When we last visited Northern Ireland (Scotland and Ireland and European Politics) Queen Elizabeth had raised an army to quell the rebellion of the Irish Lords and by1603 the Irish countryside had been decimated, including the English Plantations in that country. In the North of Ireland the English had employed a scorched earth policy and war and famine resulted in 10% of the population dying. The butchery was particularly oppressive in Ulster where man, woman, and child was butchered in addition to any farm animals and crops burned when not needed for the soldiers. It was a war of extermination as Irishmen were looked upon as laser men, “meer Irish” and wild beasts. The Irish Lord O’Neil reported 70,000 supporters dead and the English lost 30,000 English and Welsh men conscripted to fight the war. The English treasury was exhausted. The Irish Lords had to vacate their Irish Titles but were allowed to keep their English Titles and the rebels were all pardoned.
In 1603 Queen Elizabeth died without an heir and James VI of Scotland succeeded to the English Throne as James I of England, Scotland, and Ireland. James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley and was the Great-Great Grandson of Henry VII. Upon taking the Scottish Throne in 1567 (at age one) he was controlled by regents but exerted his independence from them about 1583 and was allied with England. Even though the Crown was united the countries of England and Scotland remained separate politically with both holding their own Parliaments.
Scotland under James IV to James VI was actually 2 lands with the Highlands still under the Clan System and only minimally controlled by the King. Additionally the reformation was slow to encroach on the Highlands and they remained mostly Catholic. The view of the Scottish lowlander and Englishman alike was that the highlands, like the Irish who were also under the Clan System and Catholic, was that the population were savages. Given the poverty of Scotland (See Scotland 1600 – Life in the Lowlands) the English viewed themselves superior to the Lowland Scots, a view that continued under James I.
Queen Elizabeth had tried to control Ireland by sending nobles to rule over estates but they would, over time, become Anglo-Irish and ended up siding with the people against England. Next she tried “Planting” Lords and Gentry who would bring over English Settlers, in the 1560s in Leinster and Munster and in the 1570s in Ulster but they failed due to physical opposition by the displaced and multitudes of Irish in general and also due to a lack of Englishmen willing to settle their families in a hostile environment. None of Ireland was peaceful but the worst troubles were in Ulster under the Great Clan Leaders, the Earls Tyrone and Tyrconnel, who eventually had to submit after their revolt was put down by Lord Mountjoy who laid waste to Ulster causing mass starvation (to the point of cannibalism). This was the state of England, Scotland, and Ireland that James I inherited.
Con O’Neill was an Irish Chieftain of large property holdings on the coast in Counties Down and Antrim, those being nearest to Scotland (in fair weather visible to each other) who found himself imprisoned due to “instigating rebellion against the Queen” for a drunken altercation with her soldiers over a supply of wine. Hugh Montgomery, a Laird of Northern Ayrshire, learned of his imprisonment and hatched a plan to facilitate his escape and a pardon for half of Con O’Neill’s land. Using the Cons wife materials were smuggled into Carrickfergus Castle where he was held and his escape, and ultimately a pardon was completed.
However, King James would not ratify the assignment of the lands and the assistance of another Ayrshire Laird, James Hamilton, who had great influence with the King, was obtained by agreement each receiving one-third of O’Neills holdings if the assignment could be completed. King James knighted Con O’Neill and ratified the property agreement with the condition that the lands would be “planted with British Protestants,” and not to “any person of meer Irish extraction.” Con O’Neill then eventually out his holdings to Hamilton and Montgomery.
For those not familiar with the story of Hamilton, Montgomery, and O’Neill a more in-depth account can be found here, https://discoverulsterscots.com/history-culture/hamilton-montgomery/settlement-story. Given the intrigue surrounding the story and it’s implications for the future settlement of Plantations not only in Northern Ireland but also North America in Virginia I can only wonder why the entire story has not been made into a full length movie, perhaps it will in the future. For us Hays it was the beginning of the story of our migration to Ulster and then on to the American Colonies.
In 1606 Hamilton and Montgomery began importing Scots from Ayrshire which was only about a 20 to 30 mile trip. The early crop returns were so good that word travelled back to Scotland and further immigration continued. By 1614 Hamilton and Montgomery could raise 2000 fighting men which indicates a population of eight thousand Lowland Scots in under 10 years. Given the sparse land in the Lowlands of Scotland the fertile soil and plentiful harvests must have been considered a Godsend.
Sir Arthur Chichester, English Lord Deputy for Ireland had been given grants of land in County Antrim near Belfast in1603 for his war service. He planted his properties with farmers from his home area of Devon and also Cheshire and Lancashire, all in the west of England. His Plantations prospered and southern Antrim took on an English character. There were other moderately successful Plantations in the County of Monaghan.
