Ireland under the Tudors, with a Succinct Account of the Earlier History. Vol. 1 (of 3)Bagwell, Richard
History
Ireland under the Tudors, with a Succinct Account of the Earlier History. Vol. 1 (of 3)
Bagwell, Richard
Ireland -- History -- 16th century
It was commonly said in Ireland that all the parchment and wax in England
would not bring the Earl of Kildare thither again; but this saying turned
out not to be true. So well had the Earl managed his affairs, that he
ventured across the Channel early in 1532, and, after a six months'
residence at Court, returned with the legal as well as the real power of
a Chief Governor. Sir John Rawson, Prior of Kilmainham, and Chief Justice
Bermingham, supported Kildare's counter-charges against Ossory, and
accused Skeffington of partiality in his favour. There was an attempt to
show that Ossory's hostility arose from the fear that Kildare would
support Wiltshire's claims upon the Ormonde estates. But Ossory
maintained that he had long since compromised all claims against his
property, that Kildare's advocacy of Wiltshire's pretensions was
collusive and fraudulent, and that the King would be the real loser of
the possession, if such castles as Arklow and Tullow were given to the
too powerful Geraldine under colour of another man's sham title. Anne
Boleyn's star was now at its zenith; her father was fond of money, and
perhaps saw a chance of extorting it from opposite quarters. It is clear
that any claim of his was likely at this time to be favourably regarded,
and it may be in this way that the lately waning influence of Kildare was
restored.
[Sidenote: Kildare again Deputy.]
Having secured the much-coveted patent, Kildare hastened to Dublin and
relieved Skeffington, who, having arrears of business to transact, was
allowed to dance attendance among other suitors in his successor's
ante-chamber. On the very day of his arrival, the new Lord Deputy took
the Great Seal from his enemy Archbishop Alen, and gave it to the Primate
Cromer. As a sop to the opposite faction, Lord Butler was made Lord
Treasurer by the King; but the Deputy was supreme in the Council, and
those who were not his friends thought only of saving themselves from his
anger. Thus relieved from all restraint, and perhaps thinking himself
indispensable, as indeed he well might, the Earl turned upon his
hereditary enemy. While his brother Sir John Fitzgerald was helping
O'Neill to ravage Louth, the lawful guardian of the Pale devastated
Kilkenny; his men were allowed to plunder the peaceable folk resorting to
Castledermot Fair, and to murder a due proportion. He used the sword
which the King had committed to him 'utterly to extinguish the fame and
honour of any other noble man within that land ... shadowed with that
authority, so that, whatever he did, it should not be repugned at.'[118]
[Sidenote: The O'Carrolls.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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