Plantation of Ulster

From Freepedia

The Plantation of Ulster took place in the Irish province of Ulster during the early 17th century. English and Scottish Protestants were settled on land that had been confiscated from Catholic Irish landowners in the six counties of Donegal, Coleraine1, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Armagh and Cavan, following the Flight of the Earls in 1607. It was the biggest and most successful of the Plantations of Ireland. It is widely considered that Ulster was planted in this way to prevent further rebellion, having proved itself over the preceding century to be the most resistant of Ireland's provinces to government intrusion.

Contents

Planning

After the defeat of the Irish earls of Ulster in the Nine Years War and the consequent Flight of the Earls, a power vacuum existed in Ulster, which James I of England and his Lord Deputy in Ireland, Sir Arthur Chichester, sought to exploit to consolidate English rule over Ireland. The existing inhabitants of the land were seen as disloyal, both because of their previous rebellions against English rule and because of their Catholic religion.

The plan for the plantation was highly detailed. An undertaker, or landlord, would be granted between one and two thousand acres (4 and 8 km²) of land. In return for this land, he would undertake to settle 24 British males on every thousand acres (4 km²), displacing the existing Irish inhabitants completely. He would also have to build defences against a possible rebellion or invasion. The settlement was to be completed within three years. In this way, an entirely new community composed entirely of loyal British subjects would be created.

Effect

The original plan proved to be unrealistic. Because of political uncertainty in Ireland, and the risk of attack by the dispossessed Irish, the undertakers had difficulty attracting settlers (especially from England). This meant that they were forced to keep Irish tenants, destroying the original plan of segregation between settlers and natives. In an attempt to rescue the plantation, the twelve great guilds and livery companies from the City of London were coerced into investing. This they did, giving the city and county of Londonderry its name.

By the time of the 1641 Rebellion, there were an estimated 40,000 planters, mostly Scottish, in Ulster.

After 1630, Scottish migration to Ireland waned for a decade. In the 1630s many Scots went home after King Charles I of England forced the Prayer Book of the Church of England on the Church of Ireland, thus compelling the Presbyterian Scots to change their form of worship. In 1638, an oath was imposed on the Scots in Ulster, 'The Black Oath', binding them on no account to take up arms against the King. In October 1641, the recently dispossessed native Catholics broke out in armed rebellion, slaughtering thousands of men, women and children. Many survivors rushed to the seaports and went back to Scotland. In the summer of 1642, ten thousand Scottish soldiers, many Catholic Highlanders, arrived to quell the Irish rebellion. Many stayed on in Ireland afterwards.

The Scottish border problem

Most of the Scots planters came from south west Scotland, but many also came from the unstable regions along the border with England, and it was thought by moving Borderers (see Border Reivers) to Ireland (particularly to County Fermanagh), that it would both solve the Border problem and tie down Ulster. This was of particular concern to James VI of Scotland when he became King of England, since he knew Scottish instability could jeopardise his chances of ruling both kingdoms effectively. Scotland had its own parliament for most of the 17th century, and was substantially independent, even setting its own colony up in Darién.

However, the descendants of the Presbyterian planters played a major part in the 1798 rebellion against British rule. These planters are often refered to as Ulster-Scots.

Not all of the Scottish planters were Lowlanders however, and there is also evidence of Scots from the south west Highlands settling in Ulster. Many of these would have been Gaelic speakers like the Irish, continuing a centuries-old exchange.

Legacy

Even four hundred years later, the Plantation of Ulster remains a controversial topic in Ireland, as it relates directly to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Although it is often thought to be otherwise, many Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland are actually descended from the Planters (for example, Gerry Adams), and many Protestants from native Irish families (for example, Terence O'Neill), as evidenced by their surnames.

Note

Note 1: As part of the Plantation plan, the County of Coleraine ceased to exist. With parts of Donegal, Tyrone and County Antrim, it became County Londonderry to recognise the City of London that funded it. For further details, see County of Coleraine.

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Plantation_of_Ulster.html"


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