Irish History Synopsis:The maguire Abuses

The Maguire Abuses

In 1590 there was much abuse and lawlessness in the counry of Ireland
Generally with the appointed Lord Deputies and justices out to
feather their own nests at the expense of the natives and their
fellow English settlers. The abuses of the government agents under
the old staid absolute rule of Elizabeth 1 was rampant in the
land.
Sir Richard Bingham President of Connact raided Fernmanagh
drove out Maguires cattle killed women and children and exacted
ransoms. Edmund Maguires head was struck from his neck and insolently
kicked about as a football by the soldiers.
Lord Essex confiscated Island Magee from Shane m Brian the heir of
long duration upon this young mans father's death.Sir Henry Bagenal,
Marshall of the forces in Ireland imprisoned this young heir until he
gave him[Bagenal] his lands of Maughry More.
Although the Queens deputy has issued patents that the Maguire lands
and possessions would not be molested Sir Bingham and his family came
from Connact with force of arms burned the county took off 3000 cows
500 horses women and prisoners.When Maguire complained Bingham came
again taking this time 6000 cows killing and murdering accompanied by
Maguires neighbor in Monahan Captain Henshaw taking more cows and
women killing all, men women and children.
The appeals to the Lord Deputy the Queens appointed representative
went unheard and no redress was given from fitz William. However the
Lord Deputy did promise Maguire that he would not be charged with
Sherrifs or other officers upon payment of a bribe to his Lordship of
300 beef plus 150 beefs to the marshall, sir Bagenal. However a
Captain Willis and a Captain Fuller with a company plus [100 men] to
be sherrif of Maguires lands having been given commissions from the
LD.These are the officers of the Queens service who cut off the head
of Edmund Maguire and hurled it about as a football Willis and
company were subsequently banished from the country.
Sir William furthermore executed one McMahon in his own house in
Monahan not recognising the seccession of this person to his rightful
estates. By this execution the parties divided the county of Monahan
under British garrison by Sir W fitz William the Lord Deputy between
Sir Bagenal, Baron Elliott,Solicitor Wilbrahan, Captain
Henshaw,Captain Willis,the parson O Connellan, Hugh
Strawbridge,Thomas Ashe, Charles Fleming and other strangers
disinheriting the native population by force and deceit. Some of
those who objected were later ambushed and slain by Parson O
Connellan and Captain Willis.
If any of these abuses were reported to the government either in the
Pale or in London they were not reported to the Queen showing once
again the inability of any absolute monarch or dictator to control
and have knowledge of the powers they hold over others.

Elizabeth when she did get a complaint responded that these acts had
been done without her authority and that they had been reported to
her she would have redressed them. However nothing was done to
relieve the confiscations and abuses of her appointed officers in
Ireland.

Hugh ONeill the Earl of Tyrone having no confidence in the Pale
government set out himself for London to lay the Irish grevience
before the Queen.
This however proved his undoing as it was illegal to leave Ireland
without permission of the Viceroy in Dublin and he was therfore
imprisoned in the Tower.
A month later his submission was recievd and he was required to bind
himself again to articles of submission.

He renounced the title of O Neill
consented to the shiring of Tyrone
Consented to the erection of jails in Tyrone
that a perveyance should be paid to the Queen within 10 months
that he would levy no armed force
that he would make no incursion into a neighbors territory except to
take back prey taken from him
He agreed not to execute any man without a commission from the Lord
Deputy(an exception made for martial law)
to keep a troop of horsemen in the Queens pay always ready for
service

Not to admit monks or friars to his territory
not to correspond with foreign traitors
to promote the use of English dress
to sell provisions to the Blackwater fort

He promised to send surities{ Hostages}
who were not to be detained in Dublin Castle but commited to the care
of merchants or gentlemen of the Pale.
The surities were to be changed every 3 months

For this the government of Her Majesty agreed to protect the Earl
from all molestation.

These articles of Agreement signed on June 7 1590
were confirmed by the Deputy and Gentlemen of the Pale
However controversy continued between The Earl of Tyrone and his
uncle Turlogh Lynnagh O Neill of Strabane who had killed his father
and made him a ward of Queen Elizabeth. This controversy was
aggravated by Perrot's kidnapping of Hugh Roe O Donnell imprisoning
him as a teen ager in the Castle from which he escaped after 5 years.
By 1595 ONeill had been proclamed traitor and was engagd with the
armys of Norris , Sir John ,who was trying to bring supplies to
Armagh. ONeill met with this force at Clontibert. In this battle an
anglo/irish man with the Eng forces tryed to select out and attack
ONeill at the river depending on his great size to defeat the Chief.
ONeill met him in full approach with lances afore and both were
slivered on implact. Seagrave depending on his great strength
wrestled ONeill by the neck from his horse. O Neill was able to slay
this man with a dagger as both armies looked on.
During this frey Turlogh Lynnagh O Neill died of old age and Hugh was
left to become the ONeill and therfore chief of all Ulster.
There appears to be many parallels between some of the things we are
aware of in the modern world and the stuggles of these 500 year old
figures.
History allows us to see ourselves and our thinking and our acts and
our awareness and judge if we have actually made very much
improvement at all.

Judi Donnelly
Copyright august 1 2007







Sat Jun 2, 2007 11:06 pm



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

V