viz.: Robert Gent; Matthew Drew; Stephen Tallry; John Flemming; Nicholas Foleramb, of the said land of Scilmorthy; Jordan of Exeter; John of Staunton; Richard Dulyt; William Gaynard, Knight, of the county of Connaught; Walter of Riddlesford; Michael of Kerdiffe; Adam le Poer; Philip Fitz Ade; Stephen le Prond, of the same county; Walter le Brett; William St. Leger; Richard de Walleis, Knight, of the county of Tipperary; John Fitz Ryrteth; William of Grafton; John of Lowth; William Serle; Rodolph Serle; Peter Muriet; John le Ken, of the same county; Richard Gernoun; Henry de Crus of the county of Meath; Richard de Valle, Knight, of the county of Tipperary, and John Coterel, of the county of Meath:

Who being sworn say upon their oath that, after the land of Scilmorthy, which contains five cantreds, came into the hands of the Lord King, after the conquest which William de Burg made of Connaught, a certain Irishman named Ffeylym O'Conoghur, who called himself King of Connaught, held the same five cantreds from the Lord King Henry, the father of the now Lord King, paying from thence every year five hundred marks to the Lord King. And Ffeylym himself all his life kept good peace and faithfully discharged his tribute. And after his death his son arose and became felon of the Lord King, and slew the Lord King's English lieges of his parts, and stirred up general war against the Lord King who now is, and destroyed his castles of Roscommon and Randon; which castle of Roscommon Robert Dufford, the first time that he was Justiciary of the now Lord King, had established at almost inestimable costs; on account of which he was outlawed, and died a felon of the Lord King; so that from the time of the death of Ffeylym O'Conoghur until the time when the aforesaid Robert Dufford came again as Justiciary, the Lord King took little or nothing from the aforesaid land, except from one cantred which is called O'Many, which the Lord King had now given to Richard de la Rokele as a fee farm; and the said Robert, in his second coming, by means of great armies and almost inestimable expenses, again established the castle of Roscommon in the aforesaid land, and himself granted to a certain O'Conoghur two cantreds and a half of the aforesaid land as a fee farm; viz.: the cantred of Maylurg and Tyrelele, and the cantred of Tothes, excepting one villate of land which is called Cloinnagganenan, which belonged to Richard de Calne, which is now in the hands of the Lord King through the minority of the heir of the same, and half of the cantred of Moyhe, by the payment from thence of a hundred marks to the Lord King every year. And so afterwards divers Justiciaries granted to divers Irishmen of that kindred and name those two cantreds and a half, by a like fee, but these Irishmen rarely paid the whole fee from thence, and often [paid] in part, and more often nothing. And they say that the aforesaid two cantreds and a half are worth in the more common years, in time of peace and in all produce, one hundred marks. And they say that if the Irish had been driven from those parts, and the lands settled with faithful men, those two cantreds and a half would be worth two hundred and fifty marks a year, as the aforesaid Ffeylym paid for them: but they say that this cannot be done without a

X X

great power of the Lord King himself, and incalculable expenses exceeding the value of the said land, since the aforesaid O'Conoghur is one of the five Irish Captains of Ireland.

And they say that the Lord King, without doing injury to himself or to another, can enfeof the said Earl, or some other whom he may wish, of the aforesaid two cantreds and a half, which O'Conoghur now holds, besides the aforesaid villates of land. And they say that it will be to the advantage of the said Lord King and his faithful men of those parts if the Lord King give that land to the aforesaid Earl in exchange for a hundred mercates of land, or their revenues, in the settled country, especially as the aforesaid Earl has his lands in Connaught and Ulster, and a large power of English and Irish close by that land, by means of which he shall be better able to chastise the Irish of that land than another. In testimony of which thing the aforesaid jurors have set their seals to this enquiry on the day and in the year above mentioned.

APPENDIX C.-PAGE 152.

EXTRACTS FROM A LETTER OF PROFESSOR O'LOONEY ON THE TITLE "DON."

HE primary meaning of the word 'Don' or 'Dond' was Lord, King of Kings, or Chief King, e.g., Dond nimhe neul, King of the cloudy heavens.' In this sense it may have been adopted by the ruling branch of the O'Conor family as a kingly distinction to denote the supremacy of that branch from which the 'Don' or King of Connaught should be chosen.

"It is true that the words Don' and 'Roe' (recte, Donn and Ruadh) mean also brown and red, and when used as adjectives the colours represented by those words are understood to be distinguishing characteristics of the persons referred to; and in this way' Conchobur Don' and 'Conchubar Roe' would be correctly translated 'Conor the Brown,' or brown-haired, and Conor the Red,' or red-haired. It is not contended that this modern interpretation had been heard of until the history of the struggle between 'Don' and 'Roe' came to be written.

