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Home Ireland under Tudors and Stuarts, 1485-1688 Part 5 |
Part 5The war was followed by fresh plantations. Enormous quantities of land were distributed to Cromwell's soldiers and other Protestant settlers, whilst some of the previous landholders were given compensation in Connaught. At the same time the exercise of the Catholic religion was rigidly suppressed. But, in Ireland as in Scotland, Cromwell's rule had merits. Good justice was administered, and on the whole fair order was maintained (Measures had to be undertaken for the extermination of two pests—wolves and Tories. The former had increased enormously during the war, and one man was allowed to lease an estate, only 9 miles from Dublin, at a very cheap rate, on condition that he kept a pack of wolfhounds and "a knowing huntsman". Tories were discontented Irish soldiers who had, in the Cromwellian settlement, lost their holdings, and murdered the new colonists and stole their cattle. Five pounds was offered for the head of a wolf, and as much as twenty pounds for the head of a really bad Tory). Above all, Ireland enjoyed the benefits of free trade with England.The Restoration in 1660 brought to Ireland the same difficulty over the land question as had occurred in England— what was to happen to the Cromwellian settlers? Eventually it was settled in this way: those landholders who could prove that they had no share in the rebellion of 1641 recovered their lands, whilst the Cromwellian holders of them received compensation elsewhere. The general result was this, that, whereas in 1640 two-thirds of the landholders had been Roman Catholic, two-thirds of the land was now in Protestant hands (The settlers of Elizabeth's and James I's day or their descendants held about one-third, and the Cromwellian settlers the other third). The reign of Charles II was a period of peace for Ireland. For a great part of the time Ormonde was the ruler, and under him a discreet toleration was exercised, and the country enjoyed repose. In the reign of Charles II, however, Ireland not only lost her free trade with England, but began to suffer from the laws which the influence of jealous English merchants and farmers secured in the English Parliament But of that we shall have something to say later on. |
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