Hibernia anglicana, or, The history of Ireland, from the conquest thereof by the English, to this present time with an introductory discourse touching the ancient state of that kingdom and a new and exact map of the same / by Richard Cox ...

THE REIGN OF HENRY V. King of England, &c. And LORD of IRELAND. (Book Henry V)

HENRY the Fifth succeeded his Father without any opposition, and all the No∣bility (taking it then for a Law, that the Crown belonged to the Heir of him that died last seized) swore Homage and Allegiance to him before Coronation;* 1.1 which was not usual in those days; but this Magnanimous Prince was so taken up with Designs against France, that Ireland was but little regarded in his Reign: For the present He continued in the Government

Thomas,* 1.2 Prior of Kilmainham, who did not long remain therein, before he surrendred unto

Sir John Stanly, Lord Lieutenant; he Landed at Clantarf the 7th of October, and on the 6th of January after, died at Ardee; whereupon, on the 11th of February, the Nobility elected

Thomas Crawly, Lord Justice; He was twice Chancellor, and then Archbishop of Dublin, and was a Man of fingular Piety and Learning; and it is to be noted, That the Parlia∣ment

sate at Dublin the 26th of February (so that it could not have above fifteen days of Summons, though the Day of the Lord Justice his Admittance to the Government, and the Day of the Session be included) the Irish burnt the Pale, during this Parliament, as they used to do, and therefore a Tax or Tallage was demanded, but not granted; and so that Parliament was dissolved, after it had sate fifteen Days.

However,* 1.3 the valiant Jenico de Artois invaded the Terri∣tory of Macgenis, but was so unfortunate to lose many of his Men at Inor; whereupon the Irish grew so insolent, that the Lord Justice was necessitated to go out in person: How∣ever, he went no farther than Castledermond, and there (en∣trusting the Army with the Military men) he remained with his Clergy in Procession, and at Prayers for the Success of his small Army; and the Event answered his expectation; for the English slew an hundred of the Irish near Kilkea; but that small Victory was soon over-ballanced by a Defeat, which the English of Meath received from O Connor, on the 10th of May, to the Loss of Tho. Maureverar, Baron of Shrine, and many others, and to the imprisonment of Christopher Fle∣ming and John Dardis. This Loss discovered the necessity of sending a Martial Man to the Government of Ireland, and therefore on the 10th day of September

Sir John Talbot, Lord Furnival, Lord Lieutenant, Landed at Dalkye, and immediately made a Circular Progress round the Pale in warlike manner: He began with the Birns, Tools, and Cavenaghs on the South, and so passing to the O Moors, O Connors, and O Ferrals in the West, and ending with the O Relyes, Mac Mahons, O Neals and O Hanlons in the North; he brought them all to the Kings Peace; but he brought no Forces with him out of England; and therefore though he had Strength enough to make them seek Peace, yet he was in no wise able to reduce them to the Obedience of Subjects, or enlarge the Limits of the Pale; however what he did, was held so considerable, that the Lords and Gentlemen of the Pale made Certificate of this great Service in French, to the King: Nevertheless the Army was so ill paid in this March, that the Subject suffered more from the Cess of the Souldier, than they gained by this small and temporary mor∣tification of the Irish; and this was the common Calamity from hence forward; so that Necessity revived Coyn and Li∣very again by degrees, notwithstanding that it remained Treason by Act of Parliament.

In August the Parliament met at Dublin,* 1.4 and sate six weeks, during which time, the Irish followed their usual Course of falling upon the English, and killed Thomas Ballymore of Ballyquelan, and many others; and on the 22th day of Octo∣ber,

the King obtained a most glorious and entire Victory over the French, at the Battel of Agincourt.

But the Parliament was adjourned to Trym,* 1.5 and there it sate on the 11th of May, and continued seven days, and gave the King a Subsidy of four hundred Marks in Money; and the next year the Prior of Kilmainham with sixteen hun∣dred Irish went to aid the King in France;* 1.6 they Landed at Harslew in Normandy, and did the King very good Ser∣vice.

