without Bail besides and if it be an Ecclesiastical Person shall likewise lose all his Benefices and the second Offence to be Premunire and the third High-Treason provided the Prosecution for Words be within half a Year after the speaking Nothing shall be adjudged Heresie but what has been so by the Scripture first four General Councils or some other General Council by express Words of Scripture or shall be by Act of Parliament That there must be two Witnesses And that no Man be esteemed as Accessary till two Witnesses prove he knew the guilt of the Principal before he relieved him c. Secondly An Act for Uniformity of Common-Prayer Thirdly An Act for Restitution of the First-Fruits and twentieth part of Spiritual Benefices to the Crown Fourthly An Act for consecrating Archbishops and Bishops Bramhal 438. And it is observed by Archbishop Bramhal That no Papists ever did or could make the least Objection against the Ordination of the Protestant Bishops in Ireland For besides that Archbishop Brown the first Protestant Bishop in Ireland was ordained by the Bishops of Canterbury Rochester and Salisbury and many of the Irish Bishops were ordained by Brown The very Popish Bishops did assist at the Consecration of most of the Protestant Bishops and complied with the Government and kept their Sees until they had sacrilegiously betrayed the Church and alienated most of its Possessions one Bishoprick being left so poor that it had but forty Shillings per annum Ware de Praesulibus 27. and another but five Mark Thus Loftus Archbishop of Armagh was consecrated by the Popish Archbishop Curwin Ibid. 128. 59. Thomas Lancaster the first Protestant Bishop of Kildare Ibid. 148. was consecrated by Archbishop Brown and John Merriman Ibid. 188. the first Protestant Bishop of Down and Connor was consecrated by Lancaster when Primate Bale Bishop of Ossory was consecrated by the Popish Bishops of Armagh Kildare and Down Casy Bishop of Limerick was consecrated by Archbishop Browne assisted by the Popish Bishops of Kildare Ferns and Leighlin c. Fifthly An Act of Recognition of the Queen's title Sixthly That it be Premunire to say the Queen has no Right to the Crown and Treason to write it Seventhly That the Priory of S. John of Jerusalem be united to the Crown The Parliament being dissolved the Deputy went immediately to England to give an Account thereof and by the Queen's Orders substituted Sir William Fitz Williams 1559. Lord Deputy he was sworn in Christ Church on the fifteenth of February and his Patent bears date at Westminster the eighteenth day of January 2 Eliz. In his time Shane O Neal broke out again into Rebellion Cambd. 121. and overthrew O Reyly in the Field and took Calagh O Donel Lord or Chief of Tyrconnel Prisoner together with his Wife and Children and afterwards lived with her in Adultery and kept her by Force and he seized upon O Donel's Castles Lands and Goods and in all things behaved himself as King of Vlster 1560. And about the same time Money which in King Henry the Eighth his Days was much debased was raised near to the intrinsick value and Sterling Money was stamped but it was made currant at a fourth part more than it passed for in England so that an English nine Pence was twelve Pence Irish and so it continued until the Year 1601. when her Majesty's vast Expence in Ireland forced her by the Advice of the Lord Buckhurst to mingle Brass with the Silver which was therefore called mixt Monies but the Government then was so steady that the Soldiers suffered it without Mutiny although it was of infinite Prejudice to them But to proceed Thomas Earl of Sussex came over again Lord Lieutenant 1560. I suppose in April for on the seventh of May the Queen sent him Orders to perswade the Earl of Kildare to go to England and that the Queen would lend him Money in England on his Bond and if the Earl refused then the Lord Lieunant was to shew him the Queen 's positive Commands to that effect and if he still declined the Voyage then the Lord Lieutenant was to apprehend him This Lord Lieutenant brought with him new Instructions Lib. C. 1. To build Castles in Leix and Offaly and to people those Countries by granting Estates to the Planters and their Heirs Males 2. To settle Vlster and to admit Surleboy Tenant to the Lands he claims in Fee binding him to contribute to the Publick Service
3. To reduce Shane O Neal by force or otherwise 4. To invest the Baron of Dungannon in the Earldom of Tyrone if the Lord Lieutenant think fit 5. To apprehend the O Brians that oppose the Earl of Thomond 6. To make the Clerk of the Council Secretary of State 7. To make a Statute of Uses next Parliament 8. To grant Estates Tayl by Patent to all the Irish that will surrender 9. To reserve the best Rent that was at any time heretofore reserved on the Crown Leases and the Tenant to find a Horseman for every forty Pound Rent and a Footman for every six Pound thirteen Shillings and four Pence and if any Lease be voidable to let the Tenant renew increasing his Rent according to the best Survey 10. To augment the Revenue in granting of Wards and making them sue Livery and to collect and print the necessary Statutes It seems this Lord Lieutenant managed his Affairs well in Vlster 1561. although the Particulars are not recorded any where that I could find Lib. â— for on the sixth day of January Shane O Neal made his Submission to him and thereupon on the twenty second of the same Month he went to England leaving Sir William Fitz Williams Lord Justice 1562. who was sworn on the second Day of February and continued until the twenty fourth day of July and then Thomas Earl of Sussex Lord Lieutenant returned again and finding that the inconstant Shane O Neal had apostatized into Rebellion he prepared as fast as he could to reduce him to Obedience but the Winter approaching so near he was forced to adjourn his Design till the Spring and then on the first day of April he set forward 1563. and on the ninth there hapned a Fray between some Kirne in his Camp to the Slaughter of two or three of them but the Lord Lieutenant by his Authority composed that Matter On the thirteenth of April the English discovered an Ambush laid by Shane O Neal and fell upon them so that one and twenty of the Rebels were killed On the sixteenth the Lord Lieutenant passed over the Blackwater and took a Prey of two hundred Kine And on the twenty sixth he came back to Dundalk On the first of June he advanced again to Dungannon and quartered there and the next day came to Tulloghoge and undestanding that O Neale and his Party were in a Fastness not far off the English attacked them and drove them farther into the Woods And on the third of June the English took eighty Cattle and killed four or five Rebels And on the fourth the Army returned to Armagh And on the sixth day of June they took a Prey of three thousand Kine and one thousand five hundred Garons and Mares which were divided among the Soldiers and so the Army returned to Drogheda Hereupon O Neal being shrewdly terrified Cambden 121 and being also advised by the Earl of Kildare made his Submission to the Lord Lieutenant and promised to do the like in England which he performed in the presence of the Embassadors of Sweden and Savoy and upon his Promise of amendment he was taken into Favour and the Queen gave him some Presents and lent him two thousand five hundred Pound and ordered Sir Thomas Worth and Sir Nicholas Arnold whom she sent Commissioners into Ireland to establish a College at St. Patrick's Church c. to make an Enquiry about a Complaint that O Neal had made That one John Smith had design'd or attempted to poyson him After his Return home he behaved himself civilly and loyally for some time he assail'd the Scots and slew their Captain James Mac Conal and drove them out of Vlster he protected the poor from Injury and was orderly in every thing except his Tyranny over the Lords and Gentlemen of Vlster whom he challenged to be his Vassals Whereupon Macguire and others complained to the Government but O Neal disdaining to have his Princely Claim tried in a Court grows enraged at Macguire for putting the Dilemma upon him either of running into Rebellion again or submitting his Title to the Lord Lieutenant's determination 1564. and in this Fury O Neal invades Fermanagh expels Macguire burns the Cathedral Church of Armagh and besieges Dundalk but the Valour of the Garrison preserved the place till William Sarsfield Mayor of Dublin and a choice Band of Citizens raised the Siege nevertheless O Neal spoil'd and wasted the adjacent Country The Lord Lieut to revenge this proceeded briskly against O Neal Burlace 126. but before he could bring his Designs to perfection he was recalled in his time the Country of Annaly was made Shire-Ground and is called the County of Longford and Connaught was divided into six Counties Clare Galwey Sligo Mayo Letrim and Roscomon he also erected a kind of a Post-Office for the better Correspondence between England and Ireland Holingsh 114. And yet there are some who not without probability attribute these good Works to Sir Henry Sydny On the first of February there hapned a bloody Conflict between the Earls of Ormond and Desmond Lib. P. at Athmean or Affane in the County of Waterford where the latter lost two hundred and eighty of his Men but not long after the Lord Lieutenant was recalled and Sir Nicholas Arnold 1565. Lord Justice was sworn the twenty fifth of May and had an Army or rather a Garrison of fifteen hundred and ninety six Soldiers with which he made a shift to keep what he had but he did not enjoy that Honour long before Sir Henry Sydny Knight of the Garter Lord President of Wales came over Lord Deputy he Landed on the thirteenth of January and was sworn the next Sunday after being the twentieth he was received with great joy being a Person of whose excellent Government that Kingdom had long Experience and when he received the Sword he made an eloquent and pithy Speech to this effect setting forth what a precious thing good Government is and how all Realms Commonwealths Cities and Countries do flourish and prosper Hooker 111. where the same is orderly in quiet Justice and Wisdom directed and governed Secondly What a continual Care the Queens Highness hath had and yet hath not only for the good guiding and ruling of the Realm of England but also of Ireland which she so earnestly desireth and wisheth to be preserved as well in Peace as in War That she hath made great Choice from time to time of the most Grave Wise and Expert Counsellors for the one and the most Valiant Skilful and expert Men of Arms for the other That both in Peace and Wars the publick State of the Commonwealth and every Member therein might be conserved defended and kept in Safety under her Government And for the performance thereof her Majesty over and besides the Revenues of the Crown of Ireland did yearly far above any of her Progenitors expend of her own Coffers out of England great Masses of Money
Miles long and 48 Miles broad without the Loss of one Man in Battle The Army being dissolved at Athlone the Deputy took care to place Garrisons in the Frontiers of the Pale And it was well he did for soon after the Deputy's Return O Neal in ostentation of his Power invaded the Pale and wasted the Country with Fire and Sword and at length besieged Dundalk but was again repulsed with Shame and Loss In the mean time the Deputy had ruined O Neal without much fighting for he not only deprived him of the great Tract of Land aforesaid but also of many of his Dependences particularly of Macguire a great Man in that Country also Alexander xge and Mac Donel and the Scots offered their Service against him on the one side as O Donel did on the other Nor was Turlogh Lynagh less troublesome to him than the rest Besides there were four Regiments in the Frontiers that daily infested him and the Deputy who in Person made many Incursions into O Neal's Country and continued about the Borders of the Pale to that intent on the thirtieth day of December issued out of Tredagh Irish Stat. 235 and took a Prey of two thousand Cows and five hundred Garrons so that O Neal was distressed on every side and brought to so low a Condition that he once designed to come with a Halter about his Neck and submit to the Deputy But partly his Guilt and partly the Advice of his Friends and the Hopes he had to perswade the Scots to his Aid diverted him from that Resolution and engaged him in a Journey to Clandeboy where Alexander Oge and six hundred Scots lay encamped And the more to ingratiate himself with them he enlarged Surly Buy Alexander's Brother whom he had for some time kept Prisoner but the Scots were as fly as he and pretended very fair to him Cambd. 121. till they had got him and O Donel's Wife and their Attendants into their Power and then in Revenge of the Death of the aforesaid James Mac Conel and the Injuries he had done the Scots anno 1564. and in Expectation of a Reward from the State they fell upon and murdered Shane O Neal and all his Company on the twenty second of June 1567. and sent his Head to the Deputy 1567. pickled in a Pipkin and it was afterwards set upon a Pole on the Top of the Castle of Dublin This Shane O Neal was a cunning subtil Man in his way but he could not write or speak English but very Imperfectly Hooker 113. he was so great a Sot that he had at once two Hundred Tun of Wine in his Cellar at Dundrun whereof and of Vsquebagh he would drink to that excess that to cool him he would be put into a Pit Cambd. Eliz. 106. and the Earth cast round him up to his Chin and so he remain'd as it were buried alive till his Body were in better Temper This Shane O Neal is recorded to be the proudest Man upon Earth he pretended to be King of Vlster and had six hundred Armed Men for his Guard and had ready for the Field four thousand Foot and a thousand Horse he trained up his Tenants to the Use of Weapons and claimed a Superiority over all the Lords in Vlster But we must look back to the Year 1566 and we shall find That the Earl of Desmond notwithstanding the Defeat given him by the Earl of Ormond by Drumelin continued his Outrages so that about Christmas the L. Deputy received Orders from the Queen grounded upon the complaints of the E. of Ormond that he should immediately march into Munster and take some course with the Earl of Desmond and accordingly the Lord Deputy marched in January with some Troops for his Guard and staid three Months in Munster and having heard the Complaints made against the Earl of Desmond and his Defence he adjudged the Matter against that Earl and made an Order that Desmond should make amends for the Trespasses he had committed which Desmond refusing to do the Deputy had him apprehended and imprisoned at Kilmallock and by the help of three hundred Citizens from Limerick had him safely conveyed to that City where he was Indicted of High Treason for Levying War against the Queen and his Brother John was Knighted and made Seneschal of Desmond and for a while behaved himself so well that in three Months time he made reparation to the People his Brother the Earl had injured to the value of three thousand Pounds nevertheless the Earl of Ormond was not pleased with this Preferment of Sir John Desmond as one who plainly foresaw that he would in time prove as troublesom as his Brother But the Lord Deputy being tired with the Complaints of Oliver Sutton a Gentleman of the Pale against the Earl of Kildare and others and the Accusations preferred by the Lady of Dunboyn Mac Brian Ara Oliver Fitz Girald and others against Sir Edmond Butler and Pierce his Brother was an earnest Suitor That a Lord Chancellor fitly qualified might be sent over to determine some of those Differences and accordingly Dr. Weston Dean of the Arches was made Lord Chancellor and arrived at Dublin in July 1567. and executed that Office to the great ease of the Lord Deputy and to the satisfaction of the People He also brought Letters advising the Lord Deputy to take care that Shane O Neal's Son who was Hostage for his Father's Loyalty should be safely kept in the Castle of Dublin which now upon the Death of Shane was diligently observed The Lord Deputy sent a Messenger to the English Garrisons with the News of Shane O Neal's Death and immediately marched to Vlster and incamped in the Heart of the Country and there Turlogh Lynogh and the rest of the Competitors for the Captainry of Tirone came to him and made their Submissions and most of the Gentry of Vlster did the like And so the Deputy having setled that Province as well as was possible after many pithy Exhortations to Peace and Obedience and a Promise to send Commissioners amongst them to decide all Controversies except those relating to Homicide and Free-hold he returned to Dublin with the applause of the People and at Dublin he received the Submission of the O Reylyes by Indenture on the twenty eighth of November and about the same time beautified the Castle of Dublin with stately additional Buildings which yet remain But howsoever these good Services were relished in Ireland where the Fruits of them were felt and perceived yet in England they were so little regarded that no mention was made of them in any of the Publick Dispatches but on the contrary the Publick Letters to the Deputy were full of Reprimands and sharp Reflections because of the Insolencies of the Earl of Desmond and therefore the Lord Deputy did endeavour his own Revocation and at length prevailed to get Licence to go for England he carried with him the Earl of Desmond the Baron of
to repeal Poyning's Act shall be certified into England until first it be agreed upon by a majority of the Parliament of Ireland IX That the rest of the Kingdom be divided into Shires X. That no Wool Flocks Flax Yarn Sheep-Skins Goat-Skins Calve-Skins or Deer-Skins unwrought nor Beef Tallow Wax or Butter shall be transported until it pay the Custom in the Act mentioned and the petty Duties to Coporations in the Act likewise mentioned on the Penalties therein contained provided Prosecution be made within nine Months after the Offence committed XI An Act for the Impost on Wines XII That the Earl of Kildare's Brother and Sisters be restored in Blood The Parliament was Adjourned to the twelfth of May and then they met and Enacted 1. That Schools be erected in the Shire-Town of every Diocess at the Costs of the whole Diocess by the direction of the Bishop and the Sheriff and the chief Governor shall nominate an English School-master and appoint his Salary whereof the Bishop shall pay one Third and the Clergy the other two Parts the Bishops of Armagh Dublin Meath and Kildare and their Successors shall name English School-Masters for their respective Diocesses 2. That all Exemplifications under the Great Seal and the Seals of the King's Bench Common Pleas and Exchequer subscribed by the Lord Chancellor both Chief Justices and Chief Baron shall be as effectual in all Courts as the Original Record but it must contain a Clause that all those Seals are to it 3. An Act about the Standard of Measures for Corn. 4. An Act impowering the chief Governour and Council to grant Patents to such of the Irish as the Queen shall direct And then the Parliament was Adjourn'd to the fifth of December 13 Eliz. At which Session the Earls of Thomond and Glencar who had reconciled themselves to the State were present and the Parliament made five Acts of no great importance recited in the Statute-Book from pag. 267. to pag. 279. But whilst the Lord Deputy and the Parliament were endeavouring the Prosperity and Peace of Ireland by enacting good and wholsom Laws others were as busie to countermine them and to put all into Disorder and Confusion for some of the looser sort of the Irish Lords were distasted to that degree at the loss of their Captainries and Irish Extortions as also at the Impost on Wine that they resolved by force to rescind those Laws or at least prevent the execution of them and so making Religion their Pretence they confederated together James Fitz-Morris was the Bell-weather of this Flock and the Ringleader of all this Mischief he added to the general Grievances the particular Injuries done to his own Family by the imprisonment of the Earl of Desmond and his Brother Sir John and he inveigled the Earl of Glencar by telling him That the Queen was to be married to the Earl of Leicester and that thereupon the Lord Deputy who married that Earl's Sister was to be King of Ireland and when the Earl of Glencar was once engaged Mac Donogh and many more of the Cartyes came in of course and Fitz Girald commonly called Seneschal of Imokilly was as forward in this Rebellion as any of them and although Sir Edmond Butler who was Seneschal to his brother the Earl of Ormond and consequently hated all the Family of Desmond and had formerly pretended to serve against James Fitz-Morris Yet partly because he did not dare to appear before Commissioners sent by the Lord Deputy to Kilkenny to examine and redress the grievous Complaints made against him and partly for Zeal to the Catholick Cause and Fondness of the Irish Usurpations he sacrificed his private Resentments to the publick Concern and joyned with the rest of the Rebels The Confederates being resolved to make something of this Rebellion if it were possible sent the Titular Bishops of Cashel and Emly Hooker 130. and the youngest Brother of the Earl of Desmond as their Ambassadors to the Pope and the King of Spain to implore Aid and Assistance to rescue their Religion and Country from the Tyranny and Oppression of Queen Elizabeth But the Lord Deputy was not idle but assoon as he had notice of this Confederacy he proclaimed them Traytors and ordered Sir Peter Carew Governor of Leighlin to begin the War which he did and being accompanied by the Captains Malby Gilbert Basnet and others he took Sir Edmund's Castle of Cloghgriman and gave the Spoil to the Soldiers and thence he marched to Kilkenny and upon intelligence that three thousand Men were within three Miles of that City Sir Peter Carew sent Henry Davels to discover them and being satisfied by him that they were not above two thousand he resolved to attack them Captain Gilbert and Davels and twelve more began the Charge which was well seconded by Carew Malby and Basnet and the Success was accordingly four hundred Gallowglasses being slain without the loss of any English Man Captain Malby's Servant only excepted Not long after James Fitz-Morris besieged Kilkenny but both Garrison and Citizens behaved themselves so well that Fitz-Morris was fain to execute his Malice on the Country-Villages and smaller Towns and those he did not spare particularly he robbed old Falco Quiverford of Galan who had been Servant to three Earls of Ormond of two thousand Pounds in Money Plate and Houshold-stuff besides Corn and Cattel Another Party went to the County of Wexford and at a Fair at Iniscorthy committed most vile Outrages ravishing Women and killing or imprisoning every body they met with nor did the Queens County and Ossory fare any better The Lord Power 's Estate and the whole County of Waterford were in the same condition and even the very County of Dublin had its share of Desolation But the Confederates finding no Effects of their former Ambassy sent new Messengers to the Pope and King of Spain and also sollicited Turlogh Lynogh to procure the Aid of the Scots and were so diligent that nothing was left undone that might tend to subvert the Government and clear the Country of all English Men and English Laws The Earl of Ormond then in England troubled at the Disloyalty of his Brethren offered his Service against them and undertook to reclaim them by Perswasion or Force and to that end he arrived at Wexford the fourteenth Day of August being the very Day of the aforesaid Fair at Iniscorthy I should have mentioned That Sir Warham Saint Leger was anno 1566 made President of Munster and now the Lord Deputy having notice that Sir Warham's Lady was in her Husband's absence much distressed at Cork and daily threatned by the Irish he resolved to march that way to relieve her and with six hundred Men only he set out from Kilkenny and came to Clonmel and thence he sent to Waterford for a few Citizens for three days to assist him in his Passage over the Mountains but that City obstinately insisted upon its Privileges and refused to send any Men however Mr. Wise
