rected to Sir Richard Bingham Governor of Connaught, the Earls of Thomond and Clanrickard, the Baron of Athenrie, Sir Tyrrelagh O'Brien, Sir Richard Bourke Mac

his countrie, which we thinke reasonable, as well in respect of our chardge and expences as setling a Goverment ther for defence of hym, and other of his qualitie, as also that the condicons to be observed by hym have not ben kepte accordinge to the worde and meaninge in our former graunte.

6. "Also, we thinke yt convenyent that Connaght be restored to the auncyent boundes, & that the goverment thereof be under you, especially of all the lands of Connaght & Thomond, beinge within the waters of Shenyn, Loughrye, & Lough Erne; & because Maguyer chalengeth som Ilands in the Lough, & som uppon the mayne uppon Connaght side, Our pleasure is that you make chalenge of a rente, by waie of Composicon, for so much therof as is out of Ulster, thinking yt also reasonable that for his lands in Connaght he shall beare with that province accordinge to the quantitie of the soyle, & to the Composicons resarved uppon others, wherein our pleasure is, he be as favorably dealte withal, as any other of Connaght that hath compounded (the goodness of the soyle considered).

7. " Also whereas at our chardge a bridge hath ben lately buylded at Ballenslowe uppon the river of Sucke, & that there is great liklihode that the same should be shortlie overthrowne yf the Castell there weare in the kepinge of thIrish, or any doubtfull or undutifull subject; We have thought mete in respect of our service that the said Castell be contyneued in our hands & possession, being in the comen passadge to Galloway: And therfor do will you to kepe yt to our use, with a warde therin accordinge to the chardge now assigned in our establishment of thArmy, tyll such tyme as yt maie further be assured to us, either by release from the arle, by Composicon, or Act of parliament.

8. "Also where the arle of Ormond claymeth certayn lands in the Countrie called O'Kellies Countrey, & claymeth also by a graunt from us to have IRISH ARCH. SOC. 15. 2 R

William

them free, whereuppon the fermors of the same landes deteyne xli per ann. wherewith you are chardged as parcell of the Composicons. We have ordred that the Earle shall, within twelve monethes next ensuinge, acquaynt our Counsell learned in that Realme with his tytle, & yf yt fall out to be good and sufficient, then thearle shall be compounded withall & consideracon had of hym to the value, and you to receive the hole Composicon of the Okellies, And tyll the tytle be decided & the Earle satified, the said xli per ann. shalbe allowed to you uppon your accompte yerely, by the Auditor for web this shalbe sufficient warrante to hym & to his Deputie.

9. "Also where Sir Edward Fiton late President in Connaght, hath in his custodie certeine books of the devicon of Connaght, & other conteyninge orders taken in his tyme, & bondes of recognisaunces forfeicted by divers persons to the some, as we be informed, of ten thousande pounds; Our ples' is that you repaire to our Justice, requiringe hym to demaund in our name the said bookes & bonds of the said Sir Edward; And that our said Justice cause a doble to be made of them, And the duplicate to be delivered to you, the originalls to remayne in our Exchequir there, with the chiefe Remembrauncer of that Court. Nevertheles no execucon to be don in the levienge of the said debts, without the privitie of the lord Justice and the reste of our privie Counsell there.

10. "And we have thought good to let you knowe, that we take in good & acceptable parte the manner of your procedinge hetherto in your chardge, because you have used the sword no further than to such as have ben in open hostilitie and rebellyon, and that to the rest you have extended our clemency, after a mylde and curteous maner of dealinge; in wch course we wysh you to continewe, beinge a matter most pleasinge to us, when we hire that our subjects shew their loialtie without force or con

