The History of Ireland, from its invasion under Henry II. to its Union with Great Britain

Front matter

t THE HISTORY OF IRELAND, FROM ITS INVASION UNDER HENRY II. TO ITS UNION WITH GREAT BRITAIN. a THE HISTORY OF IRELAND, FROM ITS INVASION UNDER HENRY II. XO ixs UNION WITH GREAT BRITAIN. BY FRANCIS PLOWDEN, ESQ. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. "■ Iacorrupta 6des nudaque veritas."— -Hon, LONDON: {SOLD BY MR. BOOKER, NEW BONDSTRPET, & MESSRS. LONGMAN, HUKST, REES, & ORME, PATERN OSTER-ROW, LONDON ; AND BY MR.CHARLHS ARCHER, 44, DAME-STREET MESSRS. WOGAJJ AND CUMMiNG, MESSRS. GILBERT A->D HODGES, 17, DAME- STREET, MR. H FITZPATRll K, 4, CAPEL STREET, AND. MR. MARTIN KEENE, COLLEGE-GREEN, DUBLIN. 1809. si. WILES, Printer, 89, Chancery -lane, London TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF WALES. SIR, Under the sanction of your Royal High ness's patronage, I brought before the public my Historical Review of the State of Ireland ; and confident I am, that every true Irishman will sympathize with me in the honor of being permitted to dedicate to your Royal Highness my further efforts to throw new light upon the history of so important a part of your settled inheritance.

The field of literary pursuits offers no object of research more interesting and a3 VI DEDICATION. instructive, than the investigation of the authenticity of the remote history and early civilization of Ireland. The Irish, Sir, arc a discerning, warm-hearted, gallant people. They love and revere the Prince, who confides in them. Their gratitude knows no stint. They doubly appreciate your virtues, as the ornament of that family, from wliich alone they have received favor since the invasion of their country by the Plantagenets. Your Royal Progenitor, the Grandfather of the Princess Sophia, from whom your Royal Highness draws that noble and Valuable blood, wliich runs through your royal veins, frequently boasted his descent from the illustrious race of Irish monarchs; the longest and best authenticated line of ancestry, which the annals of mankind display.

No discouragement, no hardship, no persecution have extinguished the native and heredi tary spirit and power of that valiant people. Their exertions of gratitude and attachment will ever keep pace with those amiable and distinguished talents, which with pride they DEDICATION. VII contemplate in your Royal Highness. As the History of Ireland, since its connection with England, has been more wilfully dis figured than that of any nation on the earth, I confidently assume, that the most punc tilious adherence to truth can alone render this work worthy of the high honor of being inscribed to your Royal Highness, by Your Royal Highness's Most respectful and dutiful Servant, THE AUTHOR, a4 THE

Preface

«F THE AUTHOR. M.R. Newnham, in his * Statistical and Historical Enquiry into the Progress and Magnitude of the Population of Ireland, has fixed it at 5,395,436". Besides that number of residents in the island, whoever considers the multitude of Irish emigrants in every class of society throughout the British empire, will not hesitate to allow the whole Irish population fairly to exceed 5,000,000 ; which constitutes a full third of the computed population of the British empire in Europe. Admitting this proportion of the general population to be numerically equal to one- * Published in 1805, p. 320.

PREFACE.

. X third of our physical force, it is in obvious proof, that many circumstances attending the Irish portion of that force give it a preponderancy of importance, far above the other parts, in all the relations of war. Ireland is the most prolific nursery for man ning our navy and army : she is the great mart of the provision trade for victualling our fleets : and her situation renders her the most vulnerable part of the .empire. The interests, therefore, of Ireland most im periously command the attention* of the British government, as, particularly in the prospect of endless warfare, they most es sentially involve the safety of the empire. Every British and Scotch writer upon the affairs of Ireland, since its connection with England, has systematically represented the Irish as a foreign people, as barbar ous enemies, or abject slaves.

