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The
Plantation of Munster:
Planning
Ideas about plantation
were in the
air in the
1580s.
Already a number
of English settlers
led by Grenville
and St. Leger had
settled west of
Cork, and
these men were
also involved with
their friend Sir
Walter Raleigh in
the first the
attempts to settle
part of North
America, named
Virginia after the
Queen.
The death of
Desmond and the
confiscation of his
estates opened up
the possibility of
a profitable exploitation
of land in
Ireland.
This would suit
the government by
establishing islands of
English civilization in
the midst of
the Irish who
would, it
was hoped,
learn from their
example.
It would also
provide a ready-made
and relatively inexpensive
garrison to protect
Munster against a possible
invasion by Spain.
After several years
of growing hostility,
relations between England
and Spain had
finally broken down
in 1585,
and Philip II
had begun to
collect a great
fleet of ships
to invade that
country and depose
the Elizabeth.
The Armada did
not sail until
1588, but,
from 1586,
English officials were
aware that it
was being prepared
and were taking
precautions against it.
Early
in 1584 Sir
John Perrot was appointed
Deputy and he
arrived in June.
A hot- tempered,
quarrelsome man,
he greatly resembles
Henry VIII
whose natural son
he was said
to be.
He was instructed to
begin organizing a
plantation and he appointed
a commission containing
Wallop, Sir Valentine
Browne and others
to discover which
land was now
at the government's
disposal.
The commissioners set
out on a
tour of inspection,
traveling on horseback
over bogs,
mountains and swollen
rivers.
They wrote reports
to Burghley in
which they commented
on the richness
of the land,
reminding the Minister
of the dangers
they, and
especially the fat
and elderly
Sir Valentine, were undergoing
in the Queen's
service and of
the rewards they
were hoping for.
They worked slowly,
however, not
completing their report
till October 1585,
which dismayed Perrot,
who realize that
the Irish would
re-establish themselves if
a plantation was
not made quickly.
Meanwhile,
in London,
detailed plans for
the plantation were
being drawn up,
probably by Burghley.
The final plan was
issued in June
1586.
It decreed that
the confiscated land
should be divided
into twenty seigniories or
estates, each
containing 12,000 acres of
arable land as
well as adjoining
bog, mountain and
waste.
These estates could
be split into
smaller units of
4,000 or 8,000 acres.
These seigniories were to
be given to
men who undertook
to plant on
them ninety-one
English tenants and their
families, each
of whom would
get a farm
of several hundred
acres, and
also seventy-one household
servants.
In addition,
it was expected
that each undertaker
would bring in
some craftsman,
e.g. carpenters,
stone-masons,
and it seemed
likely that the
government expected to
have about 8000
English people settled
in Munster eventually.
Each undertaker was
expected to remove
all Irish people
from his estate
and to pay
an annual rent
to the government.
He was to
keep three horse-soldiers
and six foot
and each of his
tenants was to
keep one foot-soldier
and his equipment
for the defense
of the colony.
Recruitment of
men suitable to
undertake these responsibilities
began at once.
Government agents,
including Browne, spoke
to meetings of
the nobility and
gentry in a
number of English
counties, chiefly Devon,
Cornwall, Hampshire, Cheshire and Lancashire.
Why these areas
were picked is
not clear,
but maybe due
to their nearness
to Ireland and
the involvement of
several of their leading men in
early Irish ventures.
These agents pointed
out the advantages
of settlement in
Ireland for younger
sons who would not
inherit their father's
estates.
Such men could
recruit farmers from
among their fathers’
tenants promising them bigger
farms at lower rents than they could possibly hope for in a more crowded
England. The
response seems to
have been good
and the first
undertakers with their
tenants began to
and arrive late in 1586
Our pretence in this enterprise of plantation was to establish in these parts piety, justice, inhabitation and civility with comfort and good example to the parts adjacent. Our drift now is, being here possessed of land, to extort, make the state of things turbulent and live by prey and pay.
The
Plantation of Munster:
The Planters
Despite the
difficulties the plantation
finally began to
be effective by
1589.
Groups of undertakers,
working together,
were assigned
land in different
parts of Munster.
Sir Walter Raleigh
and planters from
Devon and Somerset
got lands in Waterford
and east Cork;
Sir William Courtney,
with other planters
from Devon and
Hampshire, got
lands in Limerick;
Sir Valentine Browne
got lands in
east Kerry.
We know something
of one undertaker’s
experience which may
have been typical.
Henry Oughtred
was a merchant
and shipowner from
Southampton.
He had made
his fortune trading
with Spain and
Portugal, but
war was now making
this trade difficult
and he became
involved in a
number of ventures
in America.
One of his
ships was used
to carry grain
to the army
in Munster in
1581, and
this may have
been what turned
his attention to
Ireland.
He was also
friendly with Perrot
and with Burghley
and it may
have been he
who drew Oughtred into forming
a group of
Hampshire undertakers to
plant fourteen seigniories in
co. Limerick.
Oughtred began
his preparations late
in 1586.
A great deal
of red tape
was involved.
He had to
get special permits
to take grain,
money and men out of England. He
also had to get special permits allowing him to take household goods,
building materials and
food supplies without
paying duties on
them.
Then he found that
no ships were
being allowed to
leave the English
ports because of
the threatened Armada.