William Eughter, Sir Donyll O'Connor Sligo, Sir Brian O'Royrke, Sir Morough ne Doe O'Flaherty, and others: reciting, "Wher our province of Connaught and Tho

mond, through the contynuall dissention of the Lords and Chieftaines challenging authorities, cuttings and cessings, under pretexte of defending the people under their several rules, have run to all errors; and understanding the good inclination of these our subjects, through the good mynysterie of our truly and well beloved Sir John Perrott, our Deputy, &c. to embrace all good wayes and meanes that may be devised, to conserve them in our obedience, and their rights and titles reduced from the uncertaintye wherein it stood, to continue certain for ever hereafter." The commissioners were empowered to call before them "all the nobilitie, spiritual and temporal, and all the chieftaines and lords of the saide countries and barronies, and in lieu of the uncertain cesse, cuttinge, and spendings aforesaid, to compound after their best discretions, and to devise and lay down all things that shall tend to the real good and quiet of that countrie; which after the passinge of the same by Indenture, is meant to be ratified by Act of Parliament."-Orig.

The following proposals were made by the Commissioners.

"The Chieftaines

of Countries, Gentlemen, and Free-holders of that Province of Connaught, to passe unto the Queenes Majesty, her Heirs and Successours, a graunt of tenne shillings

for whom we mean shortly to provide by parlement; and in the mean season, will you to apprehend all such as you shall lerne to remayne within yo" rule, that be so evill affected.

10. "And wher Report hath bene made unto us, by or Deputy of that Realme and by you, that Sir John Burk, comonly called Mc William Euter, hath shewid great forwardnes in or service embrasing all civility, and shewing good example to the Irishe Captens there in their Compotitions: For as much as it is also evident, that he is dissended of a noble house of Englishe race, we are therefore resolvid to nobilitate hym wth the Honor and Titell of an Erle, during his lief; and that his eldest sonne shall also be a Baron, to hym and to the heires males of his body, and to have estates accordingly of so much as is their own, with a salvo jure to all other that have right; for performance whereof under or Letters Patents we now send warrant to or justice accordingly: willing you to conferre with the said Sr John Burk and his said sonne and heire, towching the names which they like to beare in their creacons, to thend it may be accom

English,

plished accordinglie. The like order we have also given for Morroghe ne doe Oflarty to be made a Baron. And therefore leave to our Justice and to you, to appoint a convenient tyme and place for their apparaunces before hym, to perfourme the ceremony of their creacons.

13. [Concludes as follows] "And whereas we understand, that divers howses freight with Friers remaine in some parts of that Province unsuppressed; or ples is that you cause them to abandon those places, and to compell them to chaunge their cotes, and to live according to or lawes; which howses may be apt places for the habitacon of such English men, as we meane shall have Estates in our lands in those parts."-Orig. draft.

Titus, B. XII., No. 143, p. 598, contains a revised transcript of the draft alluded to, but the three foregoing clauses are omitted. For "Sir John Burk, Mac William Euter," see ante, pp. 300-1; and Lodge, Ed. 1789, Vol. IV. p. 288. He was commonly called Shane mór, Johannes magnus, and died A. D. 1580. For "Morroghe na doe Oflarty," see ante, p. 60; and the sequel hereof.

English, or a marke Irish, upon every quarter of land containing 120 Acres, manured, or to be manured, as the phrase went, and was significantly set downe, that beares either horne or corne, that was, with tillage or cattell, in lieu and consideration to bee discharged from other Cess, taxation, or tallage, excepting the rising out of Horse and Foote, for the service of the Prince and State, such as should be particularly agreed upon, and some certaine dayes labour for building and fortifaction for the safety of the people and kingdome.”—Government of Ireland under Sir John Perrot, Knight, 4to London, 1626, p. 80. The narrative then continues as follows: "According to which Commission, and the directions therein contained. These Commissioners did travaile through the several Counties of Connaught, first calling and conferring with the Lords, Chieftaines, Gentlemen, and Free-holders in their severall Precincts and Possessions, to finde their dispositions, how farre they were willing to condiscend, and yeeld to such a course, for the satisfaction of their Prince, and freedome of themselves from further burthens, to make their charge certaine, and that but small. These things well propounded, and discretely prosecuted: most, and in a manner, all the principall possessors of land in that Province, as they were generally dealt withall, did assent to this contribution."- Id.a