and a few Volunteers and some Sea-men came to the Deputy and were very kindly received and the Disloyalty of the City was remembred at another time In Clonmel the Lord Deputy was nobly Treated in the Town-House which he requited by a most excellent Speech in commendation of Loyalty and thence marched to Cashil and in his March took a Castle held by Sir Edmond Butler and restored it to one Cantrel who was the right Owner 1569. and so he came to Cork where he found four hundred Soldiers newly arrived out of England under the Command of the Captains Shute and Ward as by his Letters to England he had desired From Cork the Lord Deputy made a step into Kirricurry and took the Castle of Carigoline and afterwards he marched into Orrery and took Butâ—ivant and so designed for Kilmallock but James Fitz-Morrice got there before him and took the Town by the help of scaling Ladders and finding that he could not keep it he burnt and destroyed as much of it as he could However the Lord Deputy marched thither and having given all the Encouragement that he could to repair and reedifie Kilmallock he setled a Garrison there of an hundred Horse four hundred Foot and some Kern under Colonel Gilbert who was made Governor or Colonel of Munster and so having taken the Oaths and Hostages of the Lords Roch Courcy Decyes Power and of Sir Cormock Mac Teige and many other Gentlemen and Freeholders of the Counties of Cork and Limerick he marched directly to the City of Limerick The Earl of Ormond came to the Lord Deputy at or near Limerick and brought with him his Brother Sir Edmond Butler who in the open Camp submitted to Mercy acknowledging his Follies and craving Pardon and thereupon he was set at Liberty upon the Earl's Recognisance for his appearance at Dublin and accordingly he did appear there on the sixteenth day of October together with Pierce Butler another Brother of the Earl's and both of them were indicted of High Treason However it seems that Pierce was afterwards bailed but Sir Edmond being a Cholerick Man did reflect upon the Lord Deputy and attributed all to his Partiality and alledged that the Lord Deputy did threaten him and would do him no Justice and vented many more such passionate expressions and therefore had not the favour of being bailed but was committed close Prisoner to the Castle of Dublin from whence in a very short time after he made a strange and hazardous escape by the help of a small Rope which broke within three yards of the ground and so bruised him that he could not go far so that he was forced to stay all that cold Winter-Night up to the Chin in the Water to prevent his Discovery However about three Months after viz. on the last of February the Earl of Ormond did again bring Sir Edmond and the rest of his Brothers before the Lord Deputy and Council at Dublin and there after a short Commitment and humble Submissions they were all pardoned for the sake of the Earl and perhaps by special Orders from the Queen who by the Mother was related to this Noble Family Cambd. Eliz. 138. and used to boast of the untainted Loyalty of the House of Ormond In the mean time Colonel Gilbert behaved himself so well in Munster that the Earl of Glencar and his Follower Mac Donogh were forced to come to him and to submit on their Knees craving Pardon for what was past and offering Hostages for their future Behaviour and afterwards that Earl came to Dublin to a subsequent Session of the Parliament and in the Presence-Chamber and in Christ-Church made most Pathetical Submissions on their 〈◊〉 and were Pardoned but the Collonel Gilbert being 〈◊〉 his good Service Knighted at Drogheda the first of January 1569 got leave to go to England and there he 〈…〉 a rich Widow and was not long afterwards drowned and thereupon Sir John Penott was Lord President of Munster In Leinster Sir Peter Carew had reduced the Cavenaghs to that low Condition that they were forced to submit to Mercy simply and without Stipulation and in Connaught Sir Edward Fitton by valour in the Field and severe Justice in the Courts did so quail the stubborn Hearts of the Rebels that his Province had but very little disturbance except what was given by the Earl of Thomond who could not brook the Severity of the President it seems he complained to the Lord Deputy before he entred into Rebellion for on the twenty third of April 1570. Lib. H. the Earl of Ormond was sent to treat with him but that Treaty proving ineffectual there ensued a smart Battle or rather Skirmish wherein the Earl of Thomond was worsted Contra Barkers Chron. 343. and Cambd. and thereupon he fled into France where he met with the English Ambassador Norris by whose means the Earl was pardoned Eliz. 153. and afterwards proved a very good Subject and did considerable Services to his Queen and Country Turlogh Lynogh whom I have already mentioned to have assumed the Name of O Neal was about this time shot in the Belly with two Bullets out of a Caliver by one of the Doniloghs who was a kind of a Jester he was at Supper with his Wife Aunt to the Earl of Argile when he received this Misfortune and though the Wound proved not to be Mortal yet it was so near it that the Auxiliary Scots began to think of deserting him 1570. and his own Country were in Factions about the choice of a new O Neal Lib. H. however he at length recovered and made an attempt to invade the Pale but the Scots dispersed for want of Pay so that O Neal was glad to treat with Justice Dowdall and the Dean of Armagh the Queens Commissioners and they came to an Agreement in O Neal's Camp at Dungannon on the twentieth day of January Lib. H. which was afterwards ratified by the Lord Deputy on the thirteenth day of March. On the eleventh of February the O Feralls or Ferells surrendred their Interest in the Annaly or County of Longford and took part of it back again at the Yearly Rent of an Hundred Marks c. The publick Expence for three Years viz. From Michaelmass 1565 to Michaelmass 1568 paid out of the Exchequer amounted unto Eighty eight Thousand nine Hundred thirty eight Pounds nine Shillings and eleven Pence whereof I suppose at least one half was remitted from England and yet the Lord Deputy was so Industrious in the Collection of the Revenue that he got twelve Hundred Pound of Hugh O Donell for the Arrears of Rent due for many Years past and the Queen was so intent on the Reformation and settlement of Ireland that she sent over Robert Leeth a Surveyor about the Year 1568 to make a true Survey and an exact Map of that Kingdom But Pope Pius the Fifth having by his Bull of the fifth of March 1569. Cambd. Eliz. 146. â—ulminated
his Excommunication against Queen Elizabeth and as Mr. Sullevan says pag. 70. deservedly deprived her of her Kingdoms we must not expect any more quiet during her Reign but that the bigotted Rebels like Virginal Jacks will start up one after another to disturb the Government of the Heretick Queen and to rescue themselves from the English Laws and the Protestant Religion which are the two things they chiefly hated and abhorred In Munster they met with their Match Sir John Perrot the President was one that knew them well he had experienced that they were like nettles which stung most when they were gently handled and therefore he squeezed them to purpose and so haunted them from one fastness to another 1571. that he gave them no rest so that in a little time he brought James Fitz Maurice himself who was the most valiant and most zealous of all the Confederates to submit simply to Mercy without any Conditions and on his Knees at Kilmallock to confess and lament all his Disloyalties and the Lord President by keeping Itinerant Courts of Justice and using necessary Severity soon brought Munster to that pass that the white Sheep kept the black and the Traveller might safely keep his Road without Arms or Company he also forced the Irish to conform to English Habit and to leave off several of their barbarous Customs and Fashions and he also brought the Irish Lords to contribute to the charge of the War So that on the twenty sixth day of September 1571. Lib. L. The following Lords and Gentlemen Covenanted with him to supply their respective Quota's for six Months viz.  Hor. Shot Gallowgl Kern Mac Cartymore 6 24 126 100 The Lord Barry 6 10 030 020 Mac Carty riah 8 10 040 050 Sr. Donough Mac Teige of Muscry 6 10 020 040 The Lord Courcy 2 04 006 008 Mac Donough 4 08 020 030 And the Earl of Glencar was to command them and in his Absence the Lord Barry they were to divide what Preys they should get proportionably with respect to their Contribution and if there should be need of it they were obliged to encrease their Forces It happened once Hooker 134. that Captain George Bourchier third Son to the Earl of Bath who served under Sir John Perrot in Munster was invited to a Gentlemans Castle to Supper under pretence of Parly and to use Bourchier's Mediation for his Pardon The Captain not at all suspecting any Treachery went thither according to the Invitation but the Perfidious Host thinking that the President would give him better Conditions for Bourchier's Liberty than he would for his Intercession detained him Prisoner and hand-locked him for some time and probably until he obtained his Pardon and what else he desired The Lord-Deputy received Letters of the thirteenth of December giving him leave to return to England and ordering him to substitute in his Place his Brother-in-Law Sir William Fitz Williams and accordingly he did set Sail on the 24th day of March and left Sir William Fitz Williams Lord Justice who was Sworn in April 1572. in St. Patricks Church in Dublin and in January following had a new Commission to be Lord Deputy In his time Brian Mac Cahir Cavenagh was very unruly and under pretence of revenging some Injuries done him by Robert Brown of Malrenkam Hooker 135. he killed Brown and insulted over all his Neighbours but Sir Nicholas Devereux and the People of Wexford not enduring his Insolence resolved upon their own Defence and at length it came to a smart Skirmish wherein thirty Gentlemen of Devereux's side were slain but about two Years after Brian submitted to the Government and was Pardoned and became a follower to Sir Peter Carew and was not only Faithful to him but also loved him to that degree that on Sir Peter's Death Brian pined away and in a little time died also he was the honestest and bravest of all the Cavenaghs and was a younger Son of Cahir Mac Art who was made a Baron for Life by King Henry the Eighth Conaught was disordered by the troublesome Sons of the Earl of Clanrickard Hooker 135. who could by no means endure the severe Government of Sir Edward Fitton President of Conaught and therefore broke out into Rebellion and hired one Thousand Scots to their Assistance The Earl himself was then Prisoner in Dublin and desired Liberty to suppress his Sons and quiet the Country and by advice of the Council it was granted him but he did not perform what he had promised however the same thing was in a great measure effected by a stupendious Victory obtained by Captain Collier who with one Company of Foot defeated and killed most part of the thousand Auxiliary Scots Camb. Eâ—iz 502. The Earl of Kildare for a certain sum to be paid by the Queen had undertaken to prosecute the O Mores and to defend the Pale against them but he did not so effectually perform it but that the O Mores Cambd. Eliz. 201. assisted by the O Connors made several Incursions into the Pale and burnt Athloan and did abundance of Mischief and in Vlster Bryan Mac Fylemy took and burnt Carrigfergus and to these Misfortunes was added a greater than either of them by the Death of the Lord Chancellor Weston on the twentieth day of May 1573. 1573. On the ninth of July the Queen granted unto Walter Devereux who not long before was made Earl of Essex the Moyety of the Signiories of Clandeboy Ferny c. And the Earl was by Indenture obliged to go thither before Michaelmas with two hundred Horse and four hundred Foot and to maintain them for two years and afterwards he was to keep as many Soldiers as the Queen should keep for the Defence of her Moyety not exceeding six hundred and no more and it was agreed that for the first two years the Queen would likewise keep two hundred Horse and four hundred Foot under the Command of the Earl and that every Horse-man Voluntier that will serve gratis for two years shall have four hundred Acres of Land and a Foot-Soldier two hundred Acres at two pence an Acre Quit-Rent and if any of them die within two year the Heir may supply his room in six Months It was farther agreed between them That necessary Fortifications should be made at the equal Charge of the Queen and the Earl and afterwards division should be made by Commissioners and 〈◊〉 division each might for twenty years build on her or his respective share as they pleased And the Earl was to have Timber out of Killulta Woods and might for seven years transport the growth of the Country without paying Custom and for twelve years more should pay no more Custom than is paid in England and he had liberty to transport Arms Money and all Necessaries out of England Custom-free giving notice thereof to the Officers of the Ports Each might dispose of five thousand Acres as they please but more than that quantity
Superstition that the Irish Priests who are the most ignorant Clerks in the World could lead these Noblemen by the Nose into the greatest Folly Ingratitude and Disloyalty that ever was known so that henceforward we must expect to find these English Lords in open Rebellion with the Irish against the Crown of England The victorious Malby encamped that night by the Abby of Monaster Neva and after two or three days removed to Rakele and encamped there a Party of the Earl of Desmond's came confidently within a Mile of the Camp but were well beaten for their pains and some that were taken Prisoners discovered many of Desmond's Designs and that he had been in the Field ever since the Battel of Monaster Neva but they needed not to be so nice in their Examinations for that very Night put the Matter out of doubt and Desmond and his Brother did personally assault the English Camp but came off as they used to do with Loss and Disgrace however the Marshal thought it necessary to remove to Askeaton having first setled a Garrison at Rakeal and he performed what he designed although the Enemy did frequently skirmish with him in his March and then having notice of the Deputy's Death he placed Sir William Stanly and Captain Carew at Adare and sent the rest of the Army to other Garrisons Hereupon the Rebels insulted at a great Rate bragging that they would take all the Garrisons and Sir John of Desmond with four hundred Foot and fifty Horse actually besieg'd Adare so that the Garrison durst not peep abroad till their victuals failed them and then Necessity whetted their Courage and made their Swords as sharp as their Stomachs so that Sir John was forced to retire The English had but one small Cot which would hold about eight Men and by help of it an hundred and twenty Men of the Garrison of Adare were wafted over the River Hooker 162 into the Knight of the Glinns Country and being unexpected there they did great Execution but they staid so long that the Knight of the Glin and Sir John Desmond had got together thirty Horse and four hundred Foot some Irish and some Spaniards and overtook them and entertain'd a brisk Skirmish for about eight hours nevertheless the English made good their Retreat without any considerable Loss and killed about fifty of the Enemy Sir William Pelham Lord Justice was chosen by the Council 1579. and sworn in Christ-Church Dublin on the eleventh of October and immediately he Knighted the Lord Chancelor Gerard and youg Edward Fitton After Dinner Cambd. Eliz. 239. the Council sate and directed Letters to all the considerable Irishmen to confirm them in their Loyalty particularly to Pheagh Mac Hugh Sir Hugh O Reily Sir Hugh Macguire Turlogh Lynogh c. and they also appointed the Earl of Ormond to be Governor of Munster and Sir Warham Saint-Leger to be Provost Marshal thereof and ordered Desmond's Son to be conveyed to the Castle of Dublin to be safely kept The Lord Justice having dispatched the Chancellor to England to inform her Majesty how Matters stood in Ireland and having committed the Care of the North-Borders to the Earl of Kildare marched into Munster taking with him the three Bands lately brought from Berwick by the Captains Walter Case and Pikeman he came to Kilkenny the nineteenth of October and kept Sessions two Days and sate in Person insomuch that Edmond Mac Neil and other notable Traytors were then executed and he also reconciled the Earl of Ormond and the Lord of Upper Ossory At Cashel the Earl of Ormond came to him with two hundred and thirty Men and hence his Excellency sent Letters to the Earl of Desmond to repair to him that he might reconcile him and Sir Nicholas Malby thence he went to Limerick where he was well received and the Mayor Presented him with a thousand Armed Citizens here also he was met by Malby and the Army and the next day he went to a Village called Fannings where he gave Orders for a General Hosting or Rising out and thither came the Countess of Desmond with Letters from her Husband Hereupon the Earl of Ormond was sent to expostulate with Desmond upon sundry Articles whereto he returned a trifling Answer on the the thirtieth of October complaining of old Injuries c. Wherefore other Letters were sent from Crome where the Lord Justice then was but to no purpose for though Desmond protested Loyalty yet he would not come to the Camp nay he was known to act rebelliously even while he was writing his Protestation for the Lord Justice being removed to Rakeal was allarm'd by some Rebels whereof four being killed one was found to be Desmond's Butler and himself was not far off wherefore he was Proclaimed Traytor in the Camp the second day of November 1579. unless he should surrender himself in twenty days and immediately the Army proceeded to destroy his Country with Fire and Sword And it must not be omitted that the Lords of Gormanstown and Delvin who were of the Council and attended the Lord Justice in this Expedition were so tainted and corrupted with Popery that they refused to sign the Proclamation against Desmond for which they were afterwards severely reprimanded by a Letter from the Lords of the Council in England On the third of November the Lord Justice removed to Puble O Bryan and Mustered the Army and so leaving two hundred and fifty Horse and eight Ensigns of Foot with the Earl of Ormond he returned to Limerick The Earl of Desmond thought to divert the Army from farther prosecution in Conilogh by making an Incursion into Imokilly and being there at the request of the Seneschal of Imokilly he attack'd Youghal and finding small resistance he easily took and afterwards plundered that Town whereupon the Earl of Ormond sent Captain White and a Company of Soldiers in a Ship from Waterford and they valiantly entred into the Town by the Water-gate but being over-powered by the numerous Forces of the Seneschal's White and most of his Men were slain and the rest with great difficulty escaped to their Ship Hereupon Desmond grew so insolent November 20. 1579. that he wrote an arrogant Letter to the Lord Justice importing that he and his Brethren were entred into the Defence of the Catholick Faith under the Protection of the Pope and the King of Spain and advised the Lord Justice to joyn with him and nine days after he wrote Circular Letters to such of the Lords and Gentlemen of Leinster as he thought to be rebelliously inclined the Form of which Letters may be seen in the following Letter which he sent to Pheagh Mac Hugh MY well beloved Friend I commend me to you It is so that I and my Brother are entred into the Defence of the Catholick Faith and the overthrow of our Country by English Men which had overthrown the Holy Church and go about to over-run our Country and make it their own and to make us
