former surrenders were either unknown to him, or were considered to be of no effect. Accordingly Fisher, Esmonde and the King's Surveyor General visited Wexford, acquainted the natives with the King's intention to plant, proceeded to measure the country and persuaded fifty persons "of the best understanding and ability in the country and a few of the meaner rank" to make surrenders to the King without any manner of promise or assurance.
The report of Fisher and his colleagues is curious. They estimate the extent of the lands in question at 65,000 acres of profitable land, whereas the actual area of the Irish territories in Wexford is about 396,000 statute acres, or if we exclude the barony of Bantry, and that part of Scarawalsh west of the Slaney it is about 240,000 acres.[1]
They declare that two small territories totalling together 4,000 acres and called Roche's land and Synnott's land should not be interfered with, as the owners were old English, and claimed to have good titles, and in any case should not be disturbed. Two thousand acres belonged to the See of Ferns, and thirteen thousand had been recently granted to various persons by Letters Patent. There remained, then, 46,000 acres at the King's disposal. They considered that 24,000 acres were necessary to content the Irish and old English, but that few of the former should have lands, and, of those few, none of the Irish were to have more than 1,000 or less than 100 acres.
- ↑ The Irish parts of Wexford west of the Slaney were apparently held to be vested in the Crown by the Act of Absentees, and had been dealt with by Elizabeth, at least as regards the chief men.
