tain cuttings and spendings, thus seeming implicitly to recognize their rights to property. But now everything was re-opened and a proportion of each district was set aside for a plantation.
Yet even here we find that curious inconsistency in wrong-doing which marks all James' dealings with the Irish. He or his advisers did not press the claims of the Crown to O'Melaghlin's territory of Clancolman, or to Mac Geoghegan's territory of Moycashel. Here much of the land was held by letters patent, and most of the rest, though formerly held by gavelkind, was now disposed of by conveyance, purchase, &c. according to the course of the Common Law. The King's title was doubtful, and the inhabitants were well disposed to civility; therefore it was recommended that there should be no plantation; but that the whole of the lands should be granted by letters patent to the inhabitants.[1]
The curious can find in Vol. 625 of the Carew MSS. at Lambeth summaries of the proceedings with regard to finding the King's titles in these districts, with most interesting details, the dues payable to the chiefs, the methods of estimating the areas, and other information which makes it very regrettable that, as far as I know, none of the contents of the volume have ever been calendared.[2]
- ↑ Lambeth MSS., Vol. 625.
- ↑ In Fox's country of Kilcoursey thirty natives besides some previous patentees were to have lands. There was no plantation. In Delvin sixty natives were to get estates, the same number in Fercal.In Iregan the chief was to have about three-eighths; thirty of the clansmen three-eighths, and the remaining one-quarter was to be given to British planters, to the Church, and to a corporate town. The area of Iregan is 53,000 stat. acres.