The want of faithful historians amongst themselves is with too much reason complained of; " Were we to take a view (says Harris *) of " the wretched condition, in which the his " tory of Ireland stands, it would not be a " matter of astonishment, that we should * Har. Hibernica, Svo edit. p. 2/4. FREFACE. XI " be considered as a people in a manner w unknown to the world ; except what little " knowledge of us is communicated by ° merchants, seafaring men, and a few tra " vellers, while all other nations of Europe " have their historians to inform their Own *' people, as well as foreigners, what they " were, and what they are." Numerous in fact are the writers upon Irish matter, historical, political, statistical, commercial, physical, and critical. Yet Dr. Warner, with most of them before his eyes, in 1761, tells us, in the Preface to his own History of Ireland *, " that he was convinc ed of the truth of what had been said to * Pref. ix. — "Dr. Warner was a learned and zealous divine of the established church.

He only wrote one quarto volume of hi* intended history, in which he acknowledges* to have received great assistance both from the public and from private individuals : that volume comes no lower than the 12th century. Although lie avow, that ihe difficulties did not affright him, yet he desisted from his undertaking from disappointment in the parliamentary assistance, which his great patron, the Duke of Northumberland, had given him grounds to expect. In I/67, he published a quarto volume of the History of the Irish Rebellion in- 1641- Dr. Warner has had the candour to demonstrate the falsehoods of all his predecessors : he has written with more regard to truth, and with more independence of mind, than before ever came from the pen of an English writer of Irish history. Yet is his own national bias but too plainly discoverable throughout these two volumes.

PREFACE.

. him by a person of an eminent situation in this country, that there was no one point of literature so much wanted in England, as a good Irish history." In this work, which is a compendious ge neral history of Ireland, from its first con nection with England, to its incorporate union with Great-Britain, the sole object of the author has been to place before the eyes of an uninformed public, the real undisguis ed system of governing that country, and the effects and consequences of that system upon Ireland in particular, and the British empire at large. He will be here found to speak of the Union in a manner different from that, in which he treated the subject in his Historical Review of the State of Ireland. That work was undertaken with a direct view of reconciling the public mind in Ireland to the measure of Union, which after a convulsive struggle had by dint of ministerial influence and address been recently carried against the marked sense of a decided majority of the Irish people.

The Historical Review was published in the summer of 1803 ; and about seven months after it had appeared before the public, the Author found it requisite from circum-

PREFACE.

. XIII * stances, not altogether uninteresting to Ireland, to publish a postlimiuous preface to that work*, in which he thus spoke of that measure. " He had long considered, as he still does " consider, that an incorporate union of " the two kingdoms must be the greatest " blessing to the British empire, if followed " by an indiscriminating adoption of all his' " Majesty's subjects in the assumption of " the Imperial Parliament's manifesting the " same tutelary attention to the interests of " the people of Ireland, which it does to " those of the city of London, or the most " favoured portion of the British empire : " he passed in review all the intermediate " scenes exhibited on the theatre of that " ill-fated country, between the years 1792 " and 1801 : he enquired into the effects " produced up to that time (the end of " August, 1801 f-) by the Union : and he " lamented to find, that it became daily * It was published in quarto by Carpenter, New Bond-street, London ; and in octavo, by Fitzpatrick, Capel-street, Dublin, early in 1804-. t That was the time at wliich he took that work in hand. Xi*

PREFACE.

. f " less palatable to the people of that part " of the united kingdom. He discovered " from enquiries, that so far from its uniting *l and consolidating the affections of the " Irish with those of the British, a general " discontent and disgust at the measure f* seemed to pervade all ranks of people " throughout that country." The uniform conduct of the British Go* vernment and the Imperial Parliament to wards Ireland, since her incorporate union, with Great Britain, has tended rather to disappoint and irritate than to^soothe and conciliate her affections for Great Britain. Not one of those flattering objects have been realized, which the Irish before the Union had been taught to expect from the liberality of an Imperial Parliament, unin fluenced by the local prejudices of their own senate.

As every effort to improve the condition of Ireland, attempted in the Imperial Parliament, has failed, the Irish naturally consider the redress of their grievances more remote and desperate, than whilst they had a Parliament of their own,. To the Imperial Parliament they send not one-sixth of the representatives, and can

PREFACE.

. XV therefore claim no controul over the present House of Commons. Although the repre sentation of the Irish House of Commons were heretofore imperfect and corrupt ; yet reflection and repentance now produce con viction, that the reform of the representa tion rested with the electors. The extinction of the Irish Parliament has rendered their reasoning fruitless, and their repentance unavailing:. Great Britain has thus assumed the ungracious system of rejection, by which she must necessarily loosen the at tachment, forfeit the confidence, and extin guish the respect, which the Irish have ever been disposed to entertain for her. The Irish are nationally and individually grateful. The Author, from the high estimation, in which he holds their innate spirit, talents, and powers, has exerted his humble efforts to render them an act of national justice, by a true historical representation of what they were, and what they are.

