Page:Confiscation in Irish history.djvu/242

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230
CONFISCATION IN IRISH HISTORY

the Earl of Thomond, Sir R. Southwell, Lord Massereene, several bishops and corporations, together with some forty undoubted Protestants of Co. Tyrone. There are some Catholics in the list, such as the children of Lord Kenmare who were minors, and other Catholics who had been pardoned by the King or were comprehended in the Articles. By far the greater number of the names however are those of Protestants. It would seem, therefore, that this list is really one of the claims to various interests in the forfeited estates which were allowed by the Court, and it is very probable that the figure of 391,412 acres given by Hardinge as the area awarded to these persons is altogether too high. On the other hand we may allow his figure of what was actually sold, and perhaps allow of his estimate of the area of the 402 denominations of which the area is not specified. The Commissioners explicitly stated that, besides the acreage returned by them, there were also forfeited lands of which no correct survey existed, and whose area therefore they had not estimated. There were also small parcels forfeited all over the country, which, said they, might amount to 70,000 or 80,000 acres in addition to their previous estimate. Thus the real area of the lands belonging to persons indicted and outlawed may well have been 1,150,000 Irish acres of profitable land, an amount which would allow an ample margin for the area adjudged to "innocents" as well as for the area restored by the King, or by the Articles of Limerick.

A few specific cases may be given to show how the estates of individuals suffered from the harsh