1636 - 1640 AD - Wentworth's Undoing

1636 AD "Black Tom" Wentworth returned to England to explain his revenue raising methods to Charles 1st the second Stuart English King, and was then able to return to Ireland feeling in a much stronger position then he had been in before, and once again he began to reassert his domineering position against the Ascendancy ruling classes in Ireland who had opposed him previously, and he now claimed even more confiscated Irish territory for Charles 1st in Co. Galway although the Irish and the Anglo - Irish there naturally continued to offer resistance to their lands being confiscated, and he continued to dispossess all of the Catholic lands in the Connacht Province, especially in those territories that were still being held by the Mere Irish. 

      Sir Randle Mac Donnell the Heremonian Dal Cuinn Colla Uais Catholic Earl of Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province, who was married to Aellis O Neill, constructed Glenarm Castle there this year.

    Anastasia Gould / Goold / Gul, from an English family who had come into Ireland in Medieval Times and settled in Co. Cork  in Southern Munster, also constructed Monkstown Castle there this year, for a total cost of 4 pence by using blatant trickery on her workers.

1637 AD Charles 1st the second Stuart English King had "Black Tom" Wentworth, his appointed Lord Deputy in Ireland, now go on with the Ascendancy Church of England "plantations" in Co. Clare in the north - west of the Munster Province by straight out fraud.

August: "Black Tom" Wentworth's newly selected jury to suite was installed in Co. Galway to decide on the take over also there of further confiscated territory, and this time around they readily gave in to Wentworth who was acting with the full knowledge of Charles 1st, and this then allowed him access to the whole of the Connacht Province, where he would now be able to install even more English AScendancy "planters" who at first he intended putting into a quarter of each of the territories in Connacht, that he had by now also secured there, except for Co. Galway were he was intending put in "planters" into half of the confiscated territory there. But once again Fate intervened and his plan never came to pass, as he was recalled to England again before he could carry it out , but his actions so far had greately increased the personal fear that the Old English / Anglo - Irish already had over holding onto the land that they now controlled in Ireland and this pressure brought on by "Black Tom" Wentworth's actions so far had once again brought the Irish, the Anglo / Irish / Old English Catholics and even the Episcopalians who held territory there much closer together in a common cause to stop any further English foreign "plantations" in Connacht. Meanwhile, the Ascendancy Episcopalian Church of England and Presbyterian "planters" who had already been installed in the Ulster Province were also to be effected by the non - confirmation of the 51 Graces also as they too now realised that they too were subject to the increasing greedy actions of Charles 1st as "Black Tom" Wentworth also continued to increase their rents and made two thirds of the confiscated land there subject to Knight Service to Charles 1st, in Co. Armagh, Co. Cavan, Co. Donegal, Co. Fermanagh and Co. Tyrone. In Co. Derry it was to be even worse as "Black Tom" Wentworth cancelled the Charter on the confiscated land around the Coleraine - Derry region that had been previously confiscated after the murder of Sir Cahir O Doherty that had been granted to the Common Council of London in 1609 AD by James 1st, and he then re - granted a new Charter for 150,000  acres there to be given to the London merchants, with 34,000 acres going to the Skinners, 27,000 acres to the Drapers, 21,000 acres to the Mercers and 20,000 acres to the Fishmongers.

      Initially those in authority in the English Government had divided Ireland into 33 Counties, which then included a division of Co. Tipperary in the north - east of the Munster Province into 2 parts, which was now reunited as the one County again, while the Boroughs now numbered 41, with 2 votes only allotted to each one of the Boroughs, which were mainly held by the Old English, which included 4 that had been also personally created by James 1st himself.

Fergal O Gara the Heberian Cianacht Chieftain, was at this time still holding onto a large portion of the territory around Coolavin in Co. Sligo in the north - west of the Connacht Province, where he had been the patron of Michael O Clery who was previously involved in the composition of the Acta Santorum Hiberniae / The Annals of Ulster / of the Four Masters from 1632 - 1636 AD, which was later to be printed in Louvain in France in the Gaelic Irish language, and produced in 4 Volumes that Duald Mac Firbis / Forbes the venerated Irish historian from Connacht who would later bring it up to 1666 AD.

1638 AD February: The Calvinist Presbyterians in the Lowlands in Scotland renewed their National Covenant in Edinburgh, which went against the wishes of Charles 1st the Stuart English King and his Ascendancy Episcopalian Church of England Bishop Laud.

     Charles 1st the Stuart King also re - introduced into Ireland heavy fines and the forfeiting of some confiscated lands for not conforming to his particular version of the Ascendancy Church of England. (English names were also never really accepted by the Irish, especially in Co. Derry in the north - east of the Ulster Province). and he also handed over Roscommon Manor House in Co. Roscommon in the east of the Connacht Province to Sir Frederick Hamilton, his English Ascendancy Undertaker to introduce further foreign non - Catholic "planters" into Ireland, who was to erect Manor Hamilton in Co. Leitrim in Northern Connacht on land that Charles 1st had confiscated and granted him there, which is now also only a ruin. Meanwhile the real Ulster foreign non - Catholic plantation had been carried out quietly all along by the Lowland Presbyterian "planters" before 1609 AD, as Scotland was only 13 mile across the Irish Sea, and it was to be continued on later on. 