CONTENTS TO VOLUME I. A Dissertation on the Antiquity of Irish History. p. 1 Irish history generally misrepresented — Use of history — Pretensions of high antiquity — Indifference to past events — Parties for and against the authenticity of Irish history — Intent of the dissertation — Diversity of national characters — Partiality and incompetency of British writers in Irish affairs — British writers treat the antient history of Ireland as wholly fabulous — General nature of the dissertation — General substance of the antient history of Ireland — No improbability or impossibility in the substance of the account — History rests upon moral certainty — Mere denial insufficient to overset history — Nothing commands credit without some external evidence — Facility of tradition— Tradition not confined to one line of the patriarchs — Division of the earth amongst Noah's progeny — Abbreviation of the days of man — Confusion of the human tongue at Babel — Longevity no patriarchal privilege — Links of tradition between Adam and Moses — Prejudices in favour of Greece and Rome —Consequence of the Mosaic era to the authority of the Irish annals — Noah probably knew the state of the whole antediluvian population — Original perfection of Adam in mind and body — How knowledge transmitted from Adam — Allotment of the earth amongst the descendants of Noah's three sons — First population of the islands — Milesian annals about VOL. i. b CONTENTS.

XV 111 1300 years A. C— Coincidence of the antemilesian annals with Josephus— Objections of the Pyrrhonites— Phœnicians originally of Scythian origin : Phœnius or Feniusa Farsa— Niul settled on the Red Sea when Moses passed it— Reasons of the episode about Caperchiroth — Pihachiroth and Caperchiroth the same— How the veracity of Irish annals proveable— The higher the antiquity, the greater the probability of truth — Pretensions to high antiquity favour its claim - Language the pedigree of nations— The Irish the old Scythian or Pelas gian tongue — Antiquity of the language now spoken by the Irish — Grounds of the authenlicity of the ancient annals — Of etymological proofs — Ancient custom of celebrating great events in verse — Greater certainty upon the introduction of writing — Objections to the reality of a Milesian race — Sacred and profane history confined to a small portion of the inhabited globe — Origin of distinct nations — The immemorial use of the language of these annals, strong proof of their authenticity- Written documents the strongest evidence of past events— The first profane historian was a Phœnician, and lived about 1300 years before Christ — Sanchoniatho's hi, tory preserved by Eusebius— The ancient characters of the Irish — Contrast of Mr. Davies and Dr. Ledwich's treatment of the learned Val lancey — Religious institutions prove the derivation of nations — Of the import of the word Baal or Bel— Coincidence of Irish annals, and Sanchoniatho's Phœnician history of draidical institutions — Antiquity of druidism — Interesting importance of the druidical institutions — Druids Iraduced by the Romans Druids in Mona— Their retreat into Mona examined — Mona the island of druidism— Why Mona called the sacred island- Scotland colonized from Ireland — Mona.called the sacred island —Ogham of the ancient druids— Cabyric mysteries— Great antiquity of the Cabyric rites— Eleusynian mysteries— The Cumæan Sibyll— Lucan's picture of druidism— Paganism of the ancient Irish— Othor proofs of Irish antiquity— Ancient encouragement of music— Antiquity of the bagpipe -Profession of music honorable in the time of Moses— Antient Irish character- Fur- CONTENTS.

XIX the proof of the Irish character — Deduction from those proofs — Objections to the authenticity of the Irish annals, futile — The story of Ireland's being freed from venomous creatures — The Liag Fail or stone'of destiny — Traducement of Ireland Jever countenanced — The Pyrrhonites deny the existence of St Patrick. —Sum of proofs against St. Patrick's existence — Bede's silence about St. Patrick— Proofs of St. Patrick's existence before Bede — British testimonies of St. Patrick's existence — Unanimous evidence of his existence — Error gains currency by lapse of time — Ledwich's attempts to disprove the existence of St. Pa trick — Superior civilization of Ireland after St. Patrick's time — B -de's honorable testimony of Ireland — Bede and the Irishannalists agree — Authority of Camden in favour of Ireland — Dr. Campbell believed in the existence of St. Patrick- Civil estimation, in which St. Patrick was holden — The annals reformed after Christianity — Effects of purifying the Irish annals — Internal proofs of the authenticity of these annals —Mr. Burke's ideas of publishing Irish annals — Anticipated account of Dr. O'Connor's translation of the annals — Dr. O'Connor's view in publishing — Under what patronage his work was undertaken — That author's declaration of his own views— Antiquity of the annals about to be translated — List of the annals that will compose that work — Other valuable manuscripts in the O'Connor collection — Mr. Charles O'Con nor's earnest in favour of the antiquity of the Irish annals — Other authorities to the like effect — Many other authentic documents besides the O'Connor collection — Ancient Phœni cian custom of preserving their records. b2 CONTENTS. XX