to her Brother Owen O Moriarta al 's Droghbearla and made such piteous Complaint that he resolved to get her her Cattle again if possible wherefore he addressed himself to the English Governor of Castlemange so effectually that he obtain'd 7. Musketteers and 12. Kearne and with them he followed the Tract of the Cattle that night they came to the Wood of Clawniginky four Miles from Traley where they resolved to lodg but about Midnight seeing a Fire they drew towards it and so came to a Cabbin where they found an old Man alone sitting by the Fire the Servants having ran away on their Approach Kolly who led the Soldiers Cambd. Eliz. 290. and was bred by the English altho a Native Irishman struck the old Man with his Sword and almost cut off his Arm whereupon the old Man cried out that he was Earl of Desmond and Kolly would have spared him but finding that he bled so fast that he could not live he immediately cut off the Earls Head which was sent afterwards into England and placed on a Pole on Londonbridge and for this exploit the Family of the Moriarta's are in disgrace amongst the Irish to this Day Sullivan 100. and Mr. Sullivan says the place where his Blood was Spilt doth still continue red Nor had John Burk better Success for he being in Protection did nevertheless make an Attempt upon Adare and endeavoured to Prey and Plunder the Country thereabout but as he passed by a Boy from the Castle discharged his Gun and shot him Dead And thus ended the Rebellion of Desmond Cambden says The Eleventh in the Ruin of Girald the fifteenth Earl of that Family after whose Death the common People did manifest such Desires of living in Peace that the Forces of Munster were reduced to 200. And not long after a Commission issued to Sir Henry Wallop Sir Valentine Brown and others to take a Survey of all such Lands as had been forfeited within the four years last past And in Vlster Lib. C. Sir Nicholas Bagnall Sir Lucas Dillon and James Dowdall Commissioners of Vlster on the 22d day of October 1583 in the presence of the Baron of Dungannon and the Agents of Turlogh Lynogh and O Donell and by their Consent made these Orders between them 1. That the Truce between them be continued till the 17th of March next 2. That on the 2d day of December each of them shall put in Pledges at Dundalk to keep the Peace towards the Queen and each other 3. That the Controversies between the said Parties shall then be determined 4. That if either Injure the other during the Truce the Queen shall assist the Sufferer and Punish the Delinquent 5. That they shall chuse indifferent Arbitrators to examine Witnesses and determine the Differences between them if they can and if not then to Report the State of the Case to the Commissioners And in Leinster things were so quiet that two of the O Conners determined a Controversy in a form of Justice which being a matter extraordinary shall be related at large Teig Mac Gilpatrick O Connor was accused by Connor Mac Cormâ—ck O Connor Septemb. 1583. before the Lord Deputy and Council for Killing and Murdering his Men being under Protection Teig answered That they had since the Protection confederated with the Rebel Cahill O Connor and therefore were also Rebels and that he was ready to justify his Assertion by Combal Connor accepted the Motion and the Weapons which were Sword and Target being chosen by the Defendant the next day was appointed for the Battle and Patrons were assigned to each of them to introduce them into the Lists the Day being come and the Court sat the Combatants were likewise seated on two Stools one at each end of the Inner Court of the Castle of Dublin most of the Military Officers were present to render this Action the more Solemn and then the Pleadings being read the Combatants were stript to their Shirts and searched by Secretary Fenton and then each of them took a corporal Oath that his Quarrel was true and that he would justify the same with his Blood and then at the Sound of the Trumpets they began the Fight with great Resolution but at length Conner was twice wounded in his Leg and once in his Eye and thereupon design'd to close with his Adversary but Teige being too strong for him pummell'd him till he loosned his Murriâ—n and then he easily Stunn'd him and with Conner's own Sword cut off his Head and brought it to the Lords Justices But Mr. Sullevan Sullevan 108. who exclaims against this barbarous way of Tryal commits three Mistakes in this one Story First he says That this happened in Sir John Perot's time And 2dly That he forced the Parties to the Combat and that they were asham'd to refuse it And 3dly That it was in a Controversy about Lands in Ophaly But to proceed The Viscount Ballinglass that great Incendiary of Leinster was so totally dismayed at the News of the Death of the Earl of Desmond that he also privately Embarked for Spain where not long afterwards he died for grief So that the Kingdom being thus quieted the publick Revenue for the year 1583. Lib. M. amounted unto 23565 l. 12 s. Sir John Perrot Lord Deputy was Sworn the 26th of June 1584. his Commission was as usual during Pleasure 〈◊〉 make War and Peace Caballa of Letters 336. and to punish Offences or 〈◊〉 them Treason against the Queen's Person or Counterfeiting Money only excepted to make Orders and Proclamations to Impose Fines and Dispose of Rebels Estates to exercise Martial Law and to Assemble the Parliament with her Majesties Privity to confer all Offices except Chancellor Treasurer three Chief Judges and Master of the Rolls and to collate and confer all Spiritual Promotions except Arch-Bishops and Bishops to do all things relating to Justice and Government that the Queen could do if present The Lord Deputies Instructions were as followeth I. To Assemble and Consult the Council how the Government may be managed that Justice may take place the Charge lessened the Revenue increas'd and the Subject not oppressed II. To reduce the Army and the Pay as formerly especially in the Countries not wasted and to prevail with the Country to contribute as Carbury heretofore hath done III. To keep the Army in Discipline that they do not oppress the Subject and that the Companies be kept Compleat and Full. IV. To consider how Munster may be Repeopled and how the forfeited Lands in Ireland may be disposed of to the Advantage of Queen and Subject but first they must be Surveyed by Commissioners now sent over to that purpose and for the Encouragemennt of the Undertakers and to avoid Fraudulent Conveyances by the Rebels let there be a Parliament in a proper Season to pass Acts of Attaindure of fraudulent Conveyances and of Qualifying Uses V. That where Leases have been made without usual Reservation of
Portcorn that matter be likewise amended next Parliament VI. To Report to the Queen the Quality and Merit of those that have acted or suffered for her and the Quantity of the Reward fit to be given them out of the forfeited Lands and under what Covenants and Reservations and She thinks it better to give it to their younger Sons than themsevles to increase the number of Freeholders VII To the same Effect VIII To lessen or dissolve the Pensions and gratify the Parties with Portions of forfeited Lands certifying the Value and Condition of the same IX To grant no more Land to any Man than he shall be able to People X. To renew and observe the Directions to former Deputies in all things that are not contradicted hereby XI Because the Tenants of the Crown are disabled by the Rebellions of James Fitz-Morris and Desmond to pay their Arrears to let them have new Leases for the Remainder of the Terms at the old Rent the fourth Part of which shall be paid in Beeves at 9 s. a piece or Corn at the rate of Port-Corn and for the Arrearages to give Instalments or to remit part or all as you shall find requisite XII To resume by Act of Parliament or on Composition with the Parties the Demeasnes and Conveniences of Her Houses and Castles of Dublin Killmamham Athloan Caterlagh Leighlin Monasterevan c. and to annex them inseperably to the respective Castles or Houses by Act of Parliament reserving the Ancient Rent XIII To do the like by any of the forfeited Lands that lie convenient for those Castles c. XIV To preserve the Woods on any forfeited Lands near any Navigable River for her use XV. That no Man Ecclesiastical or Civil that has any Function or Office be suffer'd to be absent from his Charge above two Months without special License on pain of Forfeiture XVI To enquire with the Council what Outrages have been done since March the 25th 1583. and how redressed who of Quality are Loyal Disloyal or Suspected and to send Her an Account of the true Estate of every Province in that Realm XVII To inquire into all the Jurisdictions and Irish-Chieferies Exactions Cuttings and Spendings which the Attainted Rebels enjoyed that She may retain them or by relinquishing them manifest to Her Subjects the easiness of Her Government and their Happiness under it XVIII That Commissions do not issue for every trivial Concern and that the Allowance to Commissioners be not as great and burdensome as formerly XIX That the Establishment for Conaugh be lessened and that Richard Bingham be Chief Commissioner of Conaugh XX. To place John Norris Esquire President of Munster with the same Allowance your self had when President there XXI To make Thomas Jones Bishop of Meath Norris Bingham and Thomas L'Estrange Esquire of the Privy Council XXII To place such an Arch-Bishop at Armagh now void as you and the Council think fit XXIII To certify Quarterly the whole Expence in Ireland and what is sent hence and what is received there to defray it And afterwards additional Instructions were sent to him as followeth I. To endeavour to ease Her Majesties Charge in Victualling the Army Lib. C. by getting Victuals in Ireland and to save the charge and hazard of Transportation II. To consider how a College may be Erected and St. Patrick's Church and the Revenue thereof may be appropriated thereunto and every Diocess by Act of Parliament be made Contributary out of the Leases of Impropriations III. To Name some that may be made Lord Barons IV. In the next Parliament to revive the Impost which has been expir'd these two years V. To endeavour the getting in of the Debts due to Her Majesty VI. To Discharge such of the Pensioners or to Reward them in forfeited Lands as you shall think fit VII To Prefer the Ancient Officers and Soldiers before new Comers VIII To take off the Wards and Garison from Fernes and Iniscorthy and other unnecessary places IX To repair the Forts of Leix and Offaly at as small Charge as may be and to prevail with the Inhabitants of the Country for whose Defence they are made to provide Carriage and Labourers and to render an Account of the Condition of those Countries and the Causes of it X. To recompence Edward Waterhouse for the voluntary Surrender of his Patent for maintenance of Boats over the Sheuin such Entertainment as you and the Council shall think fit XI To suffer no Man that was in the late Rebellions of what Quality soever to keep any other Arms than Sword and Dagger XII To encourage the Loyal and protect the pardon'd People of Munster and send your best Advice how Munster may be Repeopled The Lord Deputy spent 18 days in close Consultation with the Privy Council who were the Arch-Bishop of Dublin Chancellor Earl of Ormond Treasurer the Bishops of Armagh Meath and Killmore Sir John Norris Lord President of Munster Sir Henry Wallop Treasurer of Wars Sir Nicholas Bagnall Knight Marshal Robert Gardener Chief Justice Sir Robert Dillon Chief Justice of Common Banc Sir Lucas Dillon Chief Baron Sir Nicholas White Master of the Rolls Sir Richard Bingham Chief Commissioner of Connaugh Sir Henry Cowley Sir Edward Waterhouse Sir Thomas L'Estrange Sir Edward Brabazon Jeffery Fenton Secretary of State Warham Saint Leger and Sir Valentine Brown And as soon as he understood the true State of the Kingdom and had laid down the Measures of his Government he issued a Proclamation of Oblivion and Indemnity and then he sent the Earl of Desmond's Son James into England On the 15th of July The Lord Deputy began his Progress and came to Molingar the 16th and thence sent a Cypher to the Lord Chancellor and Sir Henry Wallop to Dublin whereby they might easily Decipher and understand his Letters which would be unintelligible to the Rebels if they should happen to intercept them thence he proceeded to Connaugh where he endeavoured to reconcile all the great Men of that Country and put to Death Donogh beg O Bryan a bloody Murtherer in this Journey he converted Fryer Malachias a Malone Brother to Mac William Eughter and from Gallway he came to Limerick where he received the News that the Scots to the number of 1000. in favour of Surleboy had invaded Vlster and he also intercepted O Neals Fosterer returning out of Munster from exciting the Irish Lords and Gentlemen there to a new Rebellion but tho this Messenger upon Examination confessed his Errand yet he assured the Deputy that all those he had gone to refused to Rise as long as Sir John Perrot and the Earl of Ormond whom they deemed just Men continued in the Kingdom Hereupon the Deputy took Pledges from those he most suspected and leaving the County of Cork to the Justices Walsh and Miagh the Sheriff Sir William Stanley and the Lords Barry and Roch Limerick to the Provost Marshal Desmond to the Earl of Clancar 1584. Sir Owen O Sullevan and O Sullevan more
levying Forces two year before to distrain for Rent he pretended due to him in the Ferny Camd. Eliz. 447. The Irish say he had hard measure and instance much foul practice in the Prosecution and Tryall but however that be the poor Gentleman was hang'd and his Countrey divided between Sir Henry Bagnall Cap. Henslow and four of the Mac Mahouns under a yearly Rent each of them giving considerable Bribes to the Deputy as they said in their Complaint to the Council of England but the Lord Deputy in his Answer did vindicate himself from these unjust Aspersitions or at least endeavour to doe so however it must be observed that from henceforward the Irish loathed Sheriffs and the English Neighbourhood as fearing in time they might all follow the Fate of Mac Mahoun and therefore in the great Treaty near Dundalk in Jan. 1595. they all desired to be exempted from Garisons Sheriffs and other Officers In May 1590. the Earl of â—â—â—one went for England where he was in an easie manner râ—â—trained of his Liberty because he came over without the Deputy's Licence but upon his submission he was discharged of his Confinement and came to a new Agreement with the Queen which is to be found at large Morison 9. and offered Hostages thereof provided they might be kept in some Merchant's House in Dublin or some Gentleman's House in the Pale and be exchanged every three Months The reason why he was so much favour'd and trusted was because he advised the suppression of the Name of O Neal which was really of great importance and he was believ'd to be sincere because being the Son of a Bastard he could have no pretence to it and it stood not with his interest that any body else should have it and so his Power and Authority was in England thought to to be a Bridle upon Turlogh Lynogh and the Sons of Shane O Neal. On the 28th of May 1590. seaventy one Soldiers of Sir Thomas Norris's Company mutinied for want of Pay they came arm'd to the Castle Gate The Deputy offered them two month's Pay but they insisted upon all whereupon he courageously caused the Gate to be opened and sent them a Message that whoever entered the Castle should be hanged as a Traitour they answered that they did not intend to enter upon that the Deputy rode out to Church Sir Geo-Carew Master of the Ordnance bearing the Sword before him the Mutiniers made a Guard for him and begg'd his Lordship would consider them but he briskly rode up to one of them and finding many Gentlemen behind him he ordered them to disarm the Mutiniers but they prevented it by laying down their Arms and placing themselves on their Knees supplicated his Lordship's favour and though they were tied two and two together and sent to Newgate to vindicate the Authority which they had affronted yet because their Indigencies were great I suppose they came off without much severity About December four considerable Prisoners escaped out of the Castle of Dublin December 1590. not without the privity of a great Man well bribed as was supposed viz. the two Sons of Shane O Neal O Donell's Son and Philip O Reily but the Weather being very bad and the Journey tedious Art O Neal one of the Prisoners dyed by the way but the rest escaped to Vlster where the two other Sons of Shane O Neal fell into the power and possession of the Earl of Tyrone anno 1594. who kept them Prisoners and would by no means enlarge them or deliver them to the Deputy Tyrone on the 9th of August appeared at Dublin and confirmed the Agreement he had made in England but when he was urged to the performance of it the used many shifts and delays and desired the like security might be requir'd of his Nighbours This Winter Turlogh Lynogh's Men were wounded by Tyrone's and the next Summer the Marshal Bagnall's Sister was taken away and married to the Earl of Tyrone so that he became again obnoxious to the State and odious to the Marshal because he had another Wife then living Wherefore on the 16th of July he wrote to the Lords of the Council in England that Turlogh's Men were preying his Country and were killed by their own fault and in October following he wrote to the Deputy that the Marshal's Sister married him voluntarily and that he was lawfully divorced from his former Wife In the mean time viz. July 1591. Tyrone was made a County and divided into eight Baronies Dungannon being appointed for the Shire-town which amongst other things and particularly the Authority of Marshal Bagnall so fretted Tyrone that 't is believed it was this Summer confederated between him and the rest of the Irish to defend their pretended Rights and Religion against all Heretical Opposers and not to admit Sheriffs into their Countries This Winter Commissioners sate at Monaghan in order to settle the Country on the Queen's Patentees and had 100 Soldiers for their Guard they were allarmed and disturbed at the rumour that Con Tyrone's Son was appoaching for which Tyrone was blam'd but he answered That they were frighted at the sight of two Horsemen there being no more near them at the time of the Allarm However the State grew every day more and more jealous of him and the â—ather because he entertained a Friendship with Hughroe who escaped out of Dublin Castle as aforesaid and was now the O Donell his Father being dead and had surprized the Castle of Montross nor did Tyrone's pretence that he did this in order to make O Donell a good Subject give any satisfaction to the State although at the same time he craftily desired the Lords of the Council to interpose so that he might have the Marshal's Love and that they might live friendly together On the 12th of July a Commission issued to Sir Thomas Norris Sir Robert Gardiner Sir Nicholas Walsh 1592. Roger Wilbraham and James Gold to compound with the Inhabitants of Munster for Cess and Purveyance c. and thereupon in September following the Commissioners did make a Composition for three years which amounted yearly to the following Summs viz. The Barony of Orrery 20 00 00 Condons 06 00 00 Kinalea 15 00 00 Ibawne 25 00 00 Fermoy 25 00 00 Ivelegham and Gormlehan alias Barrymore 42 00 00 Clanmorris 50 00 00 Desmond 30 00 00 County of Waterford Poers Country 45 00 00 Decyes 35 00 00 Â Coshmore Coshbride 12 00 00 Â Ifeagh 18 00 00 Â Imokilly 60 00 00 Â Barretts 23 00 00 Â Conrâ—yes 05 00 00 Â Duhallow 30 00 00 Â Muskry 35 00 00 Â Bear and Bantry 13 06 08 Â Carbry 80 00 00 The Barony of Connilo was to pay 25 s. for every quarter of Land and small County but five Shillings per annum and the rest of the County of Limerick 10 s. per annum for every Plow-land The Barony of Kyrricurry was to pay 1 6 8 in lieu of all charges
out of every Plow-land only the twenty Plow-lands formerly held by Sorohen should pay but 15 s. a piece per annum and in case of Invasion so that of necessity the Soldiers must victual on the Country six shillings and eight pence per Plow-land shall be abated therefore and the Territories of Trachanckmy Corkaguiny and Offerbuy were to pay 02 13 04 out of every Knight's-Fee but that which was the best Article in the whole agreement was that the Country was to appoint their respective Collectours of the Composition-Money The year 1593 is memorable for the College of Dublin 1593. which was then finished and made an University whereof the Lord Burleigh was the first Chancellour and Vsher afterward the Learned Primate was the first Scholar that was entred there which proved a good Omen that that Noble foundation would produce many Good and Learned men for the Service of God and the King both in Church and State But the rebellious Spirit of the Irish could be no longer restrain'd Camb. Eliz. 478. but that it must have some vent O Connor was troublesome in Connaugh as O Donell was in Vlster and Macguire chief of Fermanagh alledging that he had paid 300 Bieves to the Deputy to excuse his Country from a Sheriff during his Government and that nevertheless one Captain Willis was appointed Sheriff and kept 200 followers Men Women and Boys who prey'd on the Country did rise up in Arms and drove them all to a Church where he would have murthered them but for Tyrone who got their lives spared on condition they should depart the Country Hereupon the Deputy invaded Fermanagh and proclaimed Macguire Traitor and took Eniskilling and they say he let drop some words reflecting on Tyrone which he afterwards said was the first cause of the jealousie he conceived of the English But Macguire not discouraged at this by the importunity of Gauran titular Primate of Ardmagh invades Connaugh intending to prey upon that Country but the valiant Bingham routed him and his Forces many of which were slain and particularly the Primate It is observable that in the Course of this War Tyrone served with Marshall Bagnall against Macguire and in a Recounter got a wound in his Thigh Nevertheless the Feuds betwixt Tyrone Lib. L. 1594. and the Marshal continued and the Marshal impeached the Earl of divers Treasons 1. That he entertained the aforesaid Primate being a Traitor 2. That he corresponded with O Donell and other Traitors but he so well acquitted himself before the Deputy and Council at Dundalk and by his Letters in England that in August 1594. the Council of England commended him for his Service against Macguire pronounced him innocent of the Crimes laid to his charge and chid the Marshal for his partiality Nevertheless it is plain that this cunning Earl at this very time plotted that formidable Rebellion which afterward broke out and in order to it he used two Strategems 1. Having six Companies under his Command at the Queen's pay he altered and changed the men so often that thereby his whole Country became disciplin'd Soldiers 2. He got a great quantity of Lead into his possession under pretence of building a stately House at Dungannon But in August the Lord Deputy was recalled and Sir William Russel youngest Son of Francis Earl of Bedford Lord Deputy landed at the head of Hoath 31st of July and the next day he went to Dublin but refused to accept of the Sword till the Council had first given him in writing under their hands an account of the State and Condition of the Kingdom which being done he was sworn on Sunday the 11th of August with great Solemnity The same day news were brougt that Cormock Mac Baron Tyrone's Brother who besieged Iniskelling had defeated the English being 46 Horse and 600 Foot under the Conduct of Sir Edward Herbert and Sir Henry Duke whereupon Sir Richard Bingham who was the sixth of August sent to relieve that place returned to Dublin 11 August Hereupon orders issued for a general Hosting and the next day there came news of 2500 Scots who had landed and done much mischief at Carigfergus On the 13th of August an Order of Council was made That the Lord Deputy leaving the Earl of Ormond to defend the Pale against Pheagh Mac Hugh and Walter Riagh should march to relieve Iniskelling and it was also ordered and agreed That the Council being divided viz. some to stay at Dublin and others to attend the Lord Deputy the Acts and Orders of either Party should be as effectual as if they were all together and should be esteemed and obeyed as the Act of the whole Council In the mean time Lib. M. Lambeth on the 15th of August Tyrone himself unexpectedly and to the amazement of all men came to the Council Board without previous Pass or Protection and on the 17th made his submission on his knees and in writing Lib. B. 2. Lambeth this wheedling Submission together with large offers and expressions of Loyalty he pretended all his distaste was at the former Deputy but that he reverenc'd this and was ready to doe any service he could for Her Majesty or his Lordship he confess'd that no Prince in the World was more Gracious to a Subject than Her Majesty had been to him that She had advanced him to a large Estate and high Title and called God to Witness that Her Majesty's Displeasure was his greatest grief and he renounced God if ever he would heave up his hand against Her Majesty thereafter He also promised to send his Son to be educated at Dublin and to deliver sufficient Pledges of his Loyalty whereupon by the opinion of the major part of the Council he was discharged Camd. Eliz. 493. the Marshall Bagnall in vain offering to prove several Treasons against him But as soon as the Queen was informed thereof she smartly reprimanded this fatal oversight of the Deputy and Council who might at least have made use of Tyrone to relieve Iniskelling The Deputy marched from Dublin the 19th August 1594. and came to Trim that night the 20th to Molingar and the next day to Athloan the 23d to Roscomon the 24th to Abby Boyle on the 26th he passed the Curlew Mountains and encamped at Drumdone and the next day passed the Bogs and marched eleven Miles to the Hill of Killargan on the 28th he went over other Bogs with great danger and came to Ballaghnimerla and on the 29th to Glacknemansha on the 30th his Lordship with great difficulty and some loss passed the River with 500 Men and entered the Castle of Iniskelling without opposition the Enemy being fled upon the news of his approach Iniskelling being thus relieved the Deputy returned by easie Marches and came safe to Dublin on Monday the 9th of September On the 16th of January the Deputy took a Hunting Journy to Ballynecor and drove Pheah Mac Hugh into the Glinnes and garison'd Captain Street's Company in