But I should have remembred, That the King and Parlia∣ment at Westminster, anno 1413. did Enact, That for the Peace and Quietness of England, and for the encrease and enstoring of Ireland, That all Irishmen, Irish Clerks, Beg∣gars, and Chamberdekins, be voided out of England before All-Saints next,* 1.7 except Graduates in Schools, Sergeants and Apprentices at Law, and such as be Inheritors in England, and Religious Persons professed, and Merchants of good Name, and Apprentices now dwelling in England, and those whom the King will dispense with, and that all Irishmen, who have Offices or Benefices in Ireland, shall dwell in Ire∣land, for the defence of the Land.

And now 4 Hen. 5.* 1.8 It was likewise Enacted in England, that all Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots and Priors, of the Irish Nation, Rebels to the King, that shall make any Collation, or Presentment to Benefices in Ireland, or bring with them any Irish Rebels, among the Englishmen, to the Parliament, Councils, or other Assemblies, within the same Land, to know the Privities or States of the Englishmen, their Tem∣poralities shall be seized, till they fine to the King, and that the Governors of Ireland be defended, and restrained, to grant such Benefices or Pardons, in the case, to Irish Persons, not English, and that such Licenses shall be void.

There is very little recorded of the Year 1418,* 1.9 and it is scarce worth mentioning, That the Lord Lieutenant did spoil the Tenants of Henry Crus and Henry Bethel, probably for some Misdemeanor by them committed against the Go∣vernment.

But the Year 1419.* 1.10 will afford us more Matter; for on the last Day of May, the Lord Lieutenant (accompanied by the Archbishop and Mayor of Dublin) razed the Castle of Kenun, having a little before in the same Month, taken Prisoner Mac Morough, the chief Captain of his Nation, and on the 20th of June, the Lord William de Burgh took O Kelly, and slow five hundred Irish in Connaught; but the Lord Lieu∣tenant was sent for to England, and substituted his Brother

Richard Talbot, Archbishop of Dublin, Lord Justice (or Deputy.) He held a Royal Council (i. e. a Parliament) at

the Naas, which gave a Subsidy of three hundred Marks.

On Maundy-Thursday, O Tool took four hundred Kine from Ballymore, and so broke the Peace, contrary to his Oath; but it fared worse with the Irish at Rodiston, where thirty of them were slain by the English, under the Command of the Lord Justice; but on the 4th day of April, Landed at Waterford

James,* 1.11 Earl of Ormond, Lord Lieutenant: His Commissi∣on is very large, and beareth Date the 10th of Febr. 7 Hen. 5. and is to be seen, Pryn 412. He held a Council at Dublin, the 23th of April, and summoned a Parliament to meet the 7th of June; which did accordingly then meet, and sate sixteen days, and gave the King a Subsidy of seven hundred Marks, and adjourned to Monday after S. Andrews Day; and at that Session, they gave another Subsidy of three hundred Marks, and the publick Debts contracted by the Lord Talbot, were paid; and then they were Adjourned to the Monday after S. Ambrose's Day.

But it will be convenient to shew the Reader who paid these Subsidies, and what their respective Proportions were; and thereby he will perceive the vast Alteration (for the bet∣ter) that is made in the State of Ireland since those Days: This Subsidy was called Tertium Subsidium, and was applot∣ted thus;* 1.12

	Lib.	s.	d.
The Clergy of the County of Wexford,	13	06	08
The Commons of Kildare,	34	10	05
The Clergy of Kildare,	04	02	10
Commons of Typerary,	08	11	04
Clergy of Cashel,	00	19	04
Commons of Limerick,	02	03	00
Clergy of Limerick,	00	08	01
Kingsale,	01	16	08
	Mar.	s.	d.
Meath Liberty,	83	00	00
Clergy of Meath,	40	00	00
Clergy of Dublin,	11	11	08
Drogehda,	04	03	00
Commons of Carlow,	04	01	04
Clergy of Ossory,	02	00	11
Commons of Kilkenny,	18	05	11
Commons of Louth,	25	12	05
Clergy of Ardes,	08	08	09
Commons of Dublin,	40	10	00
City of Dublin,	06	10	00
Clergy Cathedral of Dublin,	11	11	08
Cork,	02	02	00