"A few examples from our ancient laws and literature will give a fair idea of the sense in which the word 'Don' or 'Dond' was used in earlier days: e.g., Dond na n-dul dom uthaing'-'The Lord of the Elements preserving me," or "May the High-king of the Elements preserve me.' In this case it will not be contended that 'Don' or 'Dond' means brown hair, for in this invocation the term is applied to the Sovereign Lord of the elements,' the great God of heaven and earth. The word is used in the same sense in an ancient poem on the respective duties of kings and subjects regarding the possessions of this world :

'Doman duċain caċ n-duinne

Tiomarnad dond rig nime.'

'The command of the Sovereign King of heaven.

The world is the inheritance of every man.'

"Here also 'Dond' means 'High-king,' 'Sovereign Lord,'' Supreme King,' and most distinctly applied to the high King of heaven. 'Don' or 'Dond' is also used

in the academical sense as a title of honour, a degree, or dignity conferred on philosophers and poets of eminence, and in the same sense as rig-bard, a king-poet, being a title or degree intended to convey the highest honour.

"The term 'Don' or 'Dond' may, perhaps, find some further illustration from a thorough examination of the ancient ceremonials and customs which prevailed at the inauguration of the kings of Ireland under the guidance of the ancient Brehons, when the most important ceremony was the installation of the new king into his 'Dond;' for, according to the Ancient Laws and Institutes of Ireland, 'he was not a "Dond" or king, until his residence is surrounded with a Dunn and a “Dreacht Giallnai," or Foss of Servitude.'

"The term 'Don' or 'Dond' is, in my opinion, closely allied with the Irish Dunn, or fortified residence, such as those described in the Brehon Laws, where it is laid down that the residence of a Dond-Righ or high-king, who is constantly residing at the head of his people, that is, in the province or territory of which he is king, was as follows:

"Seven-score feet of properly measured feet is the measure of his ' Dun' each way; seven feet is the thickness of its mound at top, twelve feet is its thickness at its base. This is the Dun,' that is, the lawful or official residence of a Dond, or king, and he is not a king only when his ' Dun' is surrounded by a Dreacht Gialnai,' or rampart of allegiance, that is, with a mur or foss, that is, a fortifying wall built up for him by the hostages of the kings and chieftains who are with him, and under his sway, and whose Gialnai, or hostages, he holds as pledges for their allegiance, support, and good faith during his reign.'"

"Having said so much about the Irish Dun and its surroundings, and having endeavoured to point out the analogy between the words 'Don' and 'Dunn,' and the bearing, in olden times, of one upon the other, I have no hesitation in submitting that the term 'Don' is a distinguishing title meaning Lord, King, Crown Prince, generally applied to members of the supreme or ruling family.

"I am, my dear O'Conor Don,

"Yours faithfully,

"BRIAN O'LOONEY."

APPENDIX D.-PAGES 154-156.

SUBMISSION OF TURLOUGH OGE O'CONOR TO KING RICHARD II.,

A.D. 1395.

Adhuc de Instrumentis tangentib; Pram Hiħnie.

IN Dei nõïe Amen Per Psens publicum instrumentum cunctis appeat eviden? qd anno ab incarnacõe Dñi sedm cursum t computacõem ecctie Anglicane 7 hibnice mittmo tricentesimo nonogesimo quinto indiccõe ?cia Pontificatus sanctissimi in Xpo prist dñi nři dñi Bonifacii divina pvidencia Pape noni anno sexto Mense Aprit die vicesimo primo in quadam cama ordinis fratrum pdicator extra muros in suburbiis Kilkennie Ossoriens dioč in Hibnia situata In mei

notarii publici testiu subscriptoz Psencia psonali? constitutus illustrissimus Princeps Ricus Dei gra Rex Angit Franc t Dñs Hibn quadam fram rubea sera sigillatam a Teotrico O Chonchowyr dño Chonachie viro hibnico t famoso exibuit t michi tradidit necnon requisivit me notariu subscriptū confide sibi publicum instrumentum continens veram copiam lite supius memorate cujus tenor in lineis sequentib; lucide declarat Illis trissimo principi ac dño dño suo Rico digna Dei gĩa Regi Angtt Franc dño Hibnie humagiū subjeccõem ac salutem. In principio istius tre serie me ipm majestati vre regie tanqm verus subditus recomendo sciat eciam vĩa majestas qd huc usq; majores Hibnici tocius Conachiet nunc sub subportacõe vře regie majestatis michi subsunt paucis dumtaxat exeptis tanqm vero heredi Pdecessor meozt legittimo quib; quondam või pdecessores Prast dñia concesserunt t adhuc juxta concessa p majori pte possidio licet quidam alius de gente mea Theotricus Ruffus nõïe potencia quozdam Hibnicoz p me expostfacto expulsoz cupiens dominiū meūt̃ pdecessoz licet spurius filius spurii fuit sibi appriare anelavit advocacõem qua vocatus sum appellatio nõïe more Hibnicoz O Chōcubuyr qui minus potens aliquas pecias Praz cum subportacõe mea possidet ppe dñium meum quib; munciis si majestati vře placet usq; adventum meum fidem non adhibeatis tamen licet