more and on the 30th of July the Deputy march'd to the new Fort at Blackwater and beyond it and spent two days in cutting the Woods and clearing the Paces and whilst they were doing so on the first of August the Rebels made an Alarum whereat the English Horses were frightned broke their Headstals and ran away some to Armagh and some to Newry but the Troopers recovered them all again by the cowardize and negligence of the Irish Horse-men who might easily have pursued and taken them all On the second of August the Deputy return'd to Armagh and march three miles farther to Ralawtany and sent out Sir Henry Danvers with 300 Foot to burn about 20 Houses which he effected but in his return was assaulted by Tyrene's Army However being succour'd from the Camp he made a safe Retreat though the Rebels pursued him even so far as to pour a Volly of Shot into the Camp and by reason of the adjacent Wood they also got away safe The next day the Deputy marched North of Armagh for convenience of Forage and to secure the Convoys and the Rebels being numerous drew down thorough the Woods near the Army which by Poll was but 1728 foot and above half of them Irish The fourth of August the Deputy drew out some Companies to cut down the Woods and they were not interrupted all day but after they were return'd to the Camp in the Evening the Rebels appear'd in a Meadow below the Camp with Drums and Bagpipes and pretended to assault the Camp but the Lord Deputy plac'd 400 men in Ambush and order'd them not to fire till the Enemy was very near The Rebels were encourag'd by their not firing so that they poured 2 or 3000 Shot into the Camp but the Ambush finding their opportunity gave them such a Volley in their teeth that turn'd their Musick to Allogone and slew many of their best men and particularly Peirce Lacy of the Brough one of the greatest Rebels in Munster But because Tyrone who had 3640 Foot and 400 Horse was strengthned by the access of Maguire mac Mahon and Cormack mac Baron and their Followers and was also elevated with the expectation of Spanish Succours the Deputy sent for Sir John Barkly's Regiment from Annaly and spent two days in cutting the Paces and on the 7th march'd to Mount Norris where he staid the 8th 9th 10th 11th and 12th and on the 13th came within three mile of Armagh and on the 14th victualled the Abby of Armagh and the Fort of Blackwater and return'd to his Camp and on the 15th he march'd to Mount Norris and on the 16th to Carrickbane near the Newry and on the 24th his Lordship left the Field and came to the Newry having plac'd his Forces in Garrison  Foot Horse  Viz. at Carigfergus 850 125 Sir Arth. Chichester Lecale 300  Sir Rich. Morison Newry 450 50 Sir Fran. Stafford Mount Norris 600 50 Sir Sam. Bagnal Armagh 800 125 Sir Hen. Danvers Blackwater 350  Capt. Williams But let us return to the Lord President of Munster who was alarum'd from Conaugh for in the latter end of March Redmond Burk and Hugh Mostian with 800 Canaugh-men and Teig Bourk John Fitz Thomas Donough mac Cormock and Peirce Lacy with 700 Vlster-men design'd to invade Munster by the way of Conaugh and the Lord of Kerry Teig Reagh mac Mahon and others were providing a Bark to come by Sea Sir John Barkly Governour of Conaugh in absence of Sir Arthur Savage was too weak to resist this Force and therefore the President sent him 1000 Foot under Sergeant-Major Flower in hopes to interrupt their passage over the Shenin Flower assisted by the Lord Twomond's Foot-Company on the 29th of March came to Quin in Thomond and hearing the Rebels were not far off notwithstanding that Teig mac Tirlogh O Brian and Walter Burk Son of the blind Abbot had three days before joyn'd them he drew towards them and so valiantly manag'd the Encounter that Teig and Walter were both slain and their Forces totally routed The remainder of the Rebels finding that the President had taken care to stop their passage by Sea retir'd into Tough Kinalehim a strong Fastness betwixt Clanrickard and Thomond where they continued till the 13th of April then being half starved and dispairing of assistance from O Donnel who had promis'd it they stole away in the Night to O Maddins Country the English pursued them several Nights till they pass'd the River Suck wherein 200 Irish were drowned and the rest dispers'd in the mean time the President himself came to Lymerick to countenance and be ready to assist the English Forces he also order'd the chief Irish Subjects with their risings out to meet at Galbally in the County of Lymerick under the Lord Barry where 1300 Foot and 120 Horse of the County of Cork only appeared The Rebels thus scattered Captain Flower returned to Lymerick the 21st of April and on the 26th the President returned to Cork in order to use all possible means to secure the Sugan Earl and Florence Mac Carty which not long after he luckily effected for on the 29th of May the White Knight alias Fitz Gibbon took James the Sugan Earl of Desmond prisoner in a Cave in the Mountain of Slevegrot and sent him to the President at Cork for which good service he had 1000 l. This Earl was arraign'd and condemn'd at Cork and afterwards sent into England together with Florence Mac Carty whom the President caus'd to be arrested in Cork in the beginning of June upon notice of his manifold Treasons and Breaches of his Protection which may be found at large in Pacata Hiberniae p. 164. both of them afterwards died in the Tower of London One of these was the most potent of all the Earls of Desmond having at one time 8000 armed Men under his command And the other had been the most considerable of the Mac Carties since the Conquest The President Pa◠Hib. 17◠to farther the intended Plantation at Ballishanon sent Sir Francis Barkley and 1000 Foot and 50 Horse to Conaugh by the Deputy's order where they did very good service On the 28th of July the President held Sessions of Goal-delivery at Cork where all the Freeholders were summon'd to appear and then he intended to seize upon the most suspicious persons in hopes that the News thereof would prevent the Spanish Invasion and accordingly he caus'd to be arrested Mac Donogh alias Dermond Mac Owen Teig Mac Dermond Carty Brother of the Lord of Muskry and Moyle more O Mahon of Kinalmeaky all which were fully resolved to joyn with the Spaniards and had license from the Priests to temporize till their deliverance should come About this time the Earl of Ormond did good service in Kilkenny and Tipperary and slew several considerable Rebels and near 100 others of lesser note But let us return to the Lord Deputy 1601. whom we left at the Newry where he receiv'd News that
necessitated William Burk with his Bownaghts to follow his Brother Tyrrel into O Carol's Country and O Sullevan himself and O Connor Kerry were glad to accompany them thither but these Fugitives did not pass so luckily and scotfree as Tyrrel did for Teige Mac Owen Carty on the skirts of Muskny and John Barry near Liscarrol gave them severe rebukes and the Sheriff of Typerary fell smartly upon their rear whil'st the rest were passing the Shennin in their Nevoges and even in the County of Galway Sir Thomas Burk and Captain Malby gave them disturbance but their despair made them victorious in that encounter and they bravely forced their way with the slaughter of Malby and many of his Soldiers and got safely into O Bowrk's Country On the fifth of January Captain Taffe had the good fortune to kill the valiant Apostolick Vicar Owen mac Egan and 140 of his followers near the River of Bandon which was followed by the submission of all the Rebels in Carbry and it is observed of this zealous Vicar that he never pardon'd any Irish-man tho' a Papist that serv'd the Queen but would as soon as they came before him have them confessed absolv'd and executed These good Successes were followed by the defeat and ruine of the Lord of Lixnaw whose party was totally routed by Captain Boys and all his substance taken and 80 of his Men killed as also by the taking of the strong Castles of Kilcoe and Berengary and so all Munster being reduc'd to obedience the Lord President prepared for his Voyage to England and left Sir Charles Wilmot and Sir George Thornton joynt Governors of that Province And thus ended this mighty Rebellion which from a small beginning grew to be the most general and dangerous defection that ever was in Ireland to that time which could never have happened but for the gripple-handedness as Cambden phrases it and slighting of England nor was this the first time that the Queen had been a Penny wise and a Pound otherwise in managing the Affairs of Ireland and had paid dear for her frugality as she did in this War which might have been prevented at first with the twentieth part of what it cost afterward for the Charge of this one Year from the first of April 1601 to the first of April 1602 amounted to no less than 322502 l. 1 s. 0d The Rebels in the course of this War were exceedingly troubled that some of the Papists continued Loyal to the Queen and they bitterly exclaim'd against the Popish Priests of English extraction that justified the Opinion they might lawfully do so and to convince them of their error the Rebels did not only procure a Bull from Pope Clement the Eighth dated the 8th of April 1600. giving such plenary remission of sins to those that fight against the Hereticks in Ireland as to those that fight against the Turks and his Holines's Letter of the 20th of January 1601. directed to Tyrone to animate him and his followers to persevere in their Rebellion but also procured the Censures of the Universities of Salamanca and Valladolid that it was mortal sin for a Papist to fight against Prince O Neal the Champion of the Church who militates for the Catholick Faith and that they cannot be forgiven till they desert the Hereticks Service and Mr. Sullevan thinks he has nickt it when he calls the contrary Opinion Insanam vene nosam doctrinam It seems that the Earl of Twomond remembring the severe Government of Fitton President of Connaugh whil'st he was in England made his humble Suit to the Queen that the County of Clare might be re-annexed to Munster whereof it was formerly a part whereupon the Queen the 29th of July 1602. wrote to the Lord Deputy and Council on that Subject and on the 4th of October she wrote positively to renew the Earl's Commission to use Martial Law in that County and to put him into all Commissions of Oyer and Terminor Goal-delivery c. next to the President and Chief Justice and to continue his Band of 200 Men and his Entertainment of 10 s. a Day and to reunite Twomond to Munster unless they found great reason to the contrary they debated the matter and 't was alledg'd for the reunion 1. The Name Thomond i. e. North Munster which proves it was originally part of Munster and so has continued 1300 Years 2. It was inhabited by Munster-men the O Bryans being setled on both sides the River Shenin their Language and Pronunciation is the same and since there is an Alliance between them they ought not to be seperated 3. Twomond was formerly part of the County of Lymerick and the Inhabitants have been often tryed for Life and Estate by Judges and Commissioners at Lymerick but of late the County being too large part of it was made a separate County by name of the County of Clare but nevertheless was subject to the Governours of Munster 4. It was first united to Connaugh at the importunity of Fitâ—on because Roscomon Sligo and Mayo were not amesnable to Law this brought great inconveniency to Thomond till it was reunited and Sir Nicholas Malby procured it again to be seperated and so it continued till the Earl got the Martial Government of it and his Company is of the List of Munster 6. It is necessary the President of Munster who governs Lymerick should have command on both sides the River Shenin to prevent the design of foreign Enemies 7. Part of Twomond is within the Liberties of Lymerick and must not de dispunishable till remedy can be had from Conaugh 8. Lymerick is the Sanctuary and Bulwark of Twomond and the fittest place to keep it in order and therefore the Citizens have purchased good Estates in Twomond and it would be very inconvenient to have them and their Estates under several Governments 9. Twomond is in the Province of Cashel the Arch-bishoprick of Munster and these Reasons prevailing the County of Clare was again made part of Munster But my Friends at Ballyvorny would never forgive me if I should omit the Indulgence granted by Pope Clement the Eighth to such as in devotion go unto Gobonet's-Church in Muskry in the County of Cork which follows in these words UNiversis Christi fidelibus praesentes literas inspecturis salutem Apostolicam benedictionem Lib. N. N. N. 77. ad augendum fidelium Religionem animarum salutem coelestibus ecclesiae thesauris pia charitate intenti Omnibus utriusque sextus Christi fidelibus vere penitentibus confessis ac sacra communione reflectis qui ecclesiam parochialem Sanctae Gobonetae loci Ballyvorni Clunensi dioc ' die Festo ejusdem Sanctae Goboneuae à primis vesperis usque ad Occasum solis praedicti festi singulis annis devote visitaverint ibi pro Christianorum principum concordia Heresum extirpatione ac Sanctae Matris ecclesiae exaltatione pias ad deum preces effuderint decem annos totidem quadragenas de
this Contention was drown'd in 1618. upon which his Lady brought her young Son over from Ireland whither he had been carried at the Age of Three years and now he was about Nine She put him to a Private School under a Roman Catholick but by Order of King James he was removed to the Archbishop of Canterbury's Doctor Abbot and by him he was wholly maintain'd for Five or Six years without any Pension from Court or possibility of Help from home where all was sequestred and deprest By him also was he first instructed in the Protestant Religion and in the Doctrine of the Church of England unto which he stuck fast to his Death In 1628. his Grace was at Portsmouth to take Share in the Expedition then preparing for the Relief of Rochel but the sudden Death of the Duke of Buckingham put him upon other Measures for in a while after he married the Lady Elizabeth Preston which ended and reconciled the long Contentions of the Family This Lady was by the Marriage aforementioned the only Child of the said Earl of Desmond who being also lately drown'd she fell in Wardship to King Charles the First and His Majesty bestowed the Wardship upon the Earl of Holland then Lord Chamberlain She was intended for a Nephew of the Duke of Buckingham's which drew him into that Partiality and his Grace was in particular forbid by His Majesty to pretend unto His Ward However the young Lady saw none in the whole Court who either for Beauty or for Parts could outshine her Kinsman And Both being agreed he was forced to pay down Fifteen thousand Pounds to the said Earl of Holland for her Wardship These were all the Favours that either he or his Family could then meet with in the Court of England So hastning with his Lady to Acton near Bristol and there staying about a Year with his Uncle Sir Robert Poyntz he went for Ireland at the end of 1630. soon after which as the Manner there was he purchas'd a Troop of Horse in the Standing Army The Lord Wentworth afterwards Earl of Strafford went over Lord Deputy in 1633. In a while after he call'd a Parliament which being appointed to meet within the Castle of Dublin a Proclamation issued That none of the Members either Peers or Commons should enter with their Swords All obey'd the Order save this young Lord who told the Black Rod at the Door He should have no Sword of his except in his Guts So being the only Peer who sat that day in defiance of the Proclamation it fired the Lord Deputy as not wâ—nt to be disobey'd His Grace was call'd upon in the Evening to answer for it who thereupon shew'd His Majesty's Writ calling him to Parliament Cinctus cum gladio which sort of Answer being not expected and finding him like to prove an untractable Companion it was in deliberation that Night between the Lord Deputy and his Two-Friends Sir George Ratcliff and Mr. Wandesford Whether to trample him quite under foot or to oblige so daring a young Man who was now also grown very Popular But Sir George being for the more benign Extreme he was taken into Favour caress'd and made one of the Privy Council No Opportunities were from that time forward omitted to oblige him or set him forth in a high Character to His Majesty So that in the Year 1639 the Lord Lieutenant made him Lieutenant General of the Horse in the Army which was then newly rais'd but as soon disbanded Upon the neck of this the Earl of Strafford fell into those Troubles which in May 1640. hurried him to the Scaffold But the Earl having heard with what vigour his Grace contended to oppose and overthrow these Accusations which came against him from the Parliament of Ireland as it was the last Request this Earl made to His Majesty That he would be pleas'd to bestow his Blue Garter upon his Grace so in June following his Grace had notice of His Majesty's Gracious Intentions to confer it accordingly The Earl of Leicester was at this time appointed to be Lord Lieutenant of Ireland tho' by some Accidents he never went over It was on the 23d of October 1641. that the Rebellion broke out the News whereof being brought to His Majesty then in Scotland His Majesty does by Letter to his Grace from Edinborough of the 31th of the same Month lament that Calamity and desires and presses his Grace to take on him to be Lieutenant General of the Army This was in effect by Necessity thrown on him even before that Command cameâ— but in May 1642. it came to him in Form by Commission from the Earl of Leicester as General In August after His Majesty being at Nottingham where He set up His Standard sent his Grace a Patent for the Honor of Marquis and in September following His Majesty by the Advice and Consent of the Lords Justices appointed him to â—old the said Command of Lieutenant General immediately from Himself by Patent under the Broad Seal It was by these Steps that his Grace came suddenly to be embark'd in a Course of Life to which he was utterly a Stranger He had not had the Means for Travel or ever seen War either abroad or at home He was made a General before he was a Soldier His very first Essay was to oppose a bloody Rebellion then newly broke out And how far he was able by a vigorous Body and the vivacity of his Parts and a boundless Zeal for the Crown to discharge and sustain that Trust or how he bore up in all those Vicissitudes of Exaltation and Banishment of Plenty and of Want of Dignity and Depression which did in the Course of about Fifty Years after so often befal him may prove Matter for a larger Place The last who manag'd the Sword of State was the Marquis of Clanrickard who was also an English Peer and Earl of St. Albans He was the First Roman Catholick that had been entrusted with the Chief Government since the Reformation But the Irish were come to that pass as not to endure a Protestant to be over them and so this brave Gentleman was deputed by the Marquis of Ormond to take his Place And tho' his Religion was pleasing to the Irish yet the King's Authority wherewith he was clothed was by no means acceptable to them that design'd to shake off the Yoke of England and therefore they proved as troublesom and refractary to him as they had been before to the Lord Lieutenant So that after Two Years vexatious Agitation amongst them and after he had in vain tried all ways to support the sinking State he laid down Arms and had Liberty to retire into England where he died He was a Person of sound Understanding and unblemish'd Loyalty and did from the beginning abhor their Courses towards the English And altho' the Nuncio and the Clergy made frequent Trials to seduce him from his Integrity yet being evermore fixt in his Principles he resisted all
Iblid 5 6. says Fryar Paul King and yet Mr. Beling Confesses that even the Regulars In omnibus fere Regni locis Libere quiete pacifice possidebant mansionibus They really had less cause to Rebel in 1641 than at any time before they never had greater indulgence than at that time and several new Graces and Favours were but the August before condescended unto them As for the intercepted Letters they could never shew any that were Authentick nor indeed any at all and if the Forgery of a Lye or the intercepting of a Letter perhaps written for that purpose by one of themselves is in their Opinion a sufficient excuse for so general and so inhumane a Rebellion how much does it import the Government to take care that they shall never be able to Rebel any more But could they really be afraid that it was a Puritanical War when they saw it managed by the Marquiss of Ormond from the very beginning or if their Jealousie of the Puritans was Earlier and the Motive to their Insurrection why then did they fall upon the Bishops and their Clergy and Murder the conformable Protestants And as for their Extirpation it was far from being designed or any thing like it in his Majesties Reign and in Truth is so contrary to the Nature of an English Man that we find that when the Parliament had subdued them and brought the whole Irish Nation under their Power and tho' they were provoked by this barbarous Rebellion and a Ten years War yet they did not extirpate them nor indeed lessen their number to that degree that in Prudence they ought to have done for the security of the English and to prevent their Expulsion out of that Kingdom a second time But it is necessary to observe that most of the things they offer to justifie or excuse this premeditated Rebellion were ex post facto and happened after the Rebellion broke out to which they had no regard in their first Conspiracy which the Earl of Castlehaven assures us Review 22. was laid partly at home and partly abroad several years before the Troubles either of England or Scotland began The next Objection is The Fourth Question That there were great Cruelties and many Murthers committed on both sides and that some English gave Orders not to spare Man Review 29. Woman nor Child in the Enemies Quarters and that the Irish desired the Murtherers on both sides might be punished and they desire you to Read R. S. his Collection of Murthers To which I Answer That if the Assertion were true yet it must be considered that what the British did was in time of War in the greatest Passion and upon the highest Provocation that could be and it is not strange that Men whose Substance was plundered and whose Relations were murdered should whilst the Anguish was upon them be intemperate in their revenge if the Irish could murder so many upon causeless and pretended Fears and Jealousies in a time of Peace why should they object some few Excesses in a just revenge for real Injuries in a time of War And indeed the Irish being the first Aggressors are answerable even for the severity they occasioned upon themselves but there is no need of farther arguing if a difference be not made between Execution in War and Murder in cold Blood and in time of Peace But 't is said they did consent the Murderers on both sides should be punished but who should be the Judges No others but an Irish Parliament of their own choosing which they knew would condemn the most Innocent Protestant and acquit the most Criminal Papist besides though it be no evidence to a Court that I left 500 persons behind me in such a Parish and that none of them can since be found or heard of and I believe were all murdered This I say is no Evidence against A. B. and yet it would satisfy any impartial Hearer that these persons came to untimely Ends and by the means of those in whose power they were so that the makers of the Act of Settlement had good reason to say That the Rapines Depredations and Massacres committed by the Irish and Popish Rebels and Enemies were not only well known to that Parliament but are notorious to the whole World Irish Stat. 502. not withstanding the many Means and Artifices which for many years together have been used to Murder such Witnesses Suppress such Evidences and also to Vitiate and Imbezil such Records and Testimonies as might prove the same against particular Persons And as to R. S. his Collection of Murders it is a mere heap of Forgeries designed only to make a noise he begins with the aforesaid Story of the Massacre in the Isle of Magee which he says was the first in Ireland though really it was subsequent to many hundreds of Murders committed by the Irish on the 23d of October and thenceforward he will not allow the Lord Mayo nor Lady Roch to be guilty though they were Condemned and Executed after a fair Tryal on full Evidence he falsly brags That there were no Murders in the County of Cork but I have mentioned some and given the reason why there were none published viz. The Murder of Archdeacon Byss who had the account of them Finally he says that 238 Irish were murdered in Cloghinkilty and 88 ty'd back to back and drown'd in Bandon And because I have for some years lived in both those Towns I can assure the Reader That the first is no more than what I have related page 113. saving that perhaps there might be some Women and Children in the number I there mention and the second is utterly false as I am credibly informed from several ancient Inhabitants of that Town The next Question is The Fifth Question Whether the King Countenanced or Commissioned the Irish Rebellion because the Irish Clergy assured the People he did and Sir Phelim O Neale shewed the Original Commission to several The Supreme Council favoured this Report by pretending to act for His Majesty's Service and by alledging That the Support of His Prerogative was the chief Motive of their Insurrection and their Generals Owen Roe and Preston did in effect avouch it by summoning Castles and Garisons in His Majesty's Name to Surrender to them to the use of His Majesty and particularly Preston did so at Castlejordan and Duncannon Moreover the Irish called themselves The Queen's Army and the King sent but 40 Proclamations against them and the Lord of Antrim's Information Appendix 49. and King Charles the Second's Letter to restore that Lord because what he did was by the King's Order do create abundance of Suspicion in this particular To which I answer That the King was altogether innocent in this matter and first I must premise That they who abett this Objection do greater Service to the Irish than they are aware of for if the King Commissioned them there could be no Rebellion they might be