Clan Hay impact on the settlements. In my reading some years back I came across a reference to the fact that originally James I looked to try to settle primarily English but was convinced by a Sir Hay who was part of his court to extend the offers also to Lowland Scots. With apologies for not being able to find the exact reference I did find a Sir Hay as part of James I court. Sir James Hay, son of Sir James Hay of Fingask, 2nd son of Peter Hay of Mengginch, (a branch of Hay of Leys, a younger branch of the Errol Family) was knighted by James VI of Scotland and in 1603 moved to England as part of his court. In 1612 he was a director of the Virginia Company and in 1627 he was awarded grant of all Caribbean Islands including Barbados and in 1622 he was made Earl of Carlisle, a peerage which ended with his son James who died with no issue in 1660.
Even though the Great Clan Chiefs, the Earl of Tyrone and Earl of Tyrconnell retained their English titles in 1603 the intrigue continued for control of Ulster. Seeing the writing on the wall, in 1607 the two Clan Chiefs fled Ireland never to return (search “Flight of the Earls” for further). In 1608 their holdings were declared escheat to the King. Technically, under the law, only the estates of the two Chiefs should have been seized but it was argued that as there was no private property in Ireland as all Clan lands “belonged” to the great chiefs, the sub chiefs were determined to be “tenants” with no rights to the land they controlled. This amounted to over 3,700,000 English Acres with about half a million acres of good farm land.
James I was a proponent of colonizing proposing the creation of Plantations in both Northern Ireland and America (in 1606 approving the colony in Virginia, Jamestown, named for him which influences the Hays diaspora which will be addressed in future posts). The lowlands of Scotland suffered poverty, London was suffering from overcrowding which was suspected of contributing to outbreaks of the plague, and there was the forever present “pesky Irish problem” of the “barbarism” of the Irish. James I looked at Plantations as a solution to his many problems.
By the Kings design grants would be awarded to gentry from England and Scotland (Lowlands only), veterans of the Irish wars, the London Companies, the Established Church of Ireland, and Trinity College in Dublin with about half of the useful available land allotted to them. Any grant to a lord (undertaker when granted) was obliged to “plant” his estate with farmers from the 2 countries and also required to build a castle and a Bawn (stone enclosure for the protection of livestock during raids). Veterans (Servitors) were given grants but they were required to build a house instead of a castle and could take Irish Tenants. Of the remaining half 1/10th was granted to the London Companies, powerful guilds of the established companies (and the effective government) of London. 2/10ths went to the Established Church and Trinity College. 1/10th for the establishment of forts and towns and the remaining 1/10th to the Irish Gentry of good merit who could take whatever tenants they liked assuming they would hire the Irish Catholics.
A shrewd businessman James I added the title of Baronet which sat between Baron and Knight and bearing the title of Sir. For the price of 1000 Pounds they obtained a hereditary title and the right of a coat of arms bearing the bloody hand of Ulster. 205 English landowners paid the price to advance to this title bringing an impressive sum for that time to the King.
Initially grants were directed towards English (as previously noted) but in 1609 the King, “out of his unspeikable love and tinder affectioun” for Scottish subjects decided they were allowed to participate. 79 Scots applied and 59, 5 were noblemen men and the rest gentry, were awarded grants of 81,000 acres. “Unspeikable love” aside, the King skewed the grants towards the southwest of Scotland recognizing the nearness to Ulster and the fact that interactions had been previously occurring. Also a 21 year lease on Virgin soil would attract the Scot farmer would attract away from his hard life more so than the English Gentry and farmer who were better situated in their homeland situated further away.
The Scottish undertakers attracted primarily Presbyterian Scots rendering Donegal and Tyrone Counties mostly Scot. English undertakers attracted Episcopalian Englishmen, many of them Puritans, making them a majority in Armagh and Derry Counties. Fermanagh and Cavan Counties were a mix of Scot and English. Down and Antrim had already been settled with Scots by Hamilton and Montgomery and Antrim had Chichester’s English Colonists. Monaghan County remained for the most part Irish. The London Companies brought in Tyrone County which they renamed Londonderry but the Puritans soon left due to harsh conditions and were replaced by Scots. Thus by 1610 Ulster was the home to 3 distinct peoples with different backgrounds, culture, and religion.
