holders; none of the freeholders to have less than twenty acres, and such as had formerly less to be made tenants to others either British or Irish. The portion set apart for the old inhabitants was however to provide lands to compensate Sir Richard Masterson and one of the Synnotts for chiefries arising out of some of the territories, and further to compensate Esmonde, Fisher and one Blundell for their labours over the plantation, besides providing an estate for "Brady the Queen's footman." Should the natives refuse to surrender, then the present patentees {i.e. the Undertakers and such of the old inhabitants as had obtained patents) were to be at liberty to stand on their patents, and the lands so refused to be surrendered were to be granted to others, of British birth, and then all parties were to be left to the law, but in the meantime the natives were to be continued in possession until evicted.
Chichester was much offended at the new project. We learn from Sir Oliver St. John in December, 1614, that Chichester was keeping entire control of the proceedings, although several persons had been named by the Council as his assistants.[1] And we also learn from the same source that " the inhabitants shun to surrender their estates."[2]
This was certainly bad policy on their part, especially as their agents, or some of them in England, had accepted the Council's project.
So in March, 1615, new directions came from London. Since the natives refused conformity
