Page images
PDF
EPUB

numbers by promiscuous generation. But now, the northern Irish were destined to the most open and accessible parts of their country. To the British adventurers were assigned places of the greatest strength and command; to the servitors, stations of most danger, and greatest advantage to the service of the crown: but as this appeared a peculiar hardship, they were allowed guards and entertainment, until the country should be quietly and completely planted.

"The lands to be planted were divided in three different portions; the greatest to consist of two thousand English acres, the least of one thousand, and the middle of fifteen hundred. One half of the escheated lands, in each county, was assigned to the smallest, the other moiety divided between the other proportions: and the general distributions being thus ascertained, to prevent all disputes between the undertakers, their settlements in the respective districts were to be determined by lot.

"Estates were assigned to all, to be held of them and their heirs: the undertakers of two thousand acres were to hold of the king in capite; those of fifteen hundred, by knight's service; those of a thousand, in common socage. The first were to build a castle and enclose a strong

that plantation,rule; for that they were brought to that exigence of poverty, in these late times, that they must be sellers and not buyers of land."-Borl. Ir. Rebel. fol. 53, note.

+ What a calumny this, on a people distinguished før chastity; and most jealous of the nuptial bed!

court-yard, or bawn, as it was called, within four years; the second, to finish an house and bawn within two years; and the third to enclose a bawn; for even this rude species of fortification was accounted no inconsiderable defence against the incursions of an Irish enemy. The first were to plant upon their lands, within three years, forty-eight able men of English or Scottish birth, to be reduced to twenty families; to keep a demesne of six hundred acres in their own hands, to have four fee-farmers on a hundred and twenty acres each; six lease-holders, each on one hundred acres; and on the rest eight families of husbandmen, artificers, and cottagers. The others were under the like obligations, proportionably. All were, for five years after the date of their patents, to reside upon their lands, either in person, or by such agents as should be approved by the state; and to keep a sufficient quantity of arms for defence. The British and servitors were not to alienate their lands to mere Irish, or to demise any portions of them to such persons as should refuse to take the oaths to government: they were to let them at determined rents, and for no less term than twentyone years, or three lives: their tenant's houses were to be built after the English fashion, and united together in towns or villages. They had power to erect manours, to hold court-baron, and to create tenures. The old natives, whose estates were granted in fee-simple, to be held in socage, were allowed the like priviledges. They were enjoined to set their lands at certain rents

and for the like terms as the other undertakers, to take no Irish exactions from their inferiour tenants, and to oblige them to forsake their old Scythian custom of wandering with their cattle from place to place for pasture, or creaghting, as they called it; to dwell in towns, and conform to the English manner of tillage and husbandry, An annual rent from all the lands was reserved to the crown, for every sixty English acres, six shillings and eight pence from the British undertakers, ten shillings from servitors, and thirteen shillings and four pence from Irish natives. But for two years they were exempt from such payment; except the natives, who were not subject to the charge of transportation.

The corporation of London had large grants in the county of Derry, or London-Derry (for that was the new title both of the county and its capital city.) They engaged to expend twenty thousand pounds on the plantation, to build the cities of Derry and Colerain, and stipulated for such priviledges as might make their settlements convenient and respectable. As a competent force was necessary to protect this infant plantation; the king, to support the charge, or at least with this pretence, instituted the order of Baronets, an hereditary dignity, to be conferred on a number not exceeding two hundred: each of whom, on passing his patent, was to pay into the exchequer such a sum as would maintain thirty men in Ulster, for three years, at eight pence daily pay.

"But scarcely had the lands been allotted to

the different patentees, when considerable portions were reclaimed by the clergy as their rightful property.* And so far had the estates of the northern bishopricks been embarrassed, both by the usurpations of the Irish lords, and the claims of patentees, that they scarcely afforded a competent, much less an honourable provision for men of worth and learning; while the state of the parochial clergy was still more deplorable. Most of the northern churches had been either destroyed in the late wars, or fallen to ruin: the benefices were small, and either shamefully kept by the bishops in the way of commendam or sequestration, or filled with ministers as scandalous

They were reclaimed by the title of Termon, Corbe, and Herenach lands. In the northern parts of Ireland, which had not been completely reduced, and where the pope still disposed of clerical dignities, the antient ecclesiastical institutions remained unaltered. And these terms were strange and inexplicable to English government. Jurors in the several inquisitions were required to give such informa tion about them as they could obtain. Sir John Davis endeavoured to investigate the nature of the lands called Termon, and of the persons styled Corbes and Herenachs; and it appears from his letter to lord Salisbury, among the MSS. of Trinity College, Dublin, that he thought them peculiar to the mere Irish countries of all other parts of Chris tendom. The learned doctor James Usher employed his abilities on this occasion with more success, investigated their nature and origin, and demonstrated the similitude of the antient ecclesiastical institutions of Ireland, to those of other countries of Europe. The original of his tract, on this subject, still remains in the same repository of papers

relative to Irish affairs.

"The following is the substance of it, omitting the learned authorities produced by the author,

as their income. The wretched flock was totally abandoned; and for many years divine service had not been used in any parish church of Ulster, except in cities or great towns. To remedy these abuses, and to make some proper provision for the instruction of a people immersed in lamentable ignorance; the king ordained, that all ecclesiastical lands should be restored to their respective sees and churches; and that all lands should be deemed ecclesiastical, from which bishops had in former times received rents or pensions: that compositions should be made with the patentees for the scite of cathedral churches, the residences of bishops and dignitaries, and other church

"In old times it was provided, that whoever founded a church should endow it with certain lands, for the maintenance of divine worship therein. The founder was to deliver to the bishop an instrument of such donation before the church could be dedicated: and from thenceforward the ordering and disposing of these lands pertained entirely to the bishop.

"In consequence of such donation these lands became exempt from all charges of temporal lords, were entitled to the right of sanctuary and other immunities. Hence they were called Tearmuin or Termon, that is priviledged lands. They were occupied by laymen, both villains and free tenants, who husbanded the same, both for the behoof of themselves and families, and likewise for the use of the church: and were called ecclesiastical tenants. Servi et homines ecclesiastici.

"To receive and to apply the rent, paid by such tenants, it was thought necessary that every church should have its œconomus or archdeacon, called by the Irish eireinneach or herenach. "I mean," saith the author, "the antient archidiaconi, who, in degree, were inferiour to the presbyteri, not the archdeacons of higher rank that exercise jurisdiction under the bishop; and to that former kind of archdiaconi do

« PreviousContinue »