On the 28th of October, Thomas Fitz-Girald took Colmolin Castle, and the Parliament met again according to Adjourn∣ment, on Monday after S. Ambrose's Day, and ordered, that the Archbishop of Armagh, Sir Christopher Preston, and o∣thers, should go Commissioners to the King, to desire a Re∣formation of the State of the Land.

At this Parliament John Gese Bishop of Lismore and Water∣ford, accused Richard O Hedian, Archbishop of Cashel, of Thirty Articles; the Principal of which were,

First,* 1.13 That he loved none of the English Nation, nor gave any Benefice to any Englishman, and that he counselled other Bishops to do the like.

Secondly, That he had counterfeited the Great Seal.

Thirdly, That he designed to make himself King of Mun∣ster.

Fourthly, That he had taken a Ring from the Image of S. Patrick (which the Earl of Desmond had offered) and gave it to his Concubine, &c.

There was also a Contest between Adam Pory, Bishop of Cloyne, and another Bishop; but it is probable that the for∣mer Accusation was suppressed, because we find no farther Proceedings upon them; and because the Archbishop seems to have been a more generous sort of Man; for he not on∣ly repaired the Cathedral of Cashel, and a Mansion-House or two, for his Successors, but also was otherwise a great Bene∣factor to that See, and liberal to Pious Uses; and the later Contest was transmitted to Rome.

But we should return to the Lord Justice,* 1.14 whose Ser∣vants were, on the Seventh of May attacked and defeated by the Irish; Purcel Grant, and five and twenty English more were slain, and ten taken Prisoners, and two hundred esca∣ped to the Abby of Leix; and to revenge this, the Lord Ju∣stice invaded O Mores Country, and defeated his terrible Army in the red Bog of Asby; he relieved his own Men, and burnt and preyed the Rebels Lands for four days, un∣til themselves came and sued for Peace. And it seems O Dempsy, notwithstanding his Oath of Obedience, invaded the Pale, and took the Castle of Ley from the Earl of Kil∣dare, which the Lord Justice had justly restored to the Earl; whereupon Campion makes a severe Remark on the Irish; That notwithstanding their Oaths and their Pledges, they are no longer true, than they feel themselves the weak∣er.

In the mean time, Mac Mahon play'd the Devil in Ʋrgile, and burnt and spoil'd all before him;* 1.15 but the Lord Justice also revenged that Prank, and forced Mac Mahon to submit; and many other Noble Exploits did this good Governor; for whose Success the Clergy of Dublin went twice every week in solemn Procession, praying for his Victory over those disordered Persons, which now in every Quarter of Ireland had apostatiz'd to their old Trade of Life, and repined at the English.

And when I have mentioned a Deed made 9 Hen. 5. which is to be found Lib. GGG. 24. at Lambeth, whereby this Earl of Ormond constituted James Fitz-Girald, Earl of Desmond, his Seneschal of the Baronies (or Signiories) of Imokilly Inchi∣coin, and the Town of Youghal, during his Life, I have no more to add, but that this Victorious King, after he had conquered France, submitted to the common Fate on the last Day of August 1422, in the Flower of his Age, and the Tenth Year of his Reign.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1412.
• * 1.2

  1413.
• * 1.3

  1414.
• * 1.4

  1415.
• * 1.5

  1416.
• * 1.6

  1417.
• * 1.7

  Lib. M.
• * 1.8

  Lib. M.
• * 1.9

  1418.
• * 1.10

  1419.
• * 1.11

  1420.
• * 1.12

  Lib. CCC.
• * 1.13

  Ware de Prae∣sul. 170.
• * 1.14

  1422.
• * 1.15

  Camp. 97.