Ireland under the Tudors, with a Succinct Account of the Earlier History. Vol. 3 (of 3)Bagwell, Richard
History
Ireland under the Tudors, with a Succinct Account of the Earlier History. Vol. 3 (of 3)
Bagwell, Richard
Ireland -- History -- 16th century
Many of the chief men of Munster came to Perrott at Limerick, and the
rest signified their intention of attending him at Cork. But news
arrived that Scots had landed in Ulster, and the Lord Deputy, who liked
fighting better than anything, turned aside from Limerick, crossed
Tipperary, and returned by Kilkenny to Dublin. Ormonde and Norris,
together with all the late rebels whom the Earl had pardoned, were
ordered to make ready for the northern enterprise. Malachi O'Moloney,
Papal Bishop of Kilmacduagh, was suspected of having a hand in the
Ulster plot; he came to Perrott, renounced the Pope, and took the
oath of supremacy; but there can be little doubt that this conversion
was insincere. A messenger from Tirlogh O'Neill had certainly been in
Munster, but found it impossible to stir up the embers of the Desmond
rebellion. Lord Fitzmaurice told him plainly that no one would stir
as long as Perrott and Ormonde were in Ireland. The Lord Deputy could
therefore turn his back safely on Munster, and he hastened to Dublin
to make preparations for repelling what he believed to be a serious
invasion.[119]
[Sidenote: Escheated lands in Munster.]
[Sidenote: Difficulties of the survey.]
Far more important than the perennial but limited trouble with the
Scots, was the question of surveying and resettling the attainted lands
in Munster. In June 1584, a commission for the purpose was directed to
Vice-Treasurer Wallop, Sir Valentine Browne a man of long experience
in English revenue business, Surveyor-General Alford, and auditors
Jenyson and Peyton. Their survey began early in September, and they did
not return till the end of November, having found a great part of the
province waste; and Kerry in particular seemed impossible to re-people
except by importation from England. Sir Valentine Browne, who was an
elderly man, was active and zealous, but he found the work very hard.
'He hath,' says his colleague the Vice-Treasurer, 'been sundry times
bogged, yet hath gone better through with it than might be imagined
so corpulent a man of his years would have been able.' Rivers and
mountains had to be crossed, and provisions could hardly be procured
at any point between Limerick and Dingle. One hundred persons fed at
the Commissioners' table, who had to supply it on credit. Wallop was
struck by the great fertility of the land, and estimated that the Queen
would have a new revenue of 6,000_l._ within three years. But the
difficulty in making an accurate survey was very great. It was supposed
that land worth more than 1,000_l._ a year had escheated in parts of
Tipperary, outside of Ormonde's jurisdiction; but what he had once
claimed no one dared to inhabit in spite of him. The Earl's palatinate
was originally a matter of grace and favour, but he tried to extend it
to the whole county, and it seemed doubtful whether any subject ought
to be so great. The difficulty of arriving at the truth proved even
more serious than Wallop at first supposed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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