Page 178 - Transcriptions d'actes notariés - Tome 20 - 1682-1686

Irish Land and the English Civil War
1641-48

Sr. .lIar~'s Lr;it.ersiij-, Halijux, ileitr Srutiir.

Ireland and Irish issnea have long been irgardd bu hisicirians of
the English Civil War as ail iiripurtant part uf ihr grnrral ~iirtnre-
Considerable atteri~iuii lias Iieeri given to King Cliai les 1's nrgoiiatioiis
with the Irish at differerit tiniee duririg [lie )var and to the effeferis which
these dealiriys had ori upiuiun un the parliairientaru side. Lees ii,ell
kriown, perhaps, is the extent tu whieh veeted inlerest3 on the parlisrneik-
tary side affected relations hetween Kin~ ancl Parlianient wlienever tlie
questiun of Ireland was raised.
Shortly after ~he ouihreak ul the Irish Relielli~n~ tlie rsdjcals in
die Long Parliament, undcr the astute leadership of John Pym and in
elose eu-oparalion wiih a group oE Londun merchanis, drvised a sclienie
for the suppression uf ~he rebellion. An arniy w~uld be rüised wliicli
was to Iie under the direetion of parliament ratlirr than of the Crown
arid that arrny would be supported financially by the sale of "shares"
iri the land OF the Irish rehels. For reaaons best known to himself,
Charles 1 accepted the schenie and suhscriptions of money were 600n
pouring in irom "adventurers" - Le., investiiits - in London, Parlia-
nient arid the general populace. The seheriie assumed rnore and more
iniporta~ice in the Spring of LCi42 as relntiiins hetween King and Parlia-
nient deteririrateti and civil rva r approoc lied. !Jy late sumnier parliameiit
was emplaying these funds as the nueleus iif tlieir owri war-eliest and
was laying plans to employ the troops niit against the Irish reliets Iiut
asain~t the King. The men and money rnised by the "Irish Adventurers"
plaved an important role in rtie firrt and perhaps most imporiarit battle
of tlip Civil War : Edgetiill.

Tlie lunp term aspect of the sehenie was even more important. A
ve~ted jriiermi hltd lieen erenteri both in 1,iindiin and in the House of
Coirirriori~ iiwlf which w iiuld be snlisiied iinlv with a Carthaginian
peace jri Ireland. The fouridation oi the Criiniwelliari setdement had been
laid. ln thp Coniinons, 104 inemhers had ici vcatetl heavilycl) and proved
to be an important and influeniial presJure etoup. ever alert to a threat
to their infprpsts. Wiih the conqueet ol Irelaiid by Cromwell, they eame
- so IO sppak - into their own and the distribiitioii of ~he confiscated
larirle took plaee iri 1653 aiid 1654.

(1) J. R. h1acCormack "The Iribh Adveniureru and rhe English Ciril Wu" in
Irirh Historicol Siudies i'ol. X, no. 37 (hlarcli, 1'356) .
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