Lord Wentworth's proceedings upon the enquiry into defective titles. I WENTWORTH was well informed what ample rewards two of his predeceffors in the government of Ireland had obtained, by their activity and fuccefs in carrying on the enquiry into defective titles; "one of them having had lands bestowed upon him, which in the year 1633, were of no less than ten thousand pounds yearly value; and the other, ten thousand pounds in one gift." Hoping therefore, for the like, or greater retribution, his lordship exerted himself in that business with uncommon refolution and vigour; "having procured inquifitions, upon feigned titles to estates, against many L 2 2 Sir Arthur Chichefter. Straff. State Lett. vol. ii. fol. 294. 2 Lord Faulkland, ib. vol. ii. fol. 294. many hundred years poffeffion, whilft jurors refusing to find fuch offices, as being against their confciences, and the evidence, were cenfured to public infamy," and the ruin of their eftates." 3 The deputy had chofen Connaught, and Ormond, to make his firft effay upon, in this enquiry. His lordship owns, "that he had often laboured to find a title in the crown to these countries, but that he was always foiled in the attempt." And, in feveral of his letters into England, he laments, that he could gather no light from thence into these matters. An accident, however, removed, foon after, his perplexity with regard to Ormond; but the nobility, and gentry, in fome parts of Connaught, gave him great oppofition. Wherefore," old records of state and the memorials of antient monafteries, were ranfacked to ascertain the king's original title to that province; and the ingenuity of court lawyers was employed to invalidate all patents granted to the poffeffors of lands there, from the reign. of queen Elizabeth." The deputy even seemed to entertain thoughts of calling to his affiftance the authority of his packed parliament, on that occasion.' "This houfe," fays he, in a letter to the secretary, "is very well compofed, fo as the proteftants are the majority; and this may be of great ufe to confirm and fettle his majesty's title to the plantations of Connaught and Ormond; for this you may be fure of, all the proteftants are for plantations, all the other against them; fo as, thefe being the greater number, you can want no help they can give you therein. Nay, in cafe 3 Straff. St. Let. vol. i. fol. 339- 4 Lel. ubi fupra, p. 31. 5 Straff. State Lett. vol. i. fol. 353 aNeedy projectors, and rapacious courtiers, ftill continued the fcandalous traffic of pleading the king's title against the poffeffors of eftates, feizing their lands, or forcing them to grievous compofitions." Lel. Hift. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 13. This fhews the falfity of what is generally afferted, that the proteftants suffered as much as the catholics by these plantations. See Harris's Fiction Unmasked. In the fame letter Wentworth fays, "that he confidered that majority of the proteftants in the houfe of commons as a good rod to hold over the papists " case there be no title to be made good to thefe countries in the crown, yet fhould not I defpair, forth of reafons of ftate, and for the ftrength and fecurity of the kingdom, to have them paffed to the king by an immediate act of parliament." CHA P. II. The Earl of Ormond furrenders his country to the king. WE have already feen that by the Earl of Ormond's spirited behaviour, in the beginning of this parliament, Wentworth conceived a particular friendfhip for him; which was fo far mutual on the earl's part, that he made a voluntary furrender of his country to the king, in whom otherwife no title could be found to it. For this condefcenfion, his lordship was, by the deputy's mediation, made a privy-counfellor, in the room of Sir Pierce Crosby, lately fequeftered from that board for no other caufe, but his having voted in parliament against a bill which Lord Wentworth had approved and figned in the privy-council.' "There were twenty-eight counfellors prefent when he was fequeftered, and not one diffenting voice, but all for the fequeftration." "Soon after Sir Pierce Crosby's fequeftration, a libel being published and scattered abroad, reflecting on the deputy, he was immediately fufpected to be the author of it; upon this fufpicion, the deputy fent his captain of the guards, and a ferjeant at arms, to arrest him, and commit him to prifon; whilft Sir Philip Mainwaring, fecretary of ftate, with others, broke in ' Id. ib. vol. i. fol. 350. to "Seeing," fays Wentworth on this occafion, "we have fped fo well, where our title was borrowed, or at least supported by my Lord of Ormond, and indeed could not have stood alone upon the king's evidence, I am moft confident we shall have like fuccefs for Clare." State Lett. vol. ii. fol. 93. to his study, and fecured his papers in hopes of finding a copy of the libel, but none was found." The furrender of Ormond was foon followed by that of Limerick and Clare; but the people of Connaught were not at all fo complaifant; altho' they too had fome leading examples of that kind in their own province. About this time Lord Wentworth acquainted his majesty,' 3" that he fhould be able to find for him, a juft and honourable title to Connaught, against all oppofition; and that the acquifition to his majefty, in that province alone, would amount to no lefs than an hundred and twenty thousand acres." It is but natural to enquire, by what means a juft and honourable title could be fo fuddenly found, which, but a few months before, feemed to be altogether defpaired of. Lord Wentworth himself fhall fatisfy the reader's curiosity in that respect. Before his lordship left Dublin, to hold this court of inquifition in Connaught, he had given orders to his managers there, that gentlemen of the best eftates and understandings, in the different counties, fhould be returned on the juries which were to be held in the firft trials of defective titles. This he did not, as one might imagine, on a fuppofition of their greater knowledge, integrity or honour; but because, as he fays himself,+ "this being a leading cafe for the 2 Carte's Orm. vol. i. fol. 86. 3 Straff. State Let. vol. i. fol. 350. + Ib. fol. 442. whole b" Wentworth's project was nothing lefs," fays Leland, "than to fubvert the title to every estate, in every part of Connaught, and to establish a new plantation through that whole province. A project, which when firft propofed in the late reign, was received with horror and amazement." Hift. of Irel. vol. iii. p. 30. C "How to make out," fays Wentworth, "his majesty's title to Connaught and Ormond, (which, confidering how they have been already attempted and foiled, is of all the reft the greatest difficulty) I have not hitherto received the least instruction from your lordfhip, or any other minifter on that fide." Letter to Lord Treasurer Straff. vol. i. fol. 339. whole province, it would fet a value, in their estimation, upon the goodness of the king's title, if found by those perfons of quality." And on the other hand, if the king's title fhould not be found, or, as he expreffes it,' "if the jury fhould prevaricate," he would be fure then to have" perfons of fuch means, as might answer to the king in a round fine in the caftle-chamber; and because the fear of that fine would be apter to produce the defired effect in fuch perfons, than in others, who had little or nothing to lofe." CHA P. III. The deputy holds his court of inquifition. HIS lordship having thus prepared matters, went I himself to the abbey of Boyle, in the county of Rofcommon; "where," fays he, "finding that divers affrights had been put into the people's minds, concerning his majesty's intention in this work, I fent for half a dozen of the principal gentlemen amongst them; and in the presence of the commiflioners, defired that they would acquaint the reft of the country, that the end of my coming was, the next day to execute his majesty's commiffion, for finding a clear and undoubted title in the crown to the province of Connaught, propofing to begin firft with the county of Rofcommon; wherein, nevertheless, to manifeft his majesty's juftice and honour, I thought fit to let them know, that it was his majefty's gracious pleafure, that any man's counfel fhould be fully and willingly heard, in defence of their respective rights; being a favour never before afforded to any, upon taking these kind of inquifitions; as alfo, if there was any thing else they defired, that I was ready to hear them, and would return them a fair and equal answer thereunto, as by his majesty I had been strictly enjoined; and to afford his good people all refpect and freedom, in the set |