The success of the Ulster Plantations was not a given. Many undertakers were absentee landlords and their agents dishonest. Many undertakers reviewed their holdings and then returned home looking to sell them. The quality of the original tenants were low as often those first enticed to a new land are the unsuccessful in their homeland for various reasons and in spite of restrictions many hired Irish natives. The success of the Plantations was mainly due to the Scot undertakers and the closeness of Scotland to Ulster in drawing manpower. The nearness also allowed undertakers to return to Scotland and back to Ulster to maintain control of their holdings. The Scots showed themselves to be industrious and their prospect of success was increased over that of life in Scotland.
The Ulster tenant farmer secured a lease for anywhere from 21 years to life. And the farmer made his agreement himself with the undertaker, striking his own bargain. And thus the feudalism of Scotland was left behind. The Scot settlers were also followed by their ministers from the Kirk of Scotland, reinforcing the reformation and unity among them. The participation in the church by the common man and the ability to stoke his own bargain made the move to Ulster one great side towards individualism.
Religious factions and their impact on government
James VI of Scotland was baptized a Catholic but was taken from his Catholic mother, Mary, Queen of Scots when she was arrested and imprisoned by Protestant Rebels in 1567. When she was deposed James VI was crowned at 13 months old and raised according to the beliefs of the Church of Scotland, the Presbyterian Kirk. The times of his youth were tumultuous with many vying for power including his Catholic mother having escaped captivity in 1568 who was ultimately defeated in battle, fled to England, and was imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth. James was declared an adult ruler in 1579 but remained under the influence of others. In 1582 James was taken prisoner by Protestant Earls, but ultimately liberated in 1583.
In 1582 the Church of Scotland rejected episcopal governance (by bishops) and adopted a presbyterian government (by elders). Even though James was raised in the Church of Scotland his views on religion were influenced by his monarchy and maintaining power. In 1584 he introduced the Black Acts placing 2 Bishops in control of the Church of Scotland, an act which was met with vigorous opposition. When crowned King of England he increased the Scottish Bishops. In 1604 James presided over disagreements with the English Bishops and Puritan looking to reform the Anglican Church and when the Puritans demanded reform of the Episcopacy James responded “no Bishops, no King” as he believed in Apostolic Succession supporting the Divine Right of Kings.
The religious factions vying for power were Irish Catholics, Scottish Highland Catholics, Catholics remaining in Scotland and England. The Church of England, an episcopal organization but with Puritan members looking to reform it. The Church of Ireland, also Episcopal but with many Puritans in its organization, and the Church of Scotland which was Presbyterian but had Bishops placed to attempt to control it. The level of animosity between religions is evident in The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 where English Roman Catholics planned to blow up Parliament and King James with 20 barrels of gunpowder in secreted in a room below, the plot foiled when a conspirator warned his brother in law not to attend that day.
In 1610 Scotland began moving from a Feudal System where a family worked the same land for generations to a “Feu,” a fixed rent system with no obligation in service. A fixed fee allowed the lairds to out bid farmers who had been on the land for generations forcing them into sub tenants or hired labor. The loss of status had many leaving Scotland for Ulster. Over 30 year following it is estimated that at least 40,000 Scots left for Ulster.
The migration of farmers and their families also brought the migration of Presbyterian Ministers. In 1618 James enacted Five Articles of Episcopalian practices which were widely boycotted in Scotland and which had non conforming ministers imprisoned or banished. Many of these took the trip to Ulster where the Church of Ireland, although Episcopal, operated closer to the Presbyterian model due to Puritan influence. This had the effect of making the Protestant Church of Ireland undivided and including Episcopal, Puritan, and Presbyter alike. The people responded to the religious teachings and many gatherings resulted in overflowed churches and many outdoor revivals began to occur.
James elder son died in 1612 leaving his second son, Prince Charles, as heir. James died in 1625 leaving Charles I as King of England, Scotland, and Ireland and also the colonies in the Americas. And the rein of Charles I is where we will pick up the story of the history of the Hays and the Presbyterian Scots, generations turning into Presbyterian Ulster Scots, who were their kith and kin in their diaspora.
References:
The Scotch-iris: A Social History by James G. Leyburn, 1962 University of North Carolina Press, can be borrowed at https://archive.org/details/scotchirishsocia0000leyb_a5e7/page/124/mode/2up
The Scotch-Irish or The Scot in North Britain, North Ireland, and North America by Charles A. Hanna, 1902 G.P. Putnam and Sons, NY and London available for download at Internet Archive, https://archive.org
The Scot in Ulster: Sketch of the History of the Scottish Population of Ulster by John Harrison, MDCCCLXXXVIII, William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburg and London, available for download at Internet Archive, https://archive.org
The Ulster Scot: His History and Religion by Rev. James Barley Woodburn MA, H.R. Allenson LTD, London available for download at Internet Archive, https://archive.org