CHA P. II.

The tranfplantation of the Irish into Connaught.

T

CROMWELL and his council, finding the utter extirpation of the nation, which they had intended, to be in itself very difficult, and to carry in it somewhat of horror, that made fome impreffion upon the ftone-hardness of their own hearts, after so many thousands destroyed by the fword, fire, famine, and the plague; and after fo many thousands tranfported into foreign parts, found out the following expedient of transplantation, which they called an act of grace. There was a large tract of land, even to the half of the province of Connaught, that was feparated from the reft, by a long and large river, and which, by the plague and many maffacres, remained almoft defolate. Into this space and circuit of land, they required all the Irish ("whom Cromwell had declared innocent of the rebellion," fays Leland,) to retire by a certain day, under the penalty of death; and all who after

that

Clarend. Life, vol. ii. p. 116. 2 Hift. Ir. vol. iii. p. 409.

By a proclamation of Cromwell and his council, printed at Dublin by William Bladon, in the year 1654, "they were commanded to tranfplant themselves before the 1st day of March next ensuing, into the province of Connaught, and county of Clare, according to former declarations, and to addrefs themfelves to thofe that are there empowered for that purpose, to take out their refpective affignments for lands, and proceed to build and fettle themselves there, and make provision for their families; and this upon the highest penalties." See Walsh's Reply to a Person of Quality, p. 33.

The fame contemporary writer mentions, "the rigorous execution of this proclamation, in the long imprisonment of fome, the exile of others, and the death of Hethrington in the market-place of Dublin, for not obeying it, as the paper on his breast when he was executed, expreffing the cause of his death, did manifeft: and in the general rule so well known,

which

that time, fhould be found in any other part of the kingdom, man, woman, or child might be killed, by any body who faw or met them. The land within

this circuit, the most barren in the kingdom, was, out of the grace and mercy of the conquerors, affigned to thofe of the nation who were enclosed, in fuch proportions as might with great industry preferve their lives; and to thofe perfons from whom they had taken great quantities of land in other provinces, they affigned greater proportions within this precinct. And that they might not be exalted with this merciful donative, it was a condition that accompanied this their accommodation, that they should all give releases of their former rights and titles to the land that was taken from them, in confideration of what was now affigned them; and fo they should for ever bar themselves, and their heirs, from laying claim to their old inheritance." What should they do," continues my author, they would not be permitted to go out of this precinct, to

66

fhift

which they had to force the obedience of all the Irish to that proclamation, turning them to Barbadoes, or putting them to death, expreffed in plain English at Kilkenny by Colonel Axtel, in the cafe of Mrs. Martha Harpol." Id. ib. p. 148.

"That all the tranfplanted Irish (fays Walfh) to a man, at least the generality of them, and hereof: I am very certain, deny any kind of exchange or bargain made by them for fuch lands, in lieu of their own proper eftates, or any release given, or disclaim made, or promife engaged to quit from thenceforth, or at any time after, their own former titles to those estates, whence they had been so forcibly removed: and likewife deny that they could, if they would, prejudice, or bind, thofe of their children who had, by antient or late agreement, before the wars, thofe very eftates entailed upon them." Id. ib.

Yet even those unhappy gentlemen, who were thus violently driven from their own fair eftates, into thofe barren waftes of Connaught and Clare (though after a moft rigorous inquifition by the late ufurpers, they were all found innocent of the rebellion), were, after the king's return, debarred by his declaration for the fettlement of Ireland, from being ever restored to their eftates, on pretence" that they had fued out decrees from the ufurpers (which, on the highest penalty, they were compelled to do), and were bound thereby, and were not to be relieved against their own act." See his majesty's Declaration, November 1660. Cart. Orm. vol. ii. fol. 216.

fhift for themfelves elfewhere; and without this affignation, they must ftarve here, as many did daily die of famine."

"In this deplorable condition," and under this confternation, they found themselves obliged to accept, or fubmit to, the hardest conditions of their conquerors; and fo figned fuch conveyances and releafes as were prepared for them, that they might enjoy those lands which belonged to other men. And by this means, the plantation of Connaught, as they called it, was finished, and all the Irish nation was enclosed within that circuit; the reft of Ireland being left to the English. Some few eftates were left to the old lords and juft proprietors, who being all proteftants (for no Roman catholics were admitted) had either never offended them, or had served them, or had made compofition for their delinquencies, by the benefit of fome articles.'

3 Clarend. Life, vol. ii. p. 117.

CHA P.

