Speech to the Speaker of the House of Commons

1642

Richard Boyle

Richard Boyle, first earl of Cork (1566–1643), was the greatest and richest of the "new English" (i.e., Protestant) magnates in Ireland. Born in Essex, he went to Ireland in the 1580s and assembled vast holdings of confiscated land in Munster. By instinct he was a royalist and supporter of Charles I on the eve of the English civil wars (1642–1648), but the king was implicated in the Ulster Rebellion of 1641, and more sympathy and support for Protestants in Irelandwas to be expected from the king's developing adversary, the English parliament.

SEE ALSO Rebellion of 1641

Sir, I pray ["let" erased] give me leave to present unto your selfe and that honourable house, that this great and generall rebellion brake forth in October last, at the very instant when I landed here out of England; and though it appeared first in Ulster, yet I who am 76 yeares of age, and have eate most parte of my bread in Ireland these 54 yeares, and by reason of my severall employments and commands in the government of this province and kindgome could not [but suspect] that the infection and contagion was generall and would by degrees quickly creep into this province, as forthwith it did. And soe that I found to my great griefe that by the course the late Earle of Strafford had taken, all or the greatest part of the English and Protestants in this province, were deprived ["debarred" erased] of their Armes, and debarred from having any powder in their houses, and the King's Magazines in ["this province" erased] heer, being soe ["very" erased] weakely furnished as in a manner they were empty. I without delay furnished all my Castles in these two Counties with such Ammunition as my owne poore Armory did afford, and sent 300li. ster. into England to bee bestowed in Ammunition for my selfe and [my] tenants, and putt in sufficient guards, and 9 monethes victualls into every of my ["victuall" erased] Castles; all which I thanke God, I have hitherto preserved and made good, not without giving great annoyance out of those Castles to the rebels. And for that the late Lord President did judiciously observe that the preservation of this important Towne and harbour of Yoghall, was of principall consequence to bee maintayned and kept for the service of the Crowne, and presuming that noe man did exceed me in power and abilitie to make it good, hee prevayled [with mee] soe farre, for the advancement of his Majestie service and securing of this considerable towne and harbour, as to leave my owne strong and defensible house of Lismore (which was well provided of Ordnance and all things fitting for defence) to the guard of my sonn Broghill with 100 horse and 100 foot, and to retyre hither; whither I brought two foot Companies of 100 a peece, all compounded of English Protestants and well disciplined, and these at my chardges armed, being men experienced and formerly seasoned with the ayre of this Countrey, wherein they are good guides. And hitherto I doe thanke my God, this Towne and harbour, are made good and is a receptacle not onely for all shipping but also for multitudes of distressed English, which have been ["stript" erased] dispossessed and stript by the rebells, and found succour and saftie heere.

Reprinted in Strangers to That Land: British Perceptions of Ireland from the Reformation to the Famine,edited by Andrew Hadfield and John McVeagh (1994), pp. 121–122.