1575. July. July. Vol. 628, p. 228a. 16. 17. any thefts be pursued from one country into another, the inhabitants of the latter shall redeliver the thefts, or make compensation fourfold. Contemp. copy. Lat. Pp. 4. [The QUEEN] to the DEPUTY and the EARL OF ESSEX. We have heretofore signified that we intended to proceed no further in the enterprise of Ulster for a time, but that you our cousin of Essex should make some countenance with your forces upon Tirloghe Lenoghe and the Irishry until they were reduced to some good stay and composition. We now understand that you have agreed and compounded with him, and are long since marched into Clandeboy, to reduce the inhabitants and Sarleboy to some honorable agreement, which we hope you have by this time performed, so as we shall not need to be at such great charges. Therefore our pleasure is that our whole garrison shall be reduced to 1,600 soldiers. Sufficient wards to be left both in the new fort now by you the Earl of Essex made at the Blackwater, and also at Belfast, or such other places in Clandeboy and at Knockefergus, until the coming of Sir Henry Sidney thither to be there as our Deputy. Dated in the margin, “1575, July." Contemp. copy. P. 1. Headed: Deputy; Essex. [The QUEEN] to the EARL OF ESSEX. "We are right glad to understand by your letters sent unto us by this bearer, William Carie, directed both to us and our Council, that you are grown to so good a composition with Tirloghe Lenoghe, which giveth us great hope that your intended travail in Clandeboy, in reducing the Scots and the inhabitants there, to some good accord, will take like good success and effect." We have been made privy to certain private instructions delivered by you to Asheton containing certain requests. (1.) "Whereas you desire that such sums of money over and above all imprests as may appear to have been spent in our service by the accompts taken by our Auditor of that our realm may be allowed and paid unto you, we cannot as yet yield our resolute answer therein, for that the said accompt is not yet come to our hands." (2.) Whereas you desire, in respect of your credit, and the avoiding of the dishonour which you conceive will grow unto you through your discharge, to be created Earl Marshal of that our realm of Ireland, and the same to have continuance to you and your heirs males, you shall understand that it is not thought convenient to grant it in such sort; but we are content that you shall have the same during our pleasure. (3.) Tcuching your request of the country of Ferney, we are content to grant you the same, reserving 20 marks rent, 1575. July. Vol. 628, p. 229a. and the bonnaghe which heretofore has been levied of the inhabitants of the country. (4.) Whereas you desire the leading of 100 horse and 200 footmen during your life, we have, upon conference with Sir Henry Sidney whom we mean presently to despatch from hence into that realm to supply the place of our Deputy there, agreed that there shall be allotted to you by him some such convenient number of both horsemen and footmen as shall seem [necessary] for the guard of that country. (5.) Touching your request for continuance of your estate and interest in Mac Guise Island,* you shall receive our resolution at our said servant's hands at his repair thither. (6.) "Whereas suit hath been made unto us before Asheton's arrival, by certain your friends in your behalf, for the stay of the forfeiture of your lands, and also for the remission of the interest, you shall understand that we are well pleased to condescend to the same and to give order for the stay thereof accordingly." Dated in the margin, "July 1575." Contemp. copy. Pp. 21. Headed Essex. 18. [The PRIVY COUNCIL] to the EARL OF ESSEX. We have seen your instructions to Asheton, touching the course you intend to hold in the breaking of your former intended enterprise, the same being allowed of by the Lord Deputy, as appears by his letters. We leave it to you to do therein as time and opportunity shall lead you. Whereas you determine to build rather at Belfast than at Blackwater, her Majesty's pleasure is that you should adver tise what the charges of the building will amount to, as also what convenient numbers of horsemen and footmen you think requisite, to be placed as well there as at Knockfergus or elsewhere in Ulster. "As touching the granting unto Tirloghe Lenoghe of Maguiere and MacMahound, whom † he pretended to appertain unto him as his euraghes, in consideration of rent and service to be by him paid to her Majesty for them until her Majesty's pleasure shall be either to resume them or further known in that behalf; she hath willed us to signify unto you that in no case she can yield thereunto, for that she holdeth it less dishonorable to suffer him to enjoy them as heretofore he hath done rather by usurpation, than to grant them by composition, being led so to think, for that it hath been given her to understand that the said Maguire and Mac Mahound do utterly disclaim to appertain to him as euraghes, as the said Tirloghe pretendeth, and that McMahound is the fittest person, of all such as he claimeth to be his uraghes, to 1575. July 31. Vol. 632, p. 8. be continued in her service for the surety and defence of the English Pale. "And as for his enjoying of the title of O'Neill by usurpation, as heretofore he hath done, considering her Majesty's present determination for that province, we think it rather to be winked at for the present, than by striving with him to draw the intended course of composition to such a length by protracting of time as is likely to prove more chargeable than beneficial, And yet we do not doubt but that your Lordship, by putting him in mind of the Act of Parliament whereby the said title of O'Neill is inhibited, as also of his own renouncing, as by bill indented appeareth, not only of the said title, but of such uraghes as he pretendeth to have appertained unto him in the time of Sir Henry Sidney's government there, your Lordship will do what you may to cause him to renounce both the one and the other. "Touching the rent and service your Lordship meaneth to reserve upon such composition as you shall make with Sarleboy and the natural inhabitants of the Rowte and Clandeboy, her Majesty would be glad to know" what rent and service you can draw them to yield to. Of the reservation of the land between Belfast and Olderfleete to be possessed by English subjects her Majesty doth very well allow. "Touching your Lordship's requests to have authority to grant estates to the Irish for