statements are no doubt to a great extent true. So, too, would seem to be his charge against Talbot and the leading men of the Irish that they had at the time of the passing of the Act made no real effort on behalf of the unheard innocents, since as nomineees it was to their interest not to diminish the limited amount of land available for reprisals; for their own restoration depended on their being enough reprisals left after restoration of innocents to allow of compensation to the Cromwellians actually in possession of their, the nominees, estates.[1]
The King professed himself satisfied with the arguments put before him, and declared his intention of upholding the Acts of Settlement and Explanation.
In 1675 it was brought to his notice that the transplanted persons in Connaught and Clare had as yet received no legal titles to the estates assigned to them by the Cromwellian government.[2] This was set right by the issue of letters patent to the transplanted. In all 580 grants were issued, a number which appears surprisingly small. It is possible, however, as I have already said, that new grants were not considered necessary in cases where the Cromwellians had assigned to the land-
- ↑ Finch's report is printed in the appendix to Carte's Ormond.
- ↑ All transplanted persons were to put in their claims: all in possession of lands were to have their due share set out and confirmed by Letters Patent: all not yet satisfied were to be reprised from lands still undisposed of. The document states that many had been dispossessed of the lands assigned to them by Cromwell (in order to restore innocents and others who had decrees under the Act of Settlement) and had not yet been reprised. Ormonde MSS. 1899. Vol. II. Old Series, p. 348.