Book I. Comprising The Period Of Time From The In- Vasion Under Henry Plantagenet, To The Reformation Of Religion Under Henry Viil

CHAPTER L

The Reign os Henry II. p. 147 For four centuries England and Ireland of the same religion- Pope Adrian IV. and king Henry II. — Great synod at Kells in 1152 — Adrian's bull, and Alexander's confirmation of it — Abuse of the spiritual power of the church — Dermod's intrigue with the queen of Briefne — Description of Dermod— Demrod returns to Ireland and is successfully supported — Personal attractives and arts of Dermod — Success of the English, and death of Dermod — Letter from Strongbow to Henry — Henry and Strongbow reconciled Henry prepares to invade- Ireland, in person — Henry arrives in Ireland, when several native princes surrender to him — Synod of Cashell — Feelings of the Irish on the papal bulls — Specious articlesof the synod of Cashell — Progress of the English in Ireland — Henry stays six months ia Ireland — Peace of Windsor — Effects of Henry's invasion according to Sir J. Davies— Nolhing more attempted in Ireland during this reign — Reappointment and death of Strongbow— _ John Farl of Morton made Lord of Ireland — Earl of Morton goes over wkh great retinue — John de Courcy, Henry's last governor.

CONTENTS. CHAP. II. The Reign os Richard, surnamed Cceur de Lion. p. 171 Richard never interfered with Ireland — John Lord of Ireland acts as sovereign — His power not over the whole kingdom — De Caurcy supplanted by Hugh de Lacy — Internal calamities — Earl Marshal chief governor, and several others in rapid succession — Death of Roderic O'Connor. CHAP. III. The Reign of John. p. 175 Nature of Henry's grant to John — Mejjer Fitzhenry Lord Justice — De Courcy taken by treachery — Proceedings against De Burgo — John fearful of excommunication — John lands in Ireland — John frames a code of laws for Ireland — John resided three months in Ireland — De Londres, archbishop of Dublin- Death of king John. CHAP. IV. The Reign of Henry III. p.181 Earl of Pembroke protector of England — Magna Charta extended to Ireland — Another confirmation of Magna Charta to the Irish . — Death of Earl Pembroke — Archbishop of Dublin governor — Under De Burgo, the Irisu first admitted to English laws — Character of Henry III. — Internal dissentions — Richard Earl of Pembroke an object of Henry's vengeance — Richard Earl b3 CONTENTS. of Pembroke murdered— EngHsh laws again secured in Ireland — Ireland granted to Prince Edward — Henry applies for more money to carry on his war in France — General insurrections in Irelaad — Quick succession of governors.

CHAP. V. The Reign of Edward the First. p. 1 90 Edward called the English Justinian — Disturbed state of Ireland — The Irish pay 8000 marks to be admitted English subjects — Answer of Edward to the Irish petition — The views of the king counteracted by his ministers — Fatal opposition to the wishes of the Irish — Edward obtains a fifteenth from the laity — Differences between De Vezey and Fitz Gerald — The first Irish parliament — Wholesome statutes of the first parliament — Internal disorders, and death of Edward J. CHAP. VI. The Reign of Edward II. p. 201 Character of Edward II. — Gavaston the favorite — Gavaston sent to Ireland— Earl of Ulster plenipotentiary to treat with Robert Bruce— The Irish offer the sovereignty of their country to a Scotch monarch— Edward Brace lands in Ireland— The English rally amongst themselves— Battle of Athunree— Prostltution of the spiritual power— Slrong remonstrance of the Irish to Pope John XXII.— The mischiefs of coigne and livery —Ireland freed from Peterpence, and two years disme granted and refused-Edward II. the best legislator to Ireland— Edward II. favourably disposed to Ireland.