lives and to the English in fee, when it shall be known what rent and service shall be reserved, then her Majesty will give order that your Lordship shall have knowledge of her further pleasure therein." Dated in the margin, “1575, July." 19. The EARL OF ESSEX to the QUEEN. Though I took order for the breaking up of camp, which I was forced to do by want of victuals, I thought it good to make war on the Scots. I left a garrison of 300 footmen and 80 horsemen at Carigfargus under Captain John Norrice, "to whom I gave a secret charge that (having at Carigfargus the three frigates, and wind and weather serving), to confer the captains of them, and on the sudden to set out for the taking of the island of the Rawghlins." I then withdrew myself towards the Pale. Captain Norrice and the captains landed on the island on 22nd July, and drove the Scots into a castle of very great strength. After a fierce assault on the 25th, when the captain of the island was slain, the besieged called for a parley. The constable "came out, and made large requests, as their lives, their goods, and to be put into Scotland;" which were refused. Finally all the company came out unconditionally, and were killed by the soldiers, except the constable, his wife and his children. "A pledge which was prisoner in the castle was also saved who is son to Alexander 1575. Aug. 2. Vol. 614, p. 29. Oge McAlister Harry, who pretendeth to be chief of the Glinnes; which prisoner Serleboy held pledge for his father's better obedience unto him." 200 were slain. "News is brought me out of Tyrone that they be occupied still in killing, and have slain (that they have found hidden in caves and in the cliffs of the sea) to the number of 300 or 400 more. They had within the island 300 kine, 3,000 sheep, and 100 stud mares; and of beer corn upon the ground there is sufficient to find 200 men for one whole year." Captain Norrice has left a ward there of 30 soldiers. 100 men kept there will do more service than 300 elsewhere in the North. The frigates have lately burned 11 Scottish galleys. I recommend to your favor all the captains and soldiers serving under me." From the Newry, this last of July 1575. 20. SIR HENRY SYDNEY, LORD DEPUTY. Instructions for Sir Henry Sydney, K.G., Lord President of the Council in the Marches of Wales, our Deputy of our realm of Ireland.-Signed by her Majesty at Lichfield, 2 August 1575. After you have received the government of that realm as our Deputy there, you shall peruse our instructions to the last Deputy and Council there. (1.) Due consideration is to be had of our debts to any manner of person in that realm, and what means might be there devised by the benevolence of the realm, or by some other agreement to pay or acquit the same. Such large sums of treasure have been sent from hence to pay our debts there, that it will be a long time before we can make payment of any more. "It is seen by daily experience that a greater number of merchants of that realm do usually compound with the captains and other our creditors of that realm for divers sums of money, much less than the principal debts are, or than the sums which we have here of late years fully paid to such merchants to their great benefit, the like whereof is not like hereafter to be looked for." (2.) The state of our revenues is to be duly examined. Re-entries to be made upon farms for lack of due payment. No new leases to be made without either good fines, to be converted towards payment of our debts, or else reservations of corn over and above the rent, towards the victualling of our army; "and in this point is to be remembered [a] device often times prescribed for the reducing of the benefit of the port corn to our benefit, in like sort as particular subjects yet counsellors to us have there practised for their own particular gain, by procuring of leases and assignations of leases from us of the said port corn." B 1575. (3.) Consideration to be speedily had of the countries of Leix and Offally, how they may be reinhabited with good subjects, and the rebels O'Connors and O'Mores expelled. We give you full power to let our lands and to make grants, under our great seal of that realm, of all such lands in the said two countries as are now void by death, escheat, or forfeiture, with "such covenants and conditions to be made to the new grants as th' Earl of Sussex, when he was there Deputy, was authorized by act of parliament to make of those two countries. And because there hath been doubt made of these estates, being but in special tail and not in fee simple, as whereby the tenants under them have not been enabled † to make any estates under them of any continuance for years or lives to any other persons of portions of their tenancies, as in some causes hath been thought reasonable, for the more replenishing of those countries with inhabitants; you, the said Sir Henry Sydney, shall, with advice of our Council there, consider how those causes may be remedied by some some special order and warrant from us without inconveniences of alienations of those lands from the race § of th' English blood, or to women and persons not serviceable, or otherwise to come to the occupation of the ancient rebels there, to the diminution of the strength of the said countries against the said rebels." 66 (4.) It shall be considered how we can be answered hereafter of the profits of the two countries in Munster, that is, of the Knight of the Valley's and of the White Knight's country, both reduced to our crown there in the time of you the said Sir H. Sydney, being Deputy." (5.) It is to be certified hither why the Auditor there has not made perfect certificates of our debts for the army there, as for lack thereof no accompt or estimation could of long time be made of our charges and debts there. The like knowledge to be had of the charges in Ulster under the Earl of Essex; "the certainty whereof was by Mr. Ashton reported should have been sent hither within 15 days after his last coming from thence the lack whereof hitherto || is an occasion of our stay of resolution here to the Earl of Essex' demands." The Auditor is also to be charged "to make certificate of the benefit of the grant of the English countries to us of the debt due to them for the time they have been certain years discharged of cesse." (6.) "Considering we have yielded unto you, the said Sir Henry Sydney, taking upon you this office, wherein you have given us great hope of a quiet government, that there should be order taken here in England for the delivery at Chester, |
