letters patent were thought necessary in 1677. This would bring the number of transplantees who finally held lands west of the Shannon above the figure of 580.
The whole matter however still requires a further investigation, and perhaps certainty cannot now be obtained.
There is equal uncertainty and an immense discrepancy between the estimates of various writers as to the area actually affected. The most often quoted synopsis of the whole question is that given by Petty. According to him the Catholics in 1641 owned something over two-thirds of the profitable lands of Ireland. He estimates these at three-fourths of the whole, i.e., at fifteen million English acres: the Catholics therefore held over ten millions of good land, and a proportionate share of the "unprofitable" lands.[1]
Of the total forfeited area 700,000 Irish acres were set out to transplanted persons under Cromwell and 40,000 left to the twenty-six who had manifested constant good affection to the Parliament. Then at the Restoration the innocents got back nearly 1,200,000 acres, letterees and nominees 60,000; while "to Papists per proviso with Colonel Vernon"—whatever this may mean—360,000 were set out. So he finds, deducting
- ↑ Petty believed that the area of Ireland was about ten and a half millions of Irish acres or about seventeen million English acres. The true area is a little over twenty million English acres. Hence if we multiply Petty's estimates by two we come approximately to the true measure in English acres.The pamphlet "The State of the Papist and Protestant Proprieties in the Kingdom of Ireland" is based on Petty's figures. It differs from him in stating that Cromwell left 100,000 acres to those that proved Constant Good Affection.