XxiiJ CONTENTS. CHAP. VII. The Reign of Edward III. p.214< Rapid succession of governors impolitic — Internal insubordination of the country — Reigns of Edward II. and Edward III. not very different as to Ireland — Two parliaments at Kilkenny and Dublin — Parliament of Dublin — The most solemn parliament that had been convened in Ireland — Several ordinances made in the English parliament for the regulation of Ireland — Papal bull to excommunicate the lawless Irish — Murder of the Earl of Ulster revenged — Convention of Kilkenny— Ordinances pf the convention of Kilkenny — Remedial writs — Petition of the nobility and gentry to the king — Ordinances for the welfare and independence of the kingdom — For like purposes pardons granted and perpetual vicarages established — Proclamation against promotion of Irish clerks within the pale — Absentees summoned to council to advise upon the safety of Ireland — Forfeitures of lands purchased by king's officers without license — Statute of Kilkenny — The king issues fresh ordinances — Writs to remedy the injustice of the barons and lords lieutenants.

CHAP. VIII. The Reign of Richard 17. p. 227 Rapid and mischievous succession of governors — Fi.st sketch of Richard's reign — Reasons of the English interest declining in Ireland— The Irish throw off their submission. CONTENTS. CHAP. IX. The Reign os Henry IF. p. 2S2 Turbulent reign of Hen. IV. not beneficial to Ireland— Insignificance of Ireland to the English monarch— Duke of Lancaster made lord-lieutenant for twenty-one years— Several parlianm nts in Ireland— Singular power to the Duke of Lancaster to send over two families out of each parish. CHAP.-X. The Reign os Henry V. p. 236 Heroic commencement of the reign of Henry V, — Henry withi drawn from Ireland by his conquests in France — Causes of fresh disasters in Ireland — Unaccountable act of the English parliament — Misconduct of Irish ministers — Irish remonstrance — Death of Henry IV.

CHAP. XI. The Rdgn os Henry VI. p. 242 Infancy of tie monarch — Earl of Marche lord-lieutenant — Death of the Earl of Marche, and Scotch invaders — Causes of increasing disasters — Oppressive law against the Irish — Ormor.d accused of infidcli.y to government — Political intrigues cf Henry and of Margaret of Anjou — Good laws during York's administration — York suspected of using his power in lieland against the crown of England — York's influence in Ireland— contents; XXV Acts of the Yorkists in Ireland in favor of it's national inde pendence — Duke of York comes over from Ireland to England, and falls in battle— The contests in England weaken its interests in Ireland. CHAP. XII. The Reign os Edward IV, p. 254 Bloody reign of Edward IV. — Duke of Clarence, the King's brother, made lord-heutenant for life — Death of the Earl of Ormond — Desmond falls into the snares of his enemies — Act for payment of black rent, and punishing Irish prelates for not excommunicating disloyal subjects — Heads of the Geraldines attainted — Feeble effort of Gerrat to revenge the death of Desmond — Duke of Clarence lord-lieutenant for twenty years- Brotherhood of St. George — Restoration of Ormond followed by fresh dissentions — Kildare invested with larger powers.

CHAP. XIII. The Reigns of Edward V. and Richard III. J&.262 Coronation and murder of Edward V. — Detestable reign and death of Richard 111. CHAP. XIV. The Reign of Henry VII. £.264 Jlenry VII. crowned on Bosworth Field— All officers of state in Ireland continued — Lambert Simnel — Simnel's arrival in Dub- Jin — Simnel crowned— Intrigues of the Duchess of Burgundy CONTENTS. XXVI against Henry VII. — Simnel crowned again with great solemnity — Simnel's parliament — Defeat of the rebels at Stoke — Kil dare and others obtain pardon — Perkin Warbeck — Warbeck's first appearance in Ireland— Effects of Warbeck's short stay in Ireland — Sir Edward Poynings chief governor — Henry the Se venth's policy towards Ireland — Grounds for appointing Sir Edward Poynings — Warbeck's first attempt defeated — Parlia ment of Drogheda, and Poynings' law — Kildare attainted — Kildare tried and acquitted — Kildare restored to the govern ment — Warbeck married to a relative of the King of Scot land : is at last hanged — Battle of Knocktow, and death of Henry VII.