The reasons which induced the aboriginal Irish lords and chieftains to "assent" so readily "to this contribution," are thus stated by a learned modern writer. "Harassed by the perpetual aggressions of the warlike English families, who had settled in the chief towns, and fenced themselves round with formidable castles and entrenchments-divided also by family feuds, and shorn in a great measure of their honours and power, the native princes gladly accommodated themselves to Perrot's proposals, in the hope of a settled form of government, and perhaps of revenge, as well as defence against the Anglo-Irish lords, their rivals in power, who were better armed and disciplined than they. The old leading families of that province surrendered the exorbitant power which they had hitherto exerted over their wretched vassals. But experience soon proved that the promised protection was inadequately afforded, and they quickly returned to their Irish customs, and easily prevailed on their vassals to be governed by the maxims of their brehon laws.”—O'Conor, Cat. MSS. Stow. p. 123. "After

b Gratianus Lucius alludes to their proceedings as follows. Camb. Evers. p. 29. "Percurri scriptum, quod iter quorundam à Joanne Perrotto Hiberniæ prorege, per Conaciam, & Tomoniam, anno post Christum natum 1585, stati redditus Reginæ; ac priscis possessoribus præscribendi causa, delegatorum

accuratè prosequitur. In toto illo decursu, nulla penè ditio fuit, in qua, originis Hibernica possessor censum prisci tributi vice delegatis statuentibus non referrebat. Quod etiam non obscurè scriptor rerum in Hibernia Joanne Perrotto prorege, gestarum innuit.-Lib. Imp. pag. 80. et seq."

"After treaties, succeeded Inquisitions to find what quantity there was in each Barony, and who were found owners thereof. Indentures were drawne betweene the Deputy in the behalfe of the Queene on the one part, and the chiefe possessioners in the several Precincts on the other, expressing so many quarters and quantities of Land, with the Rents thereon reserved, and such other covenants as were therein contained."-Government, &c. p. 82.

The Commissioners commenced with the "County of Clare and Thomond." Then followed the districts comprehended within the newly created "County of Galway." Among these, the following "Indentures of Composition" were entered into for the territory of Iar-Connaught. Those of the other counties of the province will be found in succession; but as they all agree in form, the technical verbiage, to avoid prolixity, has been omitted in each except the first. Almost all the Ecclesiastical lands of Connaught are held under these important, and hitherto nearly unknown, documents. The original inrolments are preserved in the Record Branch of the office of Paymaster of Civil Services, Dublin; and the following are now, for the first time, printed.

INDENTURES OF COMPOSITION.

A. D. 1585.
I.

"The Country of the O'Flahertyes called Eyre-Conaght.

"THIS INDENTURE made betwixte the Right Honorable Sir John Perrotte Knighte, Lorde Deputie Generall of Irlande, for and on the behaulfe of the Queenes most excellent Matie of the one parte, and S Moroghe ne doe of Aghnenure in the county of Gallway Knight, otherwise called O'Flahertie-Donell Crone O'Flahertie of the Cnocke, competitor for the name of O'Fflahertie-Teig ne Boolye (na buile) of the Arde, otherwise called O'Fflahertie of both Con o Marrice-Owine fitz-Donyell Coghie" O'Flahertie of Bonowen, gent.-Moroghe O'Fflahertie of the sam, gent.-Roger O'Fflaharty of Moycullen', gent.-Danyell M° Rory O'Fflaharty of the Owre, gent.-Rory O'Fflaharty and Danyell his brother, sonnes to Moroghe ne Mooe-M Thomas-M© Connor

This Donyell Coghie (Domnaill an cogaid) had to wife Grace O'Mailly, well known in modern times by the name of Grauna Weale; and by her he had the two sons above-named, "Owine and Moroghe." The first was slain in A. D. 1586, by the soldiers of Sir Richard Bingham.-Four Masters.

The latter was afterwards known by the name of
Morogh na Maor.-See p. 108, ante, note ".

d This Roger O'Flaharty was chieftain of Moycullen, and grandfather of our author.

e Mac Thomas, chief of the Joyces. See ante, p. 44, note, and additional note P, p. 216.