HOW DRURY MANAGED IRISH NOBLES. 765 mischief," observes a writer in the "Kerry Magazine," on whose authority I give the above statement, "in a district where limestone is abundant." The traditions of the county give Owen Moriarty the obloquy of being the murderer of the earl, and his own depositions are quite sufficient evidence of his complicity, though, from an apparently accidental circumstance, he did not strike the fatal blow. Owen went by the name of Droghbcacla (of the bad English), which tells a good deal. From this it is evident that he must have had much intercourse with the English, and was probably willing to be on their side, and to resist any demand which the earl might make upon him for assistance. O'Daly says he was a foster-brother of the earl's, who had saved his life on one occasion when he was about to be hanged for stealing cattle. He was executed some fifteen years after the earl's death by the "Lord of Lixnaw," at his own door. O'Kelly also came to an untimely end. He obtained a pension from the queen of lands to the value of £30 per annum, but he took to highway robbery in England, and, notwithstanding the mediation and influence of the Earl of Ormond, he was hanged for it. The vacillations which marked the career of the Earl of Desmond, have been accounted for by his fear that James Desmond would claim his title and property if he succeeded in expelling the English from Munster. This, at least, was the opinion of English statesmen; and when we remember how often the Desmond succession was turned aside at the will of some powerful Geraldine, there is at least some fair presumption that such may have been the case. Lord Drury wrote to Burleigh on the 30th March 1579, detailing the precautions he had taken to insure, if possible, the fidelity of the earls of Desmond and Clancarre: "The Erle of Desmond," he writes, "is come to me, and professethe as much loyaltie and dutie as any manne maye, and indeed I doubt not but that his private offence to James, who pretendeth (as shoulde appear by his title abroad) himself to be Erle of Desmond, and his good usage and entreatie, will keep him sounde, though otherwise he were not so welle given, as trulie I must needs say in all appearance he is. I looke also for the Earle of Clancarre, whom I have sent for, and mean to have his son and heire in pledge that is remaining at Cork, brought up at schole under the justice Wyngh, but I am resolved to remove him either neare about myself, or to some other place." In 1584 a general peace was proclaimed throughout Ireland, after the death of the Earl of Desmond, and, in consequence of this, "the inhabitants of the neighbouring cantreds crowded in to inhabit Hy-Connello, Kerry, and the country of Limerick." The reason why these districts were specially selected for this purpose was, probably, that vast tracts of land were left unappropriated. This state of affairs, however, did not continue long, as the Geraldine estates, forfeited or confiscated, were conveyed to a number of English settlers, who now form the principal families in the county. When the earl was attainted, September 25, 1582, he was possessed of lands extending over 150 miles of country, and 766 CONDITIONS GRANTED TO THE SETTLERS. containing 574,628 acres English measure. He had all wrecks of the sea, through all the ports and creeks of the county of Kerry; and 13s. 4d. out of every fishing boat in the ports of Ventry and Ferriter's island. It was said that there were no less than 500 gentlemen of his kindred and surname. Many of his followers had their possessions confiscated also, but for the most part these forfeitures were not put into execution. The forfeited lands were divided into manors and seigniories of 12,000, 8000, 6000, and 4000 acres each. The undertakers had an estate in fee-farm, yielding for each seigniory of 12,000 acres, for the first three years, £33, 6s. 8d. sterling, and afterwards £66, 13s. 4d. sterling, and rateably for every inferior seigniory, yielding upon the death of the undertaker the best hart as an heriot. They were discharged of all taxes whatsoever, except subsidies levied by parliament. Bogs and mountains were not included till improved, and were then to be rated at Is. 2d. per English acre. The undertakers were further allowed to transport all commodities duty free to England for five years, but were especially forbidden to convey any land to "mere Irish." No undertaker was allowed to have more than 12,000 acres a restriction which was probably the result of the all but royal power exercised by the great Anglo-Norman lords who had been permitted to possess themselves of almost unlimited estates. Each owner of 6000 acres was obliged to keep 600 for the breeding of horses. Only Englishmen were allowed to plant; and, to prevent any of the lands from reverting to Irish families, heiresses were required to marry only into English families. From the year 1590, by which time, presumedly, they were supposed to be settled, each freeholder was obliged to furnish one horse, and one horseman armed. The queen was to protect and defend the seigniories for seven years, which she did not do; and the planters were not to be obliged to travel out of Munster for seven years, which they were obliged to do. In fact, the conditions were more easily made than enforced, as was usual in all such cases; and no condition was more flagrantly violated than that which limited the amount of land to 12,000 acres. It was further enacted that in a seigniory of 12,000 acres the planter was to have 2100 for his own demesne; six farms, 400 acres each; 1500 acres were appropriated for mean tenures, of 50, 25, and 10 acres each, where 36 families, at least, were to be established. NECESSITY of writing on this subject in detail.-How Luther became a Protestant. - Henry called Defender of the Faith.-Henry VIII. did not believe Protestant Doctrine.-Henry's Hypocrisy. His Treatment of his Wives.-Character of Pope Clement.-Henry's Love Letters. -Some unfit for Publication.-Anne Boleyn died a Catholic.--Character of Jane Seymour.Christening of the Princess Elizabeth.-Appendix.-The New Religion. (A) MS. in the "Domhnach Airgid," [R.I.A.] (temp. St. Patrick, circa A.D. 430. ) hrge lacob lace hrge hist Omnes ergogeneradones m ababrichum usq⋅ acidaunel geneneratones xaclanıc "Lisqu whoRans migragoně babi m generaciones Xtrans nie babilonis usq'acl babilm (B) MS. in the "Cathach," (6th century MS. attributed to St. Colum Cille) Innomme tuoreimmane fac DS exaud1070000nemmeam amwlor pencipevenbaomrmer' |