Parliament in Ireland till the Eleventh Year of this King's Reign Sullivan 211. and that Sullivan himself brings this very Neal Garuff on the English side again Anno 1608. But to proceed Sir ARTHUR CHICHESTER was sworn Lord Deputy on the Third of February 1604. and soon after establish'd a new Circuit for Judges of Assize for the Province of Connagh 1604. and retrived the Circuit of Munster Davis 265. which had been discontinued for Two hundred Years It must be observed That until this time the Papists generally did come to Church and were called Churchâ—Papists but now the Priests began to be seditious and did not only scandalize the Publick Administration of Affairs but also took upon them to review and decide some Causes that had been determin'd in the King's Courts and to oblige their Votaries on pain of Damnation to obey their Decision and not that of the Law they did also forbid the People to frequent the Protestant Churches and they publickly rebuilt Churches for themselves and erected or repaired Abbies and Monasteries in several Parts of the Kingdom and particularly at Multifernam in the County of Westmeath Killconell in the County of Gallway Rossariell in the County of Mayo Buttivant Kilkrea and Timoleague in the County of Cork Quin in the County of Clare Garinlogh in Desmond and in the Cities of Waterford and Kilkenny Sullivan 206. Intending says Mr. Sullivan to restore the Splendor of Religion And as many as pleased sent their Children to Foreign Seminaries without control And perhaps all this might have passed if they had not as foolishly as impudently publish'd every where and in all Companies That the King was of their Religionâ— 1605. But then the Government was necessarily obliged for the Vindication of his Majesty and to prevent the Growth of Popery and suppress the Insolence of the Papists to publish a Proclamation on the Fourth of July 1605. commanding the Popish Clergy to depart the Kingdom before the Tenth of December following unless they would conform to the Laws of the Land But this Proclamation being too faintly executed as Laws against Popery have hitherto always been produced more Noise than Effect so that it did little service in Ireland and yet furnished the Irish Papists with matter of Complaint beyond Seas where they usually make a great Clamour for a small Matter But on the Fifth of November was discovered the Damnable Popish Plot well known in England by the Name of The Gunpowder Treason the Design of it was to blow up at once the King the Nobility and the Principal Gentry of that Kingdom then assembled in Parliament The Papists did for some time with great Artifice and Confidence impose upon the World that this was a Plot of Cecill's making but finding at length that that Cobweb Pretence was too thin and was easily seen through they laid the blame upon a few desperate Villains as they always do when the Fact is too notorious to be denied But now that Matter is pretty well setled by the Confession of * Wilson Hist of K. James p. 32. Weston of the Earl of Castlehaven the Lord Stafford and Peter Walsh This Year the barbarous Customs of Tanistry and Gavelkind were abolish'd by Judgment in the King's Bench Davis's Reports and the Irish Estates thereby made descendible according to the Course of the Common Law of England and the City of Cork and the Liberties thereof were separated from the County of Cork and made a distinct County of it self reserving nevertheless Places in the City for a Gaol and a Court-house for the County at large In the Year One thousand six hundred and six 1606. the famous Robert Lalor Vicar-General of Dublin and other Diocesses in Leinster for disobedience to the aforesaid Prolamation was apprehended in the City of Dublin it being the Custom of these Ecclesiastical Spies to lurk about the Metropolis of every Kingdom he was in Michaelmaâ— Term indicted upon the Statute of 2 Eliz. cap. 1. for advancing and upholding Foreign Jurisdiction within this Realm but he humbled himself to the Court and voluntarily and upon Oath on 22d December 1606. made a Recognition in haec verba First He doth acknowledge that he is not a lawful Vicar General in the Diocess of Dublin Kildare and Fernes and thinketh in his Conscience that he cannot lawfully take upon him the said Office Item He doth acknowledge our Soveraign Lord King James Davis Rep. 83. that now is to be his Lawful Chief and Supream Governor in all Causes as well Ecclesiastical as Civil and that he is bound in Conscince to obey him in all the said Causes and that neither the Pope nor any other Foreign Prelate Prince or Potentate hath any Power to controll the King in any â—ause Ecclesiastical or Civil within this Kingdom or any of his Majesties Dominions Item He doth in his Conscience believe that all Bishops ordained and made by the Kings Authority within any of his Dominions are lawful Bishops and that no Bishop made by the Pope or by any Authority derived from the Pope within the Kings Dominions hath any Power or Authority to impugne disannul or controll any Act done by any Bishop made by his Majesties Authority as aforesaid Item He professeth himself willing and ready to obey the King as a good and obedient Subject ought to do in all his lawful Commandments either concerning his Function of Priesthood or any other Duty belonging to a good Subject Upon this Confession he was indulged with more Liberty and the free Access of his Friends and would undoubtedly have been enlarged the next Term if he had not privately denied what he had publickly done protesting that his Confession did not extend to the Kings Authority in Spiritual Causes but in Temporal only this being told to the Lord Deputy it was resolved to try him upon the Statute of 16. R. 7. cap. 5. of Premunire and it was discreetly done rather to Indite him upon that than upon any new Statute made since the Reformation Davis Rep. 85. that the Irish might be convinc'd That even Popish Kings and Parliaments thought the Pope an Usurper of those exorbitant Jurisdictions he claim'd and thought it inconsistent with the Loyalty of a good Subject to uphold or advance his unjust and unreasonable Incroachments on the Prerogative of the King and the Priviledge of the Subject which tended to nothing less then to make our Kings his Lacquies our Nobles his Vassals and our Commons his Slaves and Villains Upon this Indictment he was tryed and found Guilty and upon his Tryal his aforesaid Recognition which he made upon Oath was publickly read which netled him exceedingly and the rather because he was asked whether he had not denied this Confession to some of his Friends to which he answered that he had not but only told some of them that he had not own'd the Kings Supremacy in Spiritual Causes which he said was true for the word
Three pence per Pound for other Goods due by Common Law But the Irish were very uneasie at the Plantation of Ulster and therefore it was necessary to countenance and protect it with an extraordinary Militia in that Province to support the Charge of which the King 1611. on the 22th day of May instituted the Order of Baronets which was to be Hereditary and not to exceed the number of Two hundred and every of them upon passing the Patent was to pay into the Exchequer as much Money as would maintain Thirty Men in Ulster for Three Years at Eight pence a day But if the Reader desires to know more of this Order I must refer him to Selden's Titles of Honour pag 822. and 909. and The Present State of England pag. 289. and Sir Richard Baker's Chronicle ad Annum 1611. But there had not been a Parliament in Ireland for Seven and twenty Years past since the Twenty seventh Year of Queen Elizabeth's Reign so that it was high time to call one now and the Ministers of State were at work to manage that Matter to the advantage of his Majesty and the English Protestant Interest in that Kingdom which they foresaw would be oppos'd with might and main by all those of the Popish Party and therefore they propos'd that an Order should issue for every Parliament-man to take the Oath of Supremacy and that the Lords should declare their Suffrages openly Content or Not content as in England and not rise and whisper in the Lord Chancellor's Ear as was the Custom in Ireland and that the King should find some Pretence to send for some few of those Noblemen that would most briskly oppose his Intentions as Henry the Eighth had formerly done and particularly that the Lord Courcy might not be suffered to sit in the House because his Ancestors were called by Writ and so his Honour being in Fee-simple did descend to Daughters who were Heirs-general of his Family and that the Lord Shrewsbury's Titles of Honour in Ireland were not * Contra adjudg'd 4. Inst cap. Ireland forfeited by the Act of Absentees and therefore he might have a Voice in that Parliament or make his Proxy and that for the Credit of the Business the Lord Deputy might be Ennobled before the Parliament sat But some of these were not practicable and the rest not thought fit to be done at that time But I must not forget to take notice of a necessary Office in those days tho now it be obsolete viz. the Interpreter to the State which was enjoy'd by Thomas Cahill with an Annual Sallary of 26 l. 6 s. 8 d. In September the Lord Deputy published a Proclamation of the intended Parliament and thereby invited the Subjects to exhibit their Grievances and to consider of Proposals for the Publick Good to be past into Acts and he also signified his Majesty's gracious Intentions to erect some new Corporations for the better Encouragement of the Plantation of Ulster And it seems that the Government was thenceforward imploy'd about the Plantation of Ulster and the Preparation of Bills to be past in the approaching Parliament and in erecting of some new Corporations viz. Belfast Charlemont Aâ—trim Bandon Cloghnikilty Tallow Newry Lifford Donegall Ballyshanon Tâ—â—am Eniskilling Traly Athy Bi r Kilmallock c. The Bills that were design'd to be made Acts of Parliament were 1. An Act to cut Paces and mend High-ways 2. To extinguish Uses and suppress fraudulent Conveyances 3. That Sale in Market overt should not alter Property of Stolen Goods 4. For the Enrolment of Deeds of Bargains and Sale and for Conveyance of Land 5. To try Accessories in Foreign Counties 6. To reduce Peremptory Challenges to Twenty 7. To enable Tenant in Tail to make Leases 8. To deprive some Criminals of Benefit of Clargy as in England 9. For making Linen Cloth sowing Hemp and Flax. 10. For Trial of Pyrates 11. To Re-edifie Cathedral Churches and to remove some of them to Gallway Dingle Carigfergus Newry Wexfoâ—d Cavan c. 12. To restrain Ecclesiastical Persons from Alienating c. 13. Against Pluralities Non-residence or Simony 14. Against Receivers and Harbourers of Jesuits Serminary Priests c. 15. And sending Children beyond Seas 16. Against Idle Holy-days 17. To expeâ— Monks Friarâ— Nuns c. 18. To give the King all Chantries and other Superstitious Uses 19. To establish the Compositions 20. For the Attainder of the Earls of Tyrone Tytconel and others 21. To revive and perpetâ—ate the Impost of Wines 22. To Naturalize Manufactures 23. To resume all Immunities to Corporations from Customs 24. That those Attainded of Treason in England shall forfeit their Estates in Ireland 25. An Act of Recognition 26. To abolish the Brehon Law and Tanistry and Irish Exactions 27. Artificers Apprentices to be Free-men in any Corporation 28. Against Idlers and Vagabonds 29. The Barony to answer the Stealth unless they can track it farther 30. That Bastards take the Name of the Mother and that it be Felony to lay it to any Man 31. No Man to keep a Woman as a Wiâ—â— and turn her away at pleasure on pain of One Years Imprisonment And if any Authorized Priest do divorce it to be Felony 32. Against Usury above Ten per Cent. 33. To impower Judges of Assiâ—â— to raise Taxes for Court-houses and Goals But in November 1612 1612. the Popish Lords dissatisfied with these Proceedings wrote a joynt Letter to the King complaining that the Bills to be passed in the next Parliament were not Communicated to them they also complained of the new Corporations and that the Oath of Supremacy was tendered to Magistrates and they insinuated the Danger of a general Revolt and concluded that if the Laws about Religion were repeal'd a firm and faithful Subjection would be established in their Minds and on the 17 th of May 1613. the Popish Lords did Petition the Lord Deputy to the effect aforesaid adding nevertheless some stubborn and unseemly Expressions and questioning the Kings Prerogative in erecting new Corporations or calling by Writ new Lords to Parliament and they affirmed some of the new Burroughs were unfit to be incorporated and they excepted against the Castle of Dublin for the place of Session and the rather because the Ammunition being there they might be in Danger of being blown up and they were troubled at the Lord Deputies Guard as that which they said was design'd to keep them in Awe and terrifie them into Compliance But these were but vain Pretences Lib. C. for they well enough knew that the Guard was but 100 Men as was usual and Customary and that it was impossible to blow up the Papists but that the Protestants also and perhaps the City of Dublin must have likewise been destroy'd on the contrary the Papists were so far from being afraid that they were very tumultuous and came to Dublin in vast numbers to frighten the Government The Lord Gormanstowne was amongst the most Seditious and unruly
matter of Parliament you have carried your selves tumultuarily and undutifully and that your Proceedings have been rude disorderly and inexcusable and worthy of severe Punishment which by reason of your Submission I do forbear but not remit till I see your dutiful Carriage in this Parliament where by your Obedience to the Deputy and State and your future good Behaviour you may redeem your by-past miscarriage and then you may deserve not only Pardon but Favour and Cherishing Hereupon they were all dismist and the Lord Deputy having O Dogharty's Estate in Inisowen given to him by the King for his good Service was sent back with Directions to hold the Parliament and so on the 27th of July 1614. Sir ARTHUR CHICHESTER Lord Deputy to Ireland and held the Parliament on the 11th day of October to which day it had been Prorogued and now were the Recusants at a stand for some invention or other to delay the Proceedings of this Parliament but could not find any other then a very simple Pretence That the Lord of Slane ought to take place of the Lord of Kerry and hereupon great Contests did arise and tho' it was formally determin'd on the 11th of November 1614. by the Lord Deputy and Council by Virtue of a special Commission yet the Lord of Slane being egged on by others of the discontented Lords desir'd are hearing which was granted and on the 18th of the same Month there was a second Debate which produced the Confirmation of the former Seâ—â—â—nce in favour of the Lord of Kerry but notwithstanding that the Lord of Slane being perswaded by the Lord of Delvin and some others of the Pale continued obstinate and refused to Sit in the House unless he might have his right place but at length being charged upon his Allegiante to appear in the House he did submit tho very unwillingly The Arguments urg'd by the Baron of Slane were 1. That his Predecessors were from the time of Henry the Second styled Barons of Slane 2. That in all Records they are named before the Lords of Kerry and particularly in a Record in the time of Edward the Second 3. That the Lord of Gormanstown had precedence of the Lord of Kerry at the Parliament 48 Edw. 3. and the Lord of Slane took place of him 4. The Lords of Kerry from 50 Edw. 3 to 1. Henry the Seventh never served the Crown nor held any Correspondence with the Government and therefore forfeited their Dignity 5. That the Lord of Kerry was indicted of Rebellion 42 Elizabeth and pleaded his Pardon last Term so that his Call to the Parliament is quasi a new Creation The Lord of Kerry answered to the first That Hussy Fippo and others that held per baroniam of the Palatines or Lords of Leinster were styled Barons of Galtrim Skrine and Bergy yet were not really Lord Barons because they did not hold their Lands immediately from the King To the Second That it is false and that there was no Regular Parliament in Ireland till 12. Edw. 3 Ergo No Lord of Parliament till that time That the Lord of Kerry was there and so was not the Lord of Slane besides the Lord Slane held his Barony of a Subject Bartholomew Burghese one of the Heirs General of Hugh de Lacy whereas the Lord of Kerry held his Barony of the King in Capite To the third it is denied that the Lord of Gormanstown was at that Parliament of 48 Edw. 3. To the fourth That it is false and is objected because the Records of those times are lost but if true makes nothing in this Case and it is notorious that in the Parliament 33. Hen. 8. and 3. and 4. Philip and Mary the Lord of Kerry had his right place To the fifth that the Lord of Kerry was not Attainted but being impeach'd was Pardoned and so he forfeited nothing and if he had not an ancient Right to Sit in the Parliament the Lord Deputy could not Summon him a new having received no Orders from the King to do so But that which was most remarkable in this Tryal was That one Velden came in and depos'd that on St. George's day 1594 in the Cavalcade at Killkenny the Lord Slane had Precedence of the Lord of Kerry and his Horse was accordingly led before the others Horse but this 〈◊〉 Witness was contradicted by the Lord Chancellor the Earl of Thomond the Lord Dunboyn and the Marshall all which affirmed that they were then at Killkenny which Velden Confess'd and they protested that the Lord of Kerry was not there at all And so the next Year viz. in January 1615. the Earls of Suffolk Paenox Lib. G. Worcester and Pembrooke who by Commission excented the Marshals Office in England did confirm the Sentence in Ireland and by their Letter to the Lord Justices determin'd the Lord of Kerryes Claim to be just This rub being removed the Parliament proceeded to business and notwithstanding the insolence of the Popish Lawyers in the House of Commons and all the Obstructions they could give these following Bills were at last passed into Acts viz. 1. An Act of Recognition reciting that Ireland which before his Majesties Access to the Crown had been subject to 〈◊〉 Rebellions Rapines and Oppressions was by his Majesties gracious Government 〈◊〉 to better Order and that he has establish'd his Government in the Hearts of his People by the General Proclamation of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 Actions for Trespassis done in the War between Subject and Subject at his first coming by his special Charters of Pardon by Name freely granted to many Thousands by remitting many great Debts 〈◊〉 of â—ent and Forfeitures and by strengthning defective Titles and re-granting the Lands to them on Surrenders by erecting Court-houses and enlarging the number of the judges and by 〈◊〉 a Civil Plantation in the forfeited Paris of Ulster formerly the Neâ—â— of Rebellion to the great Security of the Commonwealth 2. An Act that all Crimes committed 〈◊〉 the Sea or within the Jurisdiction of the Admirally shall be Tried in any County according to the Rules of the Common Law by Commission to the Admiral or his Deputy and Three or Four more or any Four of them 3. An Act for taking away Benefit of Clergy in certain Cases 4. An Act for the Attainder of the Earls of Tyrone and Tyrconell Sir Cahir O 〈◊〉 and several others 5. An Act to Repeal some former Acts prohibiting Trade or Commerce with the 〈◊〉 Enemies or to Marry or Foster with them and commanding to seise them as 〈◊〉 6. An Act of Repeal of a former Statute against bringing in retaining or marrying with Scots 7. An Act for Repairing and Mending Highways and Cawseys c. 8. An Act for avoiding Private and Secret 〈◊〉 9. An Act of Obliviâ—â— and General Pardon 10. An Act for One Subsidy Analact Hib. lib. 2. Which amounted to no more than 26042 l. and yet the Irish complain'd of it as a heavy Tax tho' they did not pay