Father Walth, who was thoroughly acquainted with the affairs of these transplanted gentlemen, afferts, that he knew fome of those who had not ten pounds lands per annum affigned them in Connaught, whofe proper eftates at home, im their own countries, whence they had been removed, were worth a thousand a year." Reply to a Perfon of Quality, p. 147. "Others were tranfplanted that got nothing at all."

ib. p. 148.

Id.

This tranfplantation, grievous and fhocking as it appears in this authentic description of it, has been represented by a late historian, rather as a piece of neceffary and ufeful policy, at that time, than as an act of feverity and injuftice to the Írifh. "Connaught, (fays that writer) was referved entirely for the Irish, under the qualifications determined by parliament. Here they were to confine themfelves, and to enjoy their several proportions of land; that fo the new English planters might proceed without interruption, and without that danger of degenerating, which former ages had experienced from an intercourse with the Irish; and the natives, divided by the Shannon from the other provinces, and furrounded by English garrifons, might be restrained from their old barbarous incurfions." Lel. Hift. of Ir. vol. iii. p. 396.

Thefe

High courts of justice in Ireland.

ABOUT this time, a new tribunal, under the title of an high court of juftice, was erected, by the ufurpers, in different parts of both kingdoms, for the trial of rebels and malignants, that is to fay, of those who were still found faithful to the king. That which fat at Dublin, in 1652, was befides authorised,'" to hear and

Borl. Irish Rebel.

"These gentlemen (fays an intelligent, contemporary, and impartial writer) were thus tranfplanted, without cattle to stock that land, without feed to fow, or plough to manure it; without fervants, without fhelter, without house or cabbin to dwell in, or defend them from the wolves, or from robbers, or from heat or cold, or other injuries of the air. And the miferable Irish so transplanted, must not even in those small tracts allotted for them, within the narrow precincts of fome parks in three or four counties of Connaught, and Thomond, pitch in any place, or fix their dwelling houfes, or take any lands within two miles of the Shannon, four of the fea, and four of Galway, the only city within their precinct: they must not enter this town, or any other corporate or garrifoned place, without particular orders, at their peril, even of being taken by the throat." Walsh's Reply to a Perfon of Quality, p. 145.

a In Ireland, the firft high court of juftice fat at Kilkenny, where the confederates had ufually held their general assembly and fupreme council; they were attended, and fat in very great ftate, with twenty-four halberdiers in good apparel for their guard, and all other officers fuitable. The prefident of this court was one justice Donellan, an Irish native, picked out (fays my author) for the greater terror of the delinquents; to whom, as affiftants, were joined juftice Cook, the infamous folicitor against the late king, and commiffary-general Reynolds. These judges would have moft wickedly,, and by all abominable artifices, of foothing and threatening, tempted their prifoners to accufe the late king as a principal in the Irish infurrection," but found not, by all their fcelerate practices, what they fought for," Brief Chronicle of the Civil Wars, &c. P. 616,

and determine, all maffacres and murders, done or committed fince the first day of October 1641; that is to fay, the actors, contrivers, promoters, abettors, aiders, and affifters of any of the faid maffacres or murders, or killing after quarter given." From the iniquitous and bloody fentences frequently pronounced in these courts, they were commonly called Cromwell's flaughter-houses; " for no articles were pleadable in them and against a charge of things faid to be done twelve years before, little or no defence could be made; and the cry that was made of blood, aggravated with expreffions of fo much horror, and the no less daunting aspect of the court, quite confounded the amazed prisoners, fo that they came like sheep to the flaughter."

And indeed, what elfe could be expected at a time when all diftinctions of right and wrong were confounded, and loft in thofe of power and impotence;" when the nobleft acts of loyalty (fays the Marquis of Ormond himself) received the judgment due to the fouleft treafon, due to the unrighteous judges that pronounced it, without authority in the perfons, or justice in the sentence; when the benches were crowded and oppreffed, with the throng and wicked weight of thofe that ought rather to have ftood manacled at the bar; when fuch was the bold contempt, not only of the effentials, but also of the very formalities of justice, that they gave no reason for taking away men's eftates, but that they were Irish papifts; when all men were liable to the entanglements of two-edged oaths, from the conflicts raised by them in men's breafts, between confcience and conveniency; between the prostitution of their confciences, and the ruin of their fortunes; than which an harder and more tyrannical choice could not be obtruded on chriftians. For here the election was not, fwear thus against your confcience, or you shall have no part in the civil government, no office in the

2 Hift. of Independency.

army,

3 Ormond's Speech to Parliament. Borl. Irish Rebel.