His ship, the
Godspeed, loaded with
men and provisions,
was delayed and
only by using
his connection with
Lord Burghley the
Lord Treasurer,
was Oughtred finally
allowed to depart.
In Munster
he was assigned
12,000 acres at Moyne
in Co. limerick.
It is not
known what conditions
he found there but
they were probably
bad, for he
wrote two years
later that he
had spent over ₤600
on his lands
without the smallest
profit.
It is probable
the land was
overgrown and the
castles in ruins
and he may,
like other planters,
have employed Irish
people to clear the land,
plant hedges and
begin cultivation.
Some planters brought
in English breeds
of cattle, sheep and
horses and these were used
to improve the native breed.
Many planners took
over the old
tower-houses,
reroofing and repairing them, but Oughtred had
built himself a
manor house at Moyne
where he was
living in 1598.
He seems to
have been slow
to bring in
the English settlers,
having only eight tenants
and sixteen household servants in
1592, and this may
have been behind
the difficulties with
the Dublin government
of which he
frequently complained.
When the northern
rebellion spread to
Munster in 1598,
Oughtred left hurriedly for
England, and,
like many of
the first planters,
he did not
return, selling his
lands to his
neighbour, Sir
George Courtney.
It is impossible
to be sure
how many planters
actually settled in
Munster.
A survey in
1589 found about
600 families,
which would probably
mean about 3,000
individuals.
A report of
1597 spoke of
‘5,000 Englishmen
besides women and
children’ being there
in 1594,
which suggests that
the numbers were
growing steadily and
may have even
reached the figures planned
by the government.
They had a
great impact on
the economy of
Munster.
The quality of
wool, tallow and
hides exported,
much of it
to Bristol,
grew.
Undertakers seem to
have profited after
their initial outlay
of capital,
as rents increased
once the land
was brought back
into cultivation.
In 1598 it
was said that
‘their ground was taken
ten years since
for 6d (21/2p) an acre
and the same
was let four
years ago (been
but ditched in
quickset) for
2/6d (121/2p) an acre.’
The woods of
Munster attracted developers
for there was
a great demand
for timber in
England.
On Raleigh’s estate
on the Blackwater
a timber industry was
established with sawmills to
cut the wood
into planks for
shipbuilding and barrel
staves of various
sizes.
The government,
too, profited,
drawing rents of
₤2000 a year
from Munster after
1594.
After
1583 peace reined in
Munster for fifteen years.
This, together
with the task
of exploiting the
resources of their
new estates,
lulled the planters into
a false sense
of security.
Many of them neglected their
duty of maintaining
soldiers and even
the government kept
only a small
company of horse
and foot.
Spencer, who
had a smaller stake
in East Cork,
wrote in 1598
‘that more care
was taken for
profit and utility
than for strength
and safety’.
The colonists tended
to think of
any threat as
being likely to
come from Spain,
but, in fact,
it was all
round them in
the native population,
resentful of the
incomers who
were exploiting their
lands, violating
their beliefs and
rejecting their customs.
Some external spark
was enough to
set fire to
this resentment and
it was to come in 1598.
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Munster, 1583
A list of charges likely to be incurred by various people involved in planting in Munster. A glance at the gentleman’s overall charge shows why the government sought the involvement of wealthy landowners.
Estimate of the necessary charges incident to such as shall be disposed to inhabit in Ireland for the first year:
The Gentleman’s charge
– 6 hinds, at 53s, 4d.each; 4 women at 33s, 4d. each;
2 boys, ditto; 12 quarters of wheat or rye, at 26s, 8d. each;
12 qrs barley, at 13s, 4d; weekly victuals, besides butter and cheese or
their own making, 6s, 8d. Stock: 25
kine, at 1l, 6s, 8d. each; 100
yearlings, at 12s each; 8 oxen, at
50s. each; 4 garrons, at 25s. each;
300 ewes, at 4s. each. For
sowing: 10qrs. wheat and rye, 11qrs. barley, 6qrs. beans, at 13s, 4d. each;
20qrs.oats, at 9s. Sum
total, 278l.; whereof there
will be spent this year 671l. 6s. 8d.;
and the remainder in stock to increase.
The Farmer’s charge – 2 hinds, at 53s. 4d.; one boy and a
maid-servant, at 26s. 8d.; 5qrs.
wheat or rye for bread; 6qrs. oats
for drink; weekly victuals, besides
butter and cheese of their own making, 3s. 4d.
Stock: 4 oxen, a garron, 10 kine, 10 heifers, yearlings, two others, 30
ewes. For sowing: of wheat and rye,
2 qrs.; of barley, 2; beans1; oats,
4. Total, 70l. 7s.;
whereof to be spent this year 26l. 0s. 8d.;
the rest to remain in stock.
Copyholders – One hind, 40s.;
one maid-servant, 26s. 8d.; 4qrs. of wheat and rye for diet, 4 qrs. of
oat for drink; weekly victuals,
20d.; 5 kine; 2 yearling steers,
25s. the two; 10ewes, at 3s.4d. each. For
sowing: 2 qrs. wheat and rye, 1qr. Barley, beans and oats.
Total 28l. 16s. 8d.; whereof
to be spent this year 14l. 16s.; the
remainder in stock.
Pp3. Endorsed by Carew: ‘December 1583. An estimate of the charges of plantation in Munster to those that will plant there.”