of his Lands granted to any other the Barons of the Exchequer are to discharge the same upon sight of a Certificate That the Outlawry is reverst without any further Plea paying only Five shillings Sterling for entring the Certificate and Discharge LI. No Person is to be compelled to plead to any new Charge upon the Lands in his possession unless any Inquisition or other Matter of Record besides the New Patent appear to charge the Land therewith and the New Charge to be past insuper upon the New Patentee and Process to issue against him and his Lands and not against the other But the Protestants who bore above a third part of the Publick Charge were not a little troubled that they should buy Graces and Immunition for the Irish And on the other side the Papists did not at all â—â—â—der the Protestants part of the Contribution but valued themselves as if they had paid all and ascribed the whole Merlt of that Largess to themselves and upon that and the aforesaid Condescensions made them by the King they grew so insolent and troublesom that the Lord Deputy was necessitated to mortifie them by a Proclamation against the Popish Regular Clergy which issued the First day of April Bishop Vsher's Letters 407. 1629. and imported That the late Intermission of Legal Proceedings against Popish pretended Titulaâ— Archbishops Bishops Abbats Deans Vicars-General Jesuits Friars and others of that sort that derive their pretended Authority and Orders from the See of Rome in contempt of His Majesty's Royal Power and Authority had bred such an extraordinary Insolence and Presumption in them as he was necessitated to charge and command them in His Majesty's Name to forbear the Exercise of their Popish Rites and Ceremonies Hereupon they grew uneasie and complain'd that the Tax was too heavy and at length they gain'd their Point and in stead of 10000 l. Quarterly the Government condescended to take 5000 l. per Quarter from the First of October 1629. until the rest of the aforesaid 120000 l. should be paid But the Proclamation against the Popish Regular Clergy was baffled and ridiculed every where It was read in Drogheda by a drunken Soldier in such a ridiculous manner that it seemed like a May-game and was rather Sport than Terror to the Auditors It was so despised and contemned by the Popish Clergy that they nevertheless exercised full Jurisdiction Bishop Vsher's Letters 423. even to Excommunication and they not only proceeded in Building Abbies and Monasteries but had the confidence to erect an University at Dublin in the Face of the Government which it seems thought it self limited in this Matter by Instructions from England Nor was the Beauty of the Protestant Church sullied by its avowed Enemies only Bishop Bedel's Life 44. it was more defaced by its pretended Friends and Members Things Sacred were exposed to â—ale in a most sordid and scandalous manner Parsonages and Episcopal Sees were impoverished and their Revenues were alienated and incumbred to that degree that both the Bishopricks of Kilmore and Ardagh were not sufficient to support a Bishop that would not use indirect Means to get Money and the Churches were generally out of Repair Nevertheless Complaints were made by the Irish against the Lord-Deputy for Mal-Administration of the Government and though the Earl of Strafford his Successor Rushw 160. has assured us that this Lord-Deputy proceeded as honourably justly and nobly as any Man could do and though the Council did on the 28th of April 1629. write a kind and true Letter in the Vindication of his Innocence yet he was soon after removed and ADAM LOFTUS Viscount ELY Lord Chancellor And RICHARD Earl of CORKE 1629. Lord High Treasurer were Sworn Lords Justices on the 26th day of October and were allowed by the King One hundred pounds apiece every Kalendar Month They immediately directed that the Papists should be prosecuted for not coming to Church and accordingly the Statute of 2 Eliz. was given in charge at the Assizes but by Directions from England that Prosecution was superseded Nevertheless these Lords Justices 1630. being exceeding zealous against Popery caused St. Patrick's Purgatory in a small Island called Ilan de Purgadory in Logh Dirge in the County of Donegall to be digged up and thereby discovered that notorious Cheat to the World to the great loss and disgrace of the Popish Clergy who made vast Advantages of that ridiculous Sham. But there are a restless sort of Men in the World who are not to be daunted or put out of Countenance by any mischance whatsoever and therefore notwithstanding the aforesaid disaster and although the Popish Clergy were so debauched and ignorant that the bitterest Sarcasm that ever was put upon the Protestants was by an Irish-man Bishop Bedel's Life 76. who said That the King's Priests were as bad as the Pope's Priests yet did this unquiet Generation begin to rant it again in Ireland to that degree that a Priest being seized in Dublin was rescued by the People so that by their Insolencies they put a Necessity upon the Lords Justices to humble them Whitlock's Memoirs 15. and by Direction from the Council of England to seize upon 15 of their new Religious Houses to the King 's Use and their principal House in Back-lane in Dublin was Anno 1632 disposed of to the University of Dublin who placed therein a Rector and Scholars and maintained a weekly Lecture there which the Lords Justices often countenanced with their presence but afterwards in the Lord Strafford's time the House was disposed of to the former Use and became a Mass-house again In the Year 1631 the Earl of Castlehaven was tryed 1631. condemn'd and Beheaded in England Whitlock's Memoirs 16. for strange and prodigious Crimes not fit to be particularized or related of so Ancient and Noble a Family And this Year the King taking Notice of the increase of Popery in Ireland sent a Gracious Letter of Admonition to the Bishop of Armagh Bishop Vsher's Life p. 38. to be communicated to the rest of the Bishops thereby exhorting them to the careful Exercise of their Duty and to avoid all Abuses in disposing of Benefices And in the Year 1632 the aforesaid Subsidies or extraordinary Contribution being determined the Countrey finding the necessity of paying the Army to prevent their paying themselves did consent to continue the levying of Twenty Thousand Pounds per Annum quarterly for two Years more But the Irish valuing themselves upon this Bounty and thinking the Army could not he supported without their Contribution began to be very unruly again and though the Broils they made were soon appeased yet it was thought necessary to send over the new Lord-Deputy Wentworth and accordingly Conveniencies were prepared for him both in Ireland and England For on the Tenth of April 1632. 1632. he obtain'd an Order for making a new Great Seal new Signet and new Seals for all the Courts and on
Lord Deputy He was sworn on the Third of April and was an intimate Friend of the Lord Lieutenants and was suspected to have imployed Agents to raze out of the Journal-Book of the House of Commons some Instructions that were agreed upon by that House for a Committee to Impeach the Earl of Strafford but it is certain he did what he could to hinder that Committee from going to England And besides Persuasions Rushw 469. he proceeded to forbid them that voyage upon their Allegiance Nevertheless they all got away privately some from one Port and some from another and came safely to England This Committe were the Lords Gormanstowne Killmallock Costilo and Baltinglass for the Upper House Nicholas Plunket Sir Robert Digby Richard Fitz-Gerrald and Nicholas Barnwall for Leinster Sir Hardress Waller John Welsh Sir Donough mac Cartby for Munster Robert Linch Geoffry Browne and Thomas Burk for Connught and Sir William Cole and Sir James Mountgomery for Ulster and they carried with them a Remonstrance from the Irish Parliament against the Earl of Strafford whom they prosecuted effectually and were under-hand so to do by the Discontented part of the Parliament of England And because this Remonstrance contains a great part of the History of those Times I have thought necessary to add it in haec verba To the Right Honourable the Lord Deputy The Humble and Just Remonstrance of the Knights Citizens and Burgesses of the Parliament Assembled SHEWING THat in all Ages since the happy Subjection of this Kingdom to the Imperial Crown of England Rushw 11. it was and is a Principal Study and Princely Care of His Majesty and His Noble Progenitors Kings and Queens of England and Ireland to the vast Expence of Treasure and Blood that their Loyal and Dutiful People of this Land of Ireland being now for the most part derived from British Ancestors should be Governed according to the Municipal and Fundamental Laws of England that the Statute of Magna Charta or the Great Charter of the Liberties of England and other Laudable Laws and Statutes were in several Parliaments here Enacted and Declared that by the means thereof and of the most prudent and benign Government of His Majesty and His Royal Progenitors this Kingdom was until of late in its growth a flourishing Estate whereby the said People were heretofore enabled to answer their humble and natural Desires 〈◊〉 comply with His Majesty's Princely and Royal Occasions by their Free Gift of One hundred and fifty thousand pounds Sterling and likewise by another Free Gift of One hundred and twenty thousand pounds more during the Government of the Lord Viscount Faulkland and after by the Gift of Forty thousand pounds and their free and chearful Gift of Six intire Subsidies in the Tenth Year of His Majesty's Reign which to comply with His Majesty 's then Occasions signified to the them House of Commons they did allow should amount in the Collections unto Two hundred and Fifty thousand pounds although as they confidently believe if the Subsidies had been Levied in a moderate Parliamentary way they would not have amounted to much more than half the Sum aforesaid besides the Four intire Subsides granted in this present Parliament So it is may it please Your Lordship by the occasion of the ensuing and other Grievances and Innovations though to His Majesty no considerable Profit this Kingdom is reduced to that extream and universal Poverty that the same is lesâ— able to pay Subsidies than it was heretofore to satisfie all the before-recited great Payments And His Majesty's most Faithful People of the Land do conceive great Fears that the said Grievances and Consequences thereof may be hereafter drawn into Precedents to be perpetuated upon their Posterity which in their great Hopes and strong Beliefs they are persuaded is contrary to His Royal and Princely Intention towards His said People Some of which said Grievances are as followeth I. The general apparent Decay of Trades occasioned by the new and illegal raising of the Book of Rates and Impositions upon Native and other Commodities exported and imported by reason whereof and of extreme Usage and Censures Merchants are beggar'd and both disenabled and discouraged to Trade and some of the Honourable Persons who gain thereby are often Judges and Parties and that in the conclusion His Majesty's Profit thereby is not considerably advanced II. The Arbitrary Decision of all Civil Causes and Controversies by Paper Petitions before the Lord Lieutenant and Lord Deputy and infinite other Judicatories upon Reference from them derived in the nature of all Actions determinable at the Common Law not limited into certain Time Cause Season or Thing whatsoever and the Consequences of such Proceedings by receiving immoderate and unlawful Fees by Secretaries Clerks Pursuivants Serjeants at Arms and otherwise by which kind of Proceedings His Majesty loseth a great part of His Revenue upon Original Writs and otherwise and the Subject loseth the Benefit of his Writ of Error Bill of Reversâ—l Vouchers and other legal and just Advantages and the ordinary Course and Courts of Justice declined III. The Proceedings in Civil Causes at Council-board contrary to the Law and Great Charter not limited to any certain Time or Season IV. That the Subject is in all the Material Parts thereof denied the Benefit of the Princely Graces and more especially of the Statute of Limitations of 24 Jac. granted by His Majesty in the Fourth Year of His Reign upon great Advice of the Councils of England and Ireland and for great Consideration and then published in all the Courts of Dublin and in all the Counties of this Kingdom in open Assizes whereby all Persons do take notice that contrary to His Majesty's Pious Intentions His Subjects of this Land have not enjoyed the Benefit of His Majesty ' Princely Promise thereby made V. The Extrajudicial Avoiding of Letters Patents of Estates of a very great part of His Majesty's Subjects under the Great Seal the Publick Faith 〈◊〉 the Kingdom by Private Opinions delivered at the Council-board without Legal Evictions of their Estates contrary to Law and without Precedent or Example of any former Age. VI. The Proclamation for the Sole Emption and Uttering of Tobacco which is bought at very low Rates and uttered at high and excessive Rates by means whereof thousands of Families within this Kingdom and of His Majesty's Subjects in several Islands and other Parts of the West-Indies as your Petitioners are informed are destroyed and the most part of the Coin of this Kingdom is engrossed into particular Hands insomuch that your Petitioners do conceive that the Profit arising and engrossed thereby doth surmount His Majesty's Revenue Certain or Casual within this Kingdom and yet His Majesty receiveth but very little Profit by the same VII The universal and unlawful Encreasing of Monopolies to the Advantage of a Few the Disprofit of His Majesty and Impoverishment of His People VIII And the extreme cruel Usage of certain late Commissioners and
hurt his Kinsman had given the Lord Deputies Foot Perhaps it was done in revenge of that Affront my Lord Deputy did me publickly but I have a Brother would not have taken such a Revenge and the like Sentence was given against Thomas Dennit who was executed thereupon To this the Earl Answers That he was General of the Army and had Power of Martial Law which is usual in Ireland and the Lord Mountnorris was an Officer in the standing Army and by those mutinous Words had transgressed the Thirteenth and the Twenty first Articles of War That he was not a Judge of it but the Council of War were the Judges that the Lord Mountnorris suffered nothing but a short Imprisonment and was told at that time by the Earl that he should not suffer according to the Sentence and as for Dennit he had stoln a quarter of Beef and also ran away from his Colours which is Felony in Ireland and it was at a time when a Regiment was imbarking for England The Sixth Article is That on a Paper Petition without legal Proceedings he caus'd the Lord Mountnorris to be dispossessed of Land that he had enjoy'd quietly Eighteen years To this the Earl says That that sort of Proceeding was usual in Ireland and he had a positive Order for it except in special Cases by the King's Letter 5th October 9 Car. 1. that Three of the Judges assisted him in the Tryal and that the Judgment was very just The Eight Article was That he imprison'd the Lord Chancellor Loftus for not obeying his Decree on a Paper Petition and also imprison'd him for not giving up the Great Seal and also imprison'd the Earl of Kildare for not submitting his Title to Castle-Ley to the Lord Deputies Pleasure and that contrary to the Major Vote of the Council He caused an Order of Council-board to be made against the Widow Hibbott and threatened to Fine her so high if she had disobeyed it that she was thereby forced to quit her Lands which are since conveyed to the use of the Earl but it seems the Imprisonment of the Lord Chancellor and the Earl of Kildare was by the Kings Order and so the Managers insisted only on that of Hibbotts To which the Earl Answer'd That it was a Case of Fraud and Oppression and that the Council-board in Ireland had Jurisdiction in such Cases and that the Major Vote was against her and denies the Lands were conveyed to his use The Ninth Article was That he gave Warrants to the Bishop of Down and Connor and others of their Officers to Arrest and Imprison such of the poorer sort as refuse to appear upon their Summons or disobey their Sentences until they give security to shew cause at the Council-Table for such Contempt To which he Answers That such Warrants were formerly used and even at the desire of the Papists to save the Charge of the Writ de Excommunicato capiendo that he never Granted but this one and finding it abus'd he soon call'd it in again The Tenth Article was That he procured the Customs to be Farmed to his own use and advanced the Book of Rates on Native Commodities to excessive Prizes as every Hide at 20 s. a Stone of Wooll at 13 s. 4 d. c. whereby the Custom that should be but the 20th became the Third or Fourth part of the true value of the Commodity and there is a Clause in the Grant That it should be good tho' an Act of Parliament should be made against it To this the Earl Answers That the Book of Rates was advanced before his Farm that it was so moderate that the King sent a Letter 1637. to raise it higher which he oppos'd that he was drawn into the Farm by the Kings Command and the Lord Portlands importunity and that the King had â— of the Profit of it and that Trade is exceedingly increased since his coming to the Government And the Matter of Fact prov'd to be thus the Customs of Ireland were 16 Jac. 1. demised to the Duke of Buckingham for Ten years at 6000 l. per Annum and half the clear Prohts above the Rent which half Communibus annis amounted to 3700 l. per Annum so in effect the Duke paid 9700 l. per Annum but he had allowance for several Desalcations as 1400 l. per Annum in lieu of the Customs of Wines which were Leased to the Earl of Carlisle at that Rent and the Customs of Derry Colerain Knockfergus and Strangford are reserv'd to the King On the 24th of March in the Seventh Year of King Charles I. The Customs were set to the Dutchess of Buckingham for 20000 l. Fine and 11050 l. per Annum Rent and Derry c. are included and the Lord of Carlisles Lease was surrendered to the King the 21st day of the same Month and then the new Book of Rates was made And on the 21st of April following viz. 8 Car. 1. The Dutchess of Buckingham's Lease being surrendred a new one was made to Lord Straffard and Partners for 8000 l. Fine and 15500 l. per Annum And they manag'd it so well that this branch of the Revenue yielded them as followeth viz. Anno. 1636 39936 1637 38889 1638 57380 1639 55582. The Eleventh Article was For restraining Transportation of Pipe-staves c. without Licence But that Article was waved by the Managers The Twelfth was That he Monopoliz'd the whole Trade of Tobacco by his Proclamation that none should be imported without his Licence and another Proclamation that none should be Sold by Wholesale unless it were made up in Rolls Seal'd at both ends with a Seal appointed by him and that divers were Pillory'd Whipt Fined Imprison'd c. for transgressing that Proclamation And whilst he raised the Impost on other Goods he reduced that on Tobacco from 6d to 3d. per Pound whereby he got 100000 l. per Annum And that he raised several other Monopolies on Starch Iron-Pots Glasses Tobacco-pipes c. To which he Answers That 6th June 13 Jac. 1. the King granted the Impost on Tobacco being 18 d. per Pound to William Massam and John Pit for Seven year at 10 l. per Annum and 8th February 19 Jac. 1. it was let to Mr. Lyne for Twenty one years at 20 l. per Annum that upon the Commons advice in Parliament that Lease was bought in and on 18th of July 12 Car. 1. the King Orders the Lord Deputy to assume the Pre-emption of Tobacco c. to advance the Revenue and this Letter is the ground of the first Proclamation which in this Matter followed the Example of England and the Second Proclamation is in effect but the Duplicate of the Proclamation in England of the 14th of March 13 Car. 1. mutatis mutandis that hereupon the 7th of November 1637. He contracted with Mr. Carpenter c. for the sole Importation of Tobacco for Eleven years at 5000 l. per Annum for the first Five years and 6000 l. per Annum
conceived they were greatly distressed and wished That he could use Means whereby they might be eased Hence he discoursed with Trueman who was but a silly Fellow and got from him Words whereby he discovered a Good-will to the Scotch Nation and some Discourse about the Castle of Carigfergus insomuch that he got Trueman's Letter to recommend him into Scotland whither he pretended a Desire to go to serve under their Command Upon this Giles produced the Letter in Evidence against him and so he was condemned and executed And this I take to be the Substance of what was offered for or against the Earl of Strafford On the Eleventh of May the Irish Parliament sat again 1641. and the Colonels John Barry Taaf Garret Barry and Porter having Orders from England to transport Four thousand of the Irish Forces to Spain some of the Popish Members of the Lower House did urge divers Arguments to hinder that Design As First That the Irish might gain Experience abroad and return to be evil Instruments at home Secondly That Ireland wanted Men for Husbandry Thirdly That Spain was an Hereditary Enemy to England and therefore might infect these Men with dangerous Principles concluding That they did not know how soon those very Regiments acquainted with every Creek in the Kingdom might be returned on their own Bowels having naturally a Love to their Religion which such an Incendiary as Spain might inflame with the highest prejudice So shamelesly did they cloak their Designs ' of stopping these Soldiers to assist in the following Rebellion under these Cobweb pretences of the Publick Good However their Project succeeded to their mind and notwithstanding the Contract with the Spanish Ambassador for their Transportation the Soldiers were from time to time delay'd and Garret Barry and his whole Regiment and most of the rest did afterwards joyn in the Irish Rebellion This Session of Parliament was spent by the Papists who were the most numerous Party in the House in fruitless Declarations and Protestations private Petitions and Votes upon needless Queries These last together with the Judges Answers to them are to be found at large Burlace Append. 1. 2. I shall only recite one of them viz. Quere 15. Whether the issuing of Quo Warranto's against Burroughs that anciently and recently sent Burgesses to Parliament to shew Cause why they did so be Legal And if not What Punishment ought to be inflicted upon the Occasioners Procurers and Judges of and in such Quo Warranto's To which the Answer is That the Proceedings in such Quo Warranto's are coram non Judice illegal and void and the Right of sending Burgesses to Parliament is questionable in Parliament only and the Occasioners Procurerâ— and Judges in such Quo Warranto's and Proceedings are punishable as in Parliament shall be thought consonant to Law and Justice Moreover some Members of this Parliament who had the following Rebellion in their Design did in order to inform themselves of the Quantity of the Stores Ammunition and Provisions and the Place where they were deposited suggest That there was a Plot by some of the Lord Stafford's discontented Servants to destroy the Parliament and therefore procured a Committee of both Houses to be appointed to search the Rooms under the Place where they sat which they did but sound no Powder there Then they desired to see where the Stores were but the Lord Justice Burlace who was Master of the Ordnance denied them that Request which they took very ill The Popish Party did also oppose the Disbanding of the new Army raised by the Earl of Strafford however it was at length effected on the Tenth day of * Rather July quaere August and the Arms and Ammunition were carefully brought into His Majesty's Stores In the mean time it being convenient to give the Members a short Recess to attend their Harvest and their other Occasions and there being no sudden expectation of the Irish Committee's Return from England the Parliament by their own Consent was on the Seventh of August adjourn'd to the Ninth of November which for want of greater cause of Complaint was afterwards reckon'd amongst their Grievances But contrary to all Mens expectation the Irish Committee of Parliament in the latter end of August return'd loaden with Graces and Favours for that Kingdom particularly in reference to the Customs especially of Wooll and Tobacco whereof the Lords Justices sent immediate notice to the several Ports of the Kingdom and in this short Interval of Parliament busied themselves in framing such Bills to pass the next Session as the Committee had obtain'd His Majesty's Consent unto And in this quiet and serene Condition was the Kingdom of Ireland not suspecting the least Disturbance from the Papists who were not under any Persecution upon the account of Religion their Clergy exercising their Functions as safely and almost as publickly as the Protestants They were obliged to the King by the easiest of Governments and the Graces and Concessions he had lately vouchsafed unto them and they were fastned to the English by all the Ties of Interest Friendship Marriage and which is more in their esteem Gossipping and Fostering And they were engaged to propagate the Publick Peace by their own happy free and flourishing Condition for now the Papists without taking the Oath of Supremacy freely enjoyed the Offices of Sheriffs of Counties Magistrates of Corporations c. But all this was over-ballanced by their Bigotry and National Malice which opened one of the bloodiest Scenes that ever was seen in the World For on Saturday the Twenty third of October 1641. being a Day dedicated to St. Ignatius Temple 16. a fit Patron for such a Villany broke out a most desperate and formidable Rebellion an universal Defection and general Revolt wherein not only all the mere Irish but almost all the Old English that adher'd to the Church of Rome were openly or secretly involved The Conspirators pitched upon the Day because it was Market-day at Dublin and therefore a Concourse of People would the less be perceived or suspected and they chose the time of Year because Harvest was in and the Half-years Rent generally in the Tenants Hands and because the Season of the Year would hinder Relief from England until the next Spring before which time they hoped to have effected all their Designs It was a premeditated Rebellion Lord Justices and Councils Letter foretold by Sir Henry Bedingfeild a Roman Catholick of Norfolk in April before and suspected by the King as appears by Sir Henry Vane's Letter ante pag. 64. And it was in contrivance partly at home and partly abroad before the Troubles either of England or Scotland began Memoirs 22. It was communicated to the English Papists by the Popish part of the Irish Committee then in England Husbands 2. part 247. And it was finally concluded and resolved on at the Abby of Multifernam and the * Dr. Jones's Examination Appendix 9. Scheme of the Government
Commission to the Earl of Ormond and him to Govern the County of Kilkenny of the same Tenor as Appendix 8. they thought to colour their Proceedings thereby and therefore invited him to be their General And it seems his Lordship was ready to embrace the Offer for in the latter end of January he came with Fifteen Companies to Cashell and being assisted by Purcell Titular Baron of Loghmore to whom likewise the Lords Justices had sent Arms and by the Lords of Ikerin Dunboyn Cahir and Castleconell they took Ballyowen and blockt up Gowlin and Knockordan and then marched to Kilmallock and so towards Mallow but near the Mountain above Donerayl the Lord president faced the Rebels He had with him the Lords Barymore Dungarvan and Broghill Sir Hardress Waller Sir Edward Denny Sir John Brown Major Searle and Captain Kingsmill and about Six hundred Foot and Three hundred Horse Whilst he staid there the Rebels did not dare to advance but his Presence being necessary at Cork he was after eight days stay thereabouts obliged to retire to that City whereupon the Irish advanc'd to Mallow and took the short Castle there upon Articles which they did not perform At Mallow there arose a Difference amongst the Irish about the Supreme Command of the Army The Lord Roch and others of Munster thought they ought to have a General of their own Province and to avoid Competition amongst the Lords they pitch'd upon Garret Barry and appointed the Lord Muskery and other Great Men to be the Council of War Hereupon the Lord Mountgarret return'd to Typerary where he met the News That the Men which were in Gowlin Castle had escaped into the Mountains where most of them were murdered by James Butler of Ruskagh for which Fact he was tried before Colonel Sanky Anno 1653. and afterwards hang'd and that the Women and Children left in the Castle were likewise inhumanly butcher'd by the Irish for which Barbarity Peirce Butler and his Son Thomas James Butler of Boyton-Rath and Thomas Kent were likewise tried condemned and executed Anno 1653. As for the County of Cork which by the noble Plantations made by the Earl of that Name became the best inhabited with English of any County in that Kingdom it was in a great measure preserv'd by the Generosity and Diligence of that Earl who was then newly return'd out of England he rais'd Two Troops of Horse under his Sons the Lords of Kinalmeky and Broghil and Four hundred Foot all which he maintained for some Months as his own Charge and sent a hundred of them to Asketon a hundred to Lismore and kept Two hundred with himself at Youghall Nevertheless that County was not without its share of Disturbance tho' it was the last County wherein the Rebellion broke out and they began it as elsewhere by robbing and plundring bare-fac'd and at Noon-day and in Multitudes and afterwards committed some Murders but not so many as in other Places because the English were powerful in this County and therefore the Rebels were in more fear to be called to account for their Exorbitances However at Glandore they gagg'd several English to death and in another place they ty'd an Englishman's Guts to the Post and made him dance round it till he died they broil'd a piece of a Scotch Minister's Breech and made him eat it they hang'd Robert Scot of Newcestown and his two Daughters in Muskery tho' he went voluntarily there to a Friend for Protection and in like manner John Burrows was serv'd at Ballynorohur by his Landlord Mac-ni-crimin who was tried and executed for it afterwards at Bandon They hang'd Andrew a Servant of Mr. Hazell's and which was worse than all he rest Mr. Linscomb Sovereign of Cloghnikilty having much Intimacy with the Irish staid behind his Neighbors in confidence of Protection but contrary to his Expectation and their Promises they first made him drunk till he vomited and then made him eat it up and immediately hang'd him at his own Door and having by Promises of sending her safe to Kinsale persuaded his Wife to discover 120 l. in Money she had hid at Muckrus as soon as they got it they threw her and her Sister into a deep Pit and there they left them till they were starved And altho' there were not many downright Murthers committed in this County yet by reason of the universal Robbing and Plundring and the great Want and Hardships this Insurrection exposed the miserable English to many thousands of them perished and particularly in the Town of Bandon there died above a Thousand in the first Year of this Rebellion and great Numbers likewise met with the same Fate at Cork Kinsale and Youghall To stop this Torrent the Lord President raised a Regiment of Foot and Two Troops of Horse and did what he could to prepare for his Defence And it was but needful to do so for the Rebels being extraordinary numerous thought themselves able to besiege Cork Kinsale and Bandon at the same time In order to this Mr. Long High Sheriff of the County of Cork form'd a Camp at Belgooly about Two Miles from Kinsale and to him came Mac-Finin's Brother called Captain Sugane and march'd from Kerry through Muskery and Carbery to the Camp and Dermond ni Glack of Littergorman with another Party march'd down to Kilgoban-Castle on the River of Bandon and surprized it This Camp at Belgooly continued the rest of this Winter and was supplied with Ammunition and other Necessaries even from some of the Popish Inhabitants of Kinsale but at length half the Lord Baltinglass his Company being Forty five Men arrived by Sea at Kinsale on the Fifth of April and brought with them Eight Barrels of Powder whereof Six were the next day sent to Bandon guarded by the Bandon Troop which fell into an Ambuscade but the Kinsale Troop just then parted from them return'd seasonably to their Succour and between them they kill'd Eighty of the Rebels and then each Troop return'd safe to their respective Garisons and the next day the Camp at Belgooly was dissolv'd and most of the Soldiers went to reinforce the Blockade at Cork And about the same time viz. in February Mac Carthy Riagh who had dissembled the Matter and pretended Loyalty and that he would side with the English until he got some Arms from the Lord Viscount Kinalmeky and then declared the very next day with about Three thousand raw Men and ill armed came to besiege the Town of Bandon But the valiant Bandonians scorned to be pent up by such a pitiful Rabble and therefore having form'd themselves into Four Companies under the Captains Watkins Woodhouse Jefford and Hooper and One Troop Battel of Knockagarane under their Governor the Lord Kinalmeky they sallied out and whilst the Foot marched up the direct Road to Cloghnakilty the Horse went round by Castlemahon so to fall on the Rear but the Foot came up first and one Company led by Captain Watkins within-side the Ditch
Title nor Protestation of the Confederates his Prudence and Integrity in continuing the Irish Parliament were highly commended But that he should be able to get a greater Sum of Money from a beggarly Enemy than the Parliament of England had sent over at any one time till then could never be sufficiently applauded and to this effect Secretary Nicholas writes in his Letter of the Ninth of October and adds That it is believed there that the Irish will not observe the Cessation and therefore advises his Excellency to be upon his Guard and to take care the King 's good Subjects do not suffer by their violation of it and that the young Lord Moor pursuant to Ormond ' s Recommendation hath all his Father's Offices granted unto him But the Parliament of England had different Sentiments of this Cessation they inveighed against it as destructive to the dispossest Protestants of Ireland who were kept out of Possession by it another Year at least They said it was a Discouragement to the Adventurers whose Satisfaction was likewise delay'd hereby They said it gave an opportunity to the Rebels to recruit their Forces and to supply all their Wants But that which troubled them most was that they perceiv'd the King design'd to draw some of the Protestant Forces and hoped for some of the Popish Army from Ireland to assist Him against the Parliament In short they were enraged to that degree that they Voted to Impeach the Marquis of Ormond as a Traytor against the Three Kingdoms and to disable him of his Lieutenancy and of all Command in Ireland and they also made a formal Declaration against the Cessation which is inserted at large here Appendix 18. In answer to which the King published The Grounds and Motives of the Cessation which in effect were That the English Army in Ireland could no longer subsist without Supplies and that the Parliament took no care to send any but on the contrary the Earl of Warwick intercepted those that His Majesty sent and that the Parliament endeavor'd to draw the Scotch Army out of Ireland into England So that in fine there was an absolute Necessity of this Cessation as preparatory to a Peace which nevertheless he will never admit unless it be such a Peace as may be agreeable to Conscience Honor and Justice But all this did not satisfie those that were perishing for want of their Estates and Properties which the Rebels possest and were yet farther inrag'd by the fresh Insolences and Violences daily committed by the Confederates so that their Sufferings depriv'd them of that Moderation which at another time would have considered the Distresses of the Crown the Necessities of the Army and the other powerful Motives to this Temporary Agreement In like manner the Estates of Scotland declar'd against the Cessation and the Adventurers at London petition'd against it and even some of the Cavaleers were so dissatisfied at this unfortunate Truce that many of the Earl of Newcastle's Army laid down their Arms and the Earl of Holland withdrew from Oxford Whitlock's Memoirs affirming That after he had heard of the Cessation his Conscience would not give him leave to stay any longer there And some others of Quality afterwards followed his Example And indeed it appear'd by the Sequel that the Cessation was a mere Plot of the Confederates to ruin those by Treaty whom they could not destroy by the War Not that it would have proved so if it had been honestly perform'd according to their Stipulations and Pretences but that by a thousand Tricks and Subtilties they contraven'd every Point of it and besides the opportunity of reinforcing and furnishing themselves which no body blames them for they left nothing undone that could tend to the Ruin of the English For whereas before the Cessation the Army lived mostly upon what they forced from the Enemy that Course being stopped by the Truce there was no way left to support them but the 30800 l. promised by those Articles and which was depended upon for that purpose but most part of that Money was delivered in by such Driblets and so very long after it was due that it did little Service to those that were to receive it But that was not the worst for the Rebels made use of another Stratagem which no body could suspect and that was a Prohibition to all their Party not to sell Provisions to the English even for ready Money There was no Defence against this Flail and therefore many Places were deserted by the Warders who were starved out of them by this Contrivance Carlo Athy Leix Trim Dundalk and Naas suffered much in this Particular but it was worse with the Garisons in Conaught as appears by their Declaration of Grievances sent to the Lord Lieutenant wherein they affirm a Conspiracy amongst the Irish to starve them and that the Irish County Councils had issued out Warrants to seize the Goods and Estates of such Confederates as should buy or sell or use any Traffick with the English as appears Appendix 19. They also committed many secret and some publick Murders Peter St. George was so served at the Castle of Letrim where William St. George was likewise mortally wounded and it is reported but how truly I cannot say of a malicious Jesuit that sheltered himself at Kinnegad well known thereabouts by the name of Father Roe that he committed many Murders even in the Highway but this is more certain that the English were fain to pay Toll or Tribute for passage through the Irish Quarters in many places and that particularly at St. Johnston's Bridge great Sums of Money were extorted upon that score Moreover they had by cunning and secret Intrusions into deserted Castles and old Houses two or three days before the Cessation gotten Possession of much more Land than did belong to them or than they could have kept in time of War nevertheless this Possession though obtained by Fraud or Violence was detained by them under the umbrage of that Treaty They had also another Liberty by these Articles viz. To declare in whose Quarters they would choose to be and by this fetch whole Baronies were lost and particularly the Baronies of Barrymore and Imokilly scituate between Cork and Youghall and which had been always in the English Quarters and under the Protection of those Garisons did a day or two before the Cessation declare themselves to be in the Irish Quarters and so were privileged even to the Gates of Cork and Youghall from Contribution to those Garisons until the beginning of the year 1645. But besides the Breaches of the Cessation in Conaught contained in their Declaration of Grievances and the Complaints of Munster mentioned hereafter Appendix 17 there were several other Violations of those Articles as 1. That the Earl of Castlehaven after he had notice of the Cessation did nevertheless batter the Castle of Desert in the Queen's County and when he had taken and plundered it he shewed them the Articles of the
Professing our Resolutions are with all real Service to the utmost of our Power to manifest the sincerity of our Acknowledgment and Affections unto you and to perpetuate to Posterity the Memory of your Excellencies Merits and our Thankfulness We have appointed this Instrument to be entred into both Houses and under the Hands of both Speakers to be Presented to your Lordship 17th die Martii 1676. Intr. per Vaâ— Savage Dep. Cler. Parl. Rich. Bolton Canc. Maurice Eustace Speaker Int. 17th die Martii 1676. per Philip Fernely Cler. Dom. Com. To which his Excellency returned the following Answer My Lords and Gentlemen VVHAT you have now Read and Deliver'd hath much surprized me and contains matter of higher Obligation laid upon me by you than thus suddenly to be answered yet I may not suffer you to depart hence without saying somewhat to you And first I assure you that this Acknowledgment of yours is unto me a Jewel of very great Value which I shall lay up amongst my choicest Treasures it being not only a full Confutation of those Calumnies that have been cast upon my Actions during the time I have had the Honour to serve His Majesty here but likewise an Antidote against the Virulency and Poison of those Tongues and Pens that I am well assur'd will be busily set on Work to traduce and blast the Integrity of my present Proceedings for your Preservation And now my Lords and Gentlemen since this may perhaps be the last time that I shall have the Honour to speak to you from this Place and since that next to the words of a dying Man those of one ready to banish himself from his Country for the good of it Challenge Credit give me leave before God and you here to protest that in all the time I had the Honour to serve the King my Master I never received any Command from him but such as spake him a Wise Pious Protestant Prince zealous of the Religion he professeth the Welfare of his Subjects and industrious to promote and settle Peace and Tranquillity in all his Kingdoms and I shall beseech you to look no otherwise upon me than upon a ready Instrument set on Work by the Kings Wisdom and Goodness for your Preservation wherein if I have discharged my Self to his Approbation and yours it will be the greatest Satisfaction and Comfort I shall take with me where-ever it shall please God to direct my Steps And now that I may dismiss you I beseech God long to preserve my Gracious Master and to restore Peace and Rest to this aifflcted Church and Kingdom But it is necessary to cast an Eye upon the rest of the Provinces and first on Munster where we shall find that the Castle of Bunratty was surpriz'd by the English in the close of the last Year and that the Earl of Glamorgan with Three thousand of the Men design'd for England was gone to recover that place he possed himself at Six-mile-bridge and made that his Camp and his Magazine but in the beginning of April the Garison sallyed and killed Captain Magrah and many of the Thomond Men aud beat their Party and not only burned Six-mile-bridge but scowred the whole Country to within Three mile of Limerick Hereupon Glamorgan appointed a Rendezvouz at Clonmel designing to make a Second Attempt but whilst he was contriving to impeach and imprison the Lord Muskery that Lord by his Interest and Diligence was too hard for him and obtained the Command of the Army which he presently conducted to the Siege of Bunratty nevertheless that place held out Six weeks after he came before it and at last surrendered upon honourable Articles The Supream Council removed to Limerick to Countenance this Siege and Insiquin to divert it ravag'd over all the Country to the very Gates of Limerick until the Earl of Castlehaven in pity to the Confederates gathered 1000 Horse whereby Insiquin being hindred from farther Preying the Country was oblig'd to return to his Garisons and in the mean time the Lord Broghill took the Lord Muskrye's strong Castle of Blarny which was more than a Counterpoise for his Success at Bunratty And what was done the rest of the Summer in Munster I do not any where find saving that the Lord of Insiquin took the Castle of Piltown but that on the Twentieth of February the Lord Lisle the Parliaments Lord Lieutenant arrived at Cork with 30000 l. in Money seven Pieces of Battery 1000 Muskets and 100 Barrels of Powder He did his utmost to amend whatever he found in disorder and in March visited Tallow Lismore Formoy and Youghall and had Knockmone delivered unto him but when he returned to Cork he began to be jealous of Insiquin and spent some of his time in fruitless Endeavours to displace him And in Ulster I find nothing more done than what hath been already related of the Battel of Bemburb saving that the Commissioners in the later end of October whilst Owen Roe was at the Siege of Dublin and to divert him from it sent out Seven hundred Horse and Dragoons from Lisnegarvy and they ravag'd over the Counties of Cavan Monaghan Louth and Westmeath and destroyed Owen Roe's Quarters and burnt many of his Villages and abundance of Corn and demolished Carickmacross and after a Fortnights stay abroad they brought home as many Cattle and as much other Plunder as they could drive or carry As also That the Lagan and Eniskilling Forces being joyned met Owen Roe near Clownish and gave him a small Defeat And as for Conaught it seems that General Preston took Roscomon about Midsummer and reduced most part of that Province for on the Tenth of December Mr. Annesly Sir Adam Loftus Sir John Temple and Sir Hardress Waller being then in England made a Report of the State of Ireland to the Parliament as followeth viz. That all Leinster opposes the Parliament and so doth Conaught except Sligo and five or six Castles wherein the Parliament hath Six Hundred Horse and Fourteen Hundred Foot but that in Munster the Parliament hath Cork Kinsale Youghall and Bandon and in them Four Thousand Foot and Three Hundred Horse and that all Ulster is theirs except Charlemont Dunganon and Montjoy which the Irish have and Newry and Greencastle which Ormond hath and in that Province the Parliament have Eight Thousand Foot in seventeen Regiments whereof Three Thousand Five Hundred Scots and Five Thousand old British and Eight Hundred and Fifty Horse in seventeen Troops and that the Irish are well supplied with Horse Arms Ammunition and Men and have Twenty Thousand Foot and Two Thousand Five Hundred Horse in Arms. But since we have related what the Confederates did at home it is fit that we should also enquire what they did abroad which we may give a shrewd Guess at by the following Papers the first being an Extract of a Letter sent to the Queen by the Bishops of Dublin Cashel and Elphin in the name of the Congregation on the Fifteenth of August 1646.
World upon whose Loyalty and Conduct in the Affairs of Ireland His Majesty did most depend But there is yet a greater Mystery in the matter and it was thus Whilst Ormond was in England the Scots * Earl of Lanerick Earl of Lauderdale 〈…〉 Commissioners finding what usage was design'd to the King did endeavour to retreive the Honour of their Nation by doing something extraordinary in his Favour and the Presbyterians every where finding the prevailing Independents did despise the Sanctity of the Covenant and the Supporters thereof began to be Alarm'd so a proper Juncture of doing Service to the King was suddenly expected hereupon Ormond by the Kings Order met the Scotch Commissioners near Marlow and they for Scotland and he for Ireland undertook to promote His Majesties Service and in order to it he went to France and so into Ireland to prosecute this Design and not in Answer to the Irish Ambassy as they sancied and the same Reason prevailed upon Insiquin to joyn with him and it was pursuant to this Treaty that the Earl of Lanerick then Duke Hamilton invaded the Kingdom of England But as soon as the Parliament Commissioners in Ireland understood 27th July that the Marquiss of Ormond intended to return to that Kingdom they did all that was possible to prevent his Design and upon bare Suspicion seized upon Sir Maurice Eustace Sir John Gifford Sir Francis Willoughby Colonel William Flower the Lieutenant Colonels Ryves Capron and Smith Major John Stephens and Captain Peirce and kept them Prisoners in the Castle for some days and then sent them in Custody to Chester and they also kept Sir Thomas Lucas and Colonel Byron Prisoners at Tredagh As for the Military Motions this Year tho' they were not many nor in many Places Munster being entirely quiet and very little either of Leinster or Ulster disturbed yet they may be esteemed very considerable because they were between the Irish themselves for Insiquin had managed his Affairs so prudently by assisting the weaker side and the Nuncio had Acted so rashly in Excommunicating the Supream Council and their Adherents that Owen Roe and Preston and their Followers were engaged in as * Quod quidem ille acrius quam unquam fecerat in communes Religionis Regni hostes in Confederatos presecutus est Beling 118. fierce and as spiteful a War as any that had been since the Rebellion broke out so that Preston assisted by the Marquiss of Clanrickard took Athâ—one and besieged Athy and Insiquin in favour of the Supream Council besieged Fortfalkland and tho' Owen Roe came to relieve it and posted his Army so advantagiously between Insiquin and Munster that the English had certainly been starved if the generous Bounty of the Marquiss of Clanrickard had not supplyed them with Necessaries yet at length Owen Roe was forced to a retreat not much different from a Flight and the Fort was surrendered to Insiquiâ— and with these Losses November and this Disgrace Owen Roe was so netled that he ravaged over the whole County of Roscomon and took Jamestown and so obstinately Stormed Carigdrumrusk that Rory Macguire and most of his Regiment were there slain and in revenge of it the Garison being all Papists were put to the Sword And by this Campaign Owen Roe was so weakned that he offered a Cessation to Colonel Jones and to carry his Army to Spain if Jones would give him Liberty to do so And it seems That the Marquiss of Antrim had some Highlanders in the Counties of Wicklow and Wexford which being joyned with the Birnes and Cavenaghs who were of the Nuncio Faction and rejected the Peace gave such Disturbance to the Supream Council that they were fain to send Sir Edmond Butler and Sir Thomas Esmond to suppress them which at last they effected tho' not without considerable Slaughter on both sides In the mean time Jones took Ballysannon Nabber and Ballyho and many of the Scots being gone to assist Duke Hamilton's Invasion of England Colonel Monk by the means of Sir Price Coghrun and Lieutenant Colonel Cunningham surprized Carigfergus and in it Monroe September whom he sent Prisoner to London and then had an easie Conquest of Belfast and Colerain and Sir Charles Coot had no very hard one of the Fort of Culmore and for those good Services the Parliament Presented Colonel Monk with 500 l. and made him Governour of Carigfergus But in November the Irish Ambassadours to the Pope returned to Ireland and brought with them abundance of Relicks but no Money Beling 196. as may be easily gathered from the following Letter from Sir Richard Blake to Sir Robuck Linch Sir THIS day the Lord Bishop of Fernes and Mr. Plunket gave an account of their Negotiation to the House they made a full Representation to his Holiness of the desperate Condition of the Kingdom that without present and good Supplies which they expected from his Holiness there was no hope of the Preservation of the Catholick Religion or Nation That his Holiness was bound in Justice to do it his Nuncio here having in a General Assembly of the Confederates undertaken That the Sum promised Sir Kenelm Digby for the Wars of England upon good Conditions for Catholicks would be applied to the Service of the Catholick Confederates of Ireland but after four Months attendance their Answer was there being no Intelligence then of our Distance or Divisions with the Lord Nuncio or Owen O Neal That his Holiness hath sent by the Dean of Firmo a considerable Help unto us and that he had no account how that was disposed of That the Turks were in Candia and threatened Italy That there was great Scarcity of Corn in Rome and the adjoyning Territories and that a great Sum of Money must be issued to satisfy the Commoners That his Predecessor Pope Urban had left the Treasury empty and the See deeply charged with Debt That the Cardinals and others who had Pious Intentions to advance our Holy Cause were Poor and hardly able to maintain their own Ports so that nothing could be expected from them And for the Conditions the Agents expected from his Holiness for Religion upon our Treaty with the Queen and Prince he said that it was not proper for the See Apostolick to grant any Articles to Hereticks though it be true that Catholick Princes in Germany and other Kingdoms do it As for the Nuncio's Engagement That the Catholicks of Ireland should be Supplied by his Holiness in their Maintenance of the War that he had no such Commission though it was true that his Holiness would give Money for Conditions of Religion but none upon the Event of War Our Agents heard not of our Disunion and Raptures in this Kingdom until after their taking leave of his Holiness and then when the same was known and published in Rome they heard from some eminent Persons That what his Holiness was resolved to give for our Support he knew not to what Party he
even this was sent to the Lord Lieutenant and His Majesties Directions were prayed therein and the like was done by a Paper of Grievances sent by the Lord Mountgarret to the Earl of Ormand at the same time and in August 1642. the Remonstrants sent to the Earl of Ormond a Petition directed to His Majesty which accordingly the Lords Justices transmitted to him That the Lords Justices did endeavour to stop the spreading of the Rebellion and to reduce the Rebels to Obedience by fair means Viz. by their Proclamations of 23 d. of October and 1 st of November promising Mercy to all that should desist from force by imploying a Committee of Parliament to treat with them but they scornfully rejected the Message and contemptuously tore the Committees Letter and the Order of Parliament and by imploying Doctor Cale and some of their own Clergy to treat with them whom they likewise abused and by authorizing the Lord Moor and afterwards Sir Richard Barnwall and Patrick Barnwall to perswade them to Submission and by giving Commissions to the Lord Gormanstown and other of the Remonstrants but whilst they found Success they were deaf to all Perswasions and now that they are baffled they forge Causes of Complaint so that His Majesty is not misinformed nor the Remonstrants unjustly traduced nor misrepresented to the King To the first Article they say that it is too general and generally untrue that Popery is a New Religion midwived into the World by the Council of Trent which ended 1563 and therefore could not be professed by the Remonstrants nor their Ancestors for 1300 Years that the Irish were at first Protestants as Bishop Vsher hath proved at large and in Henry the Eight's Reign were averse to the Papal Usurpations and consented to Laws to suppress them and generally came to Church until 13 Eliz. some of them flew off upon the Bull of Piut V. and 30 Eliz. upon the Arrival of some Spaniards shipwrackt on the Coast of Ireland the Apostasie became more common however the Recâ—sancy of coming to Church was not general until about the middle of King James his Reign But however that be this is certain that the Papists were so far from being persecuted that all Laws against them were suspended and they enjoyed a Connivance little differing from a Toleration so that even their Ecclesiastical Heirarchy publickly executed their Functions and the Clergy swarmed to that Degree that Paul Harris wrote to Pope Vrban 8ht That it was as difficult to number the Friers in Dublin as to reckon the Frogs in the second Plague of Egypt That notwithstanding the Statute of 2 Eliz. there have been ten chief Judges successively and all the inferior Judges of Irish Birth and Education that the first English Judge that came over after that Statute was Sir Robert Gardiner 29 Eliz. That several Irish Papists had commands in the Queen's Army and were Governors of Counties as the Earl of Thomond Clanrickard c. And even now at the Time of the Insurrection Papists were admitted to be High Sheriffs of Counties Justices of Peace Magistrates of Corporations Marshals upon Occasion Councellors at Law Doctors of Physick Clerks Attornies and Sollicitors c. so that none go abroad but for their Improvement as the Gentry of all Countries do or to Seminaries to become Clergymen And these Popish Natives have had their share of His Majesties Favour in dispensing of Honour several of them having been made Lords Baronets and Knights and such as were capable of it by Conformity and Education were preferred in the Church and even those that were unfit for it and were Papists were nevertheless upon an external and partial Conformity only continued in their Spiritual Dignities by Queen Elizabeth notwithstanding the Statute of 2 Eliz. Their Nobility had all the respect and priviledge which good manners and the Law gives to their Quality and by the industry and improvements of their English Tenants lived more Regularly Plentifully and Gentilely than any of their Ancestors ever did or could and that the Popish Youth were never denied admittance into any Free-School nor into the University nor any Question made about their Religion only when they come to be Graduates they must then conform to the Laws of the Land and the Statutes of the Colledge and the Answerers think that the Remonstrants have small reason to complain whilst they enjoy those Liberties and Favours which are denied to the Popish Natives of England who though less in number are much superior to the Remonstrants in Quality Loyalty and Riches But if the Laws of the Land do exclude Recusants from Offices of Trust and Honour they ought to have patience till his Majesty shall think fit to consent to a Repeal of them nay if their Oppressions were without Law their proper Remedy were by Supplication and Petition to the King and not by Murther Rebellion and Depredation To the Second they say it is an aspersion on the King for the ill choice of his Officers and is so undutiful that no Person of Honour will appear in it it was devised by the Popish Clergy and the Jesuited Lawyers who are the Firebrands of these horrible Flames which have almost consumed the Kingdom and it is notoriously false for the chief Government hath been placed either in Men of Nobility or great Estate or in Men of great Merit and in a high Station none of which ever built their Fortune on the Ruine of the Kings Subjects but some of them have been undone by the unjust clamour of the Irish who never endure long any English Governor that endeavours their legal obedience to the Crown So that of One and Twenty chief Governours successively Thirty Privy Councellors Twelve chief Judges and several inferior Judges sent out of England since the Statute of 2 Eliz. not one of them left any Estate there nor were enriched by that Service and even the Earl of Strafford paid great Sums of Mony for what he bought there whereas such of the Natives of that Kingdom as were Judges have left great and visible estates whereby it will appear who built most upon the Ruines of the Natives That the Natives became suspected and odious in England not by any scandals cast upon them but by their degeneracy and frequent Rebellions whereby Ireland whilst managed by them was always in disorder and so poor that it was a continual charge to England whereas since the management of it by English the dependancy of the People is placed in the Crown Legal Properties are secured the Irish pernicious Customs abolished Civility introduced the Kingdom improved so that it was better able to give Ten Subsidies now than one in former times Trade and Commerce increased the Revenue advanced from 8000 to 85000 l. per Annum the Laws duly administred Religion propagated the Army maintained without oppressing the Subject and a Navy kept to guard the Coasts the People are grown Rich and Numerous the breed of Cattle bettered and
Great Britain France and Ireland c. for the Treating and Concluding of a Peace in the said Kingdom with His Majesties Humble and Loyal Subjects the Confederate and Roman Catholicks of the said Kingdom of Ireland of the one part and the Right Honourable Donnogh Lord Viscount Muskerry and others Commissioners Deputed and Authorized by the said Confederate Roman Catholick Subjects of the other part and thereupon many Difficulties did arise by occasion whereof sundry matters of great weight and consequence necessarily requisite to be condescended unto by His Majesties said Commissioners for the safety of the said Confederate Roman Catholicks were not hitherto agreed upon which retarded and doth as yet retard the Conclusion of a firm Peace and Settlement in the said Kingdom And whereas the Right Honourable Edward Earl of Glamorgan is intrusted and authorized by His most Excellent Majesty to grant and assure to the said Confederate Catholick Subjects further Grace and Favours which the said Lord Lieutenant did not as yet in that Latitude as they expected grant unto them and the said Earl having seriously considered of all matters and due Cirouâ—istances of the great Affairs now in agitation which is the peace and quiet of the said Kingdom and the importance thereof in order to His Majesties Service and in relation to a Peace and Settlement in His other Kingdoms and here upon the place having seen the Ardent desire of the said Catholicks to assist His Majesty against all that do or shall oppress His Royal Right or Monarchick Government and having discerned the Alacrity and Cheerfulness of the said Catholicks to embrace Honourable conditions of Peace which may preserve their Religion and other just Interests In pursuance therefore of His Majesties Authority under His Highness Signature Royal and Signes bearing Date at Oxon the Twelfth Day of March in the twentieth Year of His Reign Granted unto the said Earl of Glamorgan the Tenure whereof is as followeth Viz. Charles Rex Charles by the Grace of God King of England Scotland France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. To our trusty and right welbeloved Cosen Edward Earl of Glamorgan greeting We reposing great and especial Trust and Confidence in your approved wisdom and fidelity Do by these as firmly as under Our Great Seal to all intents and purposes Authorise and give you Power to treat and conclude with the Confederate Roman Catholicks in Our Kingdom of Ireland if upon necessity any thing be to be condescended unto wherein our Lieutenant cannot so well be seen in as not fit for Vs at the present publickly to own Therefore We charge you to proceed according to this our Warrant with all possible secrecy and for whatsoever you shall engage your self upon such valuable considerations as you in your judgment shall deem fit We promise on the word of a King and a Christian to ratifie and perform the same that shall be granted by you and under your Hand and Seal the said Confederate Catholicks having by their Supplies testified their Zeal to Our Service and this shall be in each particular to you a sufficient Warrant Given at Our Court at Oxford under Our Signet and Royal Signature the 12 th day of March in the 20 th year of Our Reign 1644. To our right trusty and right well-beloved Cosen Edward Earl of Glamorgan It is therefore granted accorded and agreed by and between the said Earl of Glamorgan for and on the behalf of His most Excellent Majesty His Heirs and Successors on the one part and the Right Honourable Richard Lord Viscount Mountgarret Lord President of the Supream Council of the said Confederate Catholicks the said Donogh Lord Viscount Muskerry Alexander mac Donnel and Nicholas Plunket Esquires Sir Robert Talbot Baronet Dermot O Brien John Dillon Patrick Darcy and Geffery Brown Esquires Commissioners in that behalf appointed by the said Confederate Roman Catholick Subject of Ireland for and on the behalf of the said Confederate Roman Catholick Subjects of the other part in manner and form following that is to say 1. IT is granted accorded and agreed by the said Earl for and in the behalf of His most Excellent Majesty His Heirs and Successors That all and every the Professors of the Roman Catholick Religion in the Kingdom of Ireland of whatever estate degree or quality soever he or they be or shall be shall for ever more hereafter have and enjoy within the said Kingdom the free and publick use and exercise of the said Roman Catholick Religion and of their respectives function therein 2. It is granted accorded and agreed by the said Earl for and on the behalf of His Majesty His Heirs and Successors That the said Professors of the Roman Catholick Religion shall hold and enjoy all and every the Churches by them enjoyed within this Kingdom or by them possessed at any time since the Twenty Third of October 1641 and all other Churches in the said Kingdom other than such as are now actually enjoyed by His Majesties Protestant Subjects 3. It is granted accorded and agreed by the said Earl for and in the behalf of His most Excellent Majesty His Heirs and Successors That all and every the Roman Catholick Subjects of Ireland of what estate condition degree or quality soever shall be free and exempted from the Jurisdiction of the Protestant Clergy and every of them and that the Roman Catholick Clergy of this Kingdom shall not be punished troubled or molested for the exercise of their Jurisdiction over their respective Catholick Flocks in matters Spiritual and Ecclesiastical 4. It is further granted accorded and agreed by the said Earl for and on the behalf of His most Excellent Majesty His Heirs and Successors that an Act shall be passed in the next Parliament to be holden in this Kingdom the tenour and purport whereof shall be as followeth Viz. An Act for the Relief of His Majesties Catholick Subjects of His Highnesses Kingdom of Ireland Whereas by an Act made in Parliament held in Dublin the Second Year of the Reign of the late Queen Elizabeth Intituled An Act restoring to the Crown the ancient Jurisdiction over the State Ecclesiastical and Spiritual and abolishing all Foreign Power repugnant to the same And by one other Statue made in the said last mentioned Parliament Intituled An Act for the Vniformity of Common-Prayer and Service in the Church and the Administration of the Sacrament Sundry Mulcts Penalties Restraints and Incapacities are and have been laid upon the Professors of the Roman Catholick Religion in this Kingdom in for and concerning the use profession and exercise of their Religion and their Function therein to the great prejudice trouble and disquiet of the Roman Catholicks in their Liberties and Estates and a general disturbance of the whole Kingdom For remedy whereof and for the better setling increase and continuance of the Peace Unity and Tranquility of this Kingdom of Ireland His Majesty at the humble suit and request of the Lords and Commons
in this present Parliament assembled is graciously pleased that it may be Enacted And be it Enacted by the King 's most Excellent Majesty the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons in this present Parliament assembled and by Authority of the same That from and after the First day of this Session of Parliament it shall and may be lawful to and for all the Professors of the Roman Catholick Religion of what degree condition or quality to have use and enjoy the free and publick exercise and profession of the said Roman Catholick Religion and of their several and respective functions therein without incurring any Mulct or Penalty whatsoever or being subject to any restraint or incapacity concerning the same any Article or Clause Sentence or Provision in the said last mentioned Acts of Parliament or in any other Act or Acts of Parliament Ordinances Law or usage to the contrary or in any wise notwithstanding And be it also further Enacted That neither the said Statutes or any other Statute Acts or Ordinances hereafter made in Your Majesties Reign or in the Reign of any of Your Highnesses most Noble Progenitors or Ancestors and now of Force in this Kingdom nor all nor any Branch Article Clause and Sentence in them or any of them contained or specified shall be of force or validity in this Realm to extend to be construed or adjudged to extend in any wise to inquiet prejudice vex or molest the Professors of the said Roman Catholick Religion in their Persons Lands Hereditaments or Goods or any thing matter or cause whatsoever touching and concerning the free and publick use exercise and enjoyings of their said Religion function and profession And be it also further Enacted and Declared by the Authority aforesaid That Your Majesties Roman Catholick Subjects in the said Realm of Ireland from the first day of this Session of Parliament shall be and be taken deemed and adjudged capable of all Offices of Trust and Advancement Places Degrees and Dignities and perferment whatsoever within your said Realm of Ireland Any Acts Statutes Vsage or Law to the contrary notwithstanding And that other Acts shall be passed in the said Parliament according to the tenour of such Agreement or Concessions as herein are expressed and that in the mean time the said Roman Catholick Subjects and every of them shall enjoy the full benefit freedom and advantage of the said Agreement and Concessions and of every of them 5. It is Accorded Granted and Agreed by the said Earl for and in the bâ—â—â—lf of His Majesty His Heirs and Successors That his Excellency the Lord Marques of Ormond Lord Lieutenant of Ireland or any other or others Authorized or to be Authorized by His Majesty shall not disturb the professors of the Roman Catholick Religion in their present possession and continuance of the profession of their said Churches Jurisdiction or any other the matters aforesaid in these Articles agreed and condescended unto by the said Earl until His Majesties pleasure be signified for confirming and publishing the Grants and Agreements hereby Articled for and Condescended unto by the said Earl 6. And the said Earl of Glamorgan doth hereby engage His Majesty's Royal Word and Publick Faith unto all and singular the professors of the said Roman Catholick Religion within the said Kingdom of Ireland for the due observance and performance of all and every the Articles Grants and Clauses therein contained and the Concessions herein mentioned to be performed to them 7. It is Accorded and Argeed That the said publick Faith of the Kingdom shall be ingaged unto the said Earl by the said Commissioners of the said Confederate Catholicks for sending Ten thousand men to serve His Majesty by order and publick Declaration of the General Assembly now sitting And that the Supream Council of the said Confederate Catholicks shall engage themselves to bring the said number of Men Armed the one half with Musquets and the other half with Pikes unto any Port within this Realm at the Election of the said Earl and at such time as he shall appoint to be by him Shipped and Transported to serve His Majesty in England Wales or Scotland under the Command of the said Earl of Glamorgan as the Lord General of the said Army which Army is to be kept together in one intire Body and all other the Officers and Commanders of the said Army are to be named by the Supream Council of the said Confederate Catholicks or by such others as the General Assembly of the said Confederate Catholicks of this Kingdom shall intrust therewith In witness whereof the Parties to these Presents have hereunto interchangeably put their Hands and Seals the 25 th day of August 1645. Glamorgan Signed Sealed and Delivered in the Presence of John Somerset Jeffery Barron Robert Barry Articles of Agreement made and concluded upon by and between the Right Honourable Edward Earl of Glamorgan and in pursuance and by vertue of His Majesty's Authority under His Signet and Royal Signature bearing Date at Oxford the Twelfth day of March in the Twentieth Year of His Reign for and on the behalf of His Most Excellent Majesty of the one part and the Right Honourable Richard Lord Viscount Mountgarret Lord President of the Supream Council of the Confederate Catholicks of Ireland Donnogh Lord Viscount Muskerry Alex. M. Donnell and Nicholas Plunket Esquires Sir Robert Talbot Baronet Dermot O Brien John Dillon Patrick Darcy and Jeffery Browne Esquires for and on the behalf of His Majesty's Roman Catholick Subjects and the Catholick Clergy of Ireland of the other part 1. THE said Earl doth Grant Conclude and Agree on the behalf of His Majesty His Heirs and Successors to and with the said Richard Lord Viscount Mountgarret Donnogh Lord Viscount Muskerry Alex. Mac Donnell and Nicholas Plunket Esquires Sir Robert Talbot Baronet Dermot O Brien John Dillon Patrick Darcy and Jeffery Browne Esquires That the Roman Catholick Clergy of the said Kingdom shall and may from henceforth for ever hold and enjoy all such Lands Tenements Tyths and Hereâ—itaments whatsoever by them respectively enjoyed within this Kingdom or by them possessed at any time since the Three and twentieth of October 1641. And all other such Lands Tenements Tyths and Hereditaments belonging to the Clergy within this Kingdom other than such as are actually enjoyed by His Majesty's Protestant Clergy 2. It is Granted Concluded and Agreed on by the said Richard Lord Viscount Mountgarret c. on the behalf of the Confederate Roman Catholicks of Ireland that Two parts in Three parts to be divided of all the said Lands Tyths and Hereditaments whatsoever mentioned in the precedent Articles shall for Three Years next ensuing the Feast of Easter which shall be in the Year of our Lord God 1646. be disposed of and converted for and to the Use of His Majesty's Forces employed or to be employed in His Service and the other Third part to the Use of the said Clergy resepectively and so the like