      "Black Tom" Wentworth finally went too far for the Ascendancy in Ireland when he removed a monument from St. Patrick's Church in Dublin, which was now under the control of the Ascendancy Episcopalian Church of England / Ireland, that had been previously donated by his nemesis Richard Boyle the first English Earl of Cork, and this became an act for which he would pay dearly, as it would go a long way in bringing about his fall from grace and early demise although he had been in control in Ireland for Charles 1st, by now for 5 years and had managed to alienate anyone and everyone. He would still not confirm the promised 51 Graces promised to the population in Ireland, and also pushed on with his English non - Catholic "plantation" plans against the Old English / Anglo Irish, and also had many of the other English Dissenters / Non - Conformists against him also over his determination to force the new Ascendancy Church of England forms of worship onto everyone in Ireland. The Lowland Presbyterian "planters" in the Ulster Province were also against him and rebellion that was now being carried out in the Lowlands in Scotland itself against Charles 1st personally had made matters worse there also.                                                                                                                                                                  

1639 AD Charles 1st had appointed "Black Tom"" Wentworth to his present exalted position because he was also anti - Scottish, as he considered that the Lowland Presbyterians were even more dangerous than the supposed Catholics, which was to bring on the introduction of the Black Oath.  

May: "Black Tom" Wentworth was this month to bring on the implementation of the Black Oath in Ireland to try and force the Presbyterians in the Ulster Province, over the age of 16 years, to give a personal Oath of Allegiance to Charles 1st, and because of this many fled from out of Ireland and went back over to the Lowlands in Scotland, to avoid having to take it, so he then put 500 English Military troops into Carlisle there, and also intended to form a new select army in Ireland for Charles 1st, to continue to push forward his own personal agendas, which was to be comprised of 8,000 foot soldiers and 1,000 horse. Charles 1st was now so excited with "Black Tom" Wentworth's progress that he now appointed him the English Earl of Strafford, and then the Lord Lieutenant in Ireland, while Wandesford one of his relations was created the English Lord Deputy in Ireland.

June: Charles 1st had his determined Ascendancy Episcopalian Church of England Bishop Laud also try to impose the Ascendancy Church of England liturgies on the Presbyterian Lowlanders in Scotland also, which had been the main cause for them to unite against him in the first place, but despite this a Treaty would be eventually arranged with them after Berwick, and this would also release some of the pressure that was growing against him also in the Ulster Province in Ireland.

September 21st: "Black Tom" Wentworth returned to England to advise and assist Charles 1st on the many problems he was also having there due to his continuing greedy and repressive policies.  

1640 AD Lowland Presbyterian "planters" were still arriving into the Ulster Province, and eventually another 22,000 Ascendancy English Church of England "planters" were also to be brought in to Ireland, with the intention of fulfilling the purposes of those in authority in England who wanted to finally remove any trace of the Catholic Irish people altogether in Ireland, whose lives up until now they had constantly interfered with for over 470 years, while "Black Tom" Wentworth the English Lord Lieutenant in Ireland, who had been ensuring the ever increasing revenues of Charles 1st the Stuart English King, now also held vast areas of confiscated land on his own behalf in Ireland, including two very large Estates, with one being composed of 34 ,000 acres, and another 23 ,000 acres.

March 16th: "Black Tom" Wentworth acting as the English Lord Lieutenant in Ireland for Charles 1st called an Ascendancy Parliament in Ireland, but as he did not arrive until 2 days after it began, this enabled those in attendance there to record, "Many grievous pressures and proceedings of the clergy and their officers and Ascendancy Church of England ministers against the laity, especially the poorest." Although "Black Tom" Wentworth was to be late on the scene he was somehow still able to obtain an extra 4 subsidies from this Parliament, on behalf of Charles 1st, and had them reaffirm their allegiance to him also, and then once again, returned to London feeling mighty pleased with himself. Meanwhile, his endeavours to plant further foreign English non - Catholics into Co. Galway in Southern Connacht had by now came up against the resistance of the two Burkes / de Burghos who were the English Earls of Clann Rickarde, both the father and the son and he had by now also made many new enemies not only among the Old English / Anglo - Irish, but also the New English as he was always confident that he would be protected by the promise of Charles 1st that he would "stick by him no matter what" as he continued to increase the revenues of Charles 1st in Ireland. To this end he had also continued to upset many of the Irish Chiefs, including Rory O More in Co. Offaly in the north - west of Southern Leinster, Lord Maguire in Co. Fermanagh in the south - west of Southern Ulster, Sir Phelim O Niall of Coledon in Co. Tyrone in Central Southern Ulster, the O Reillys in Co. Cavan in Southern Ulster, and the O Farrells / O Ferrells in Co. Longford in the north - west of Northern Leinster. In reality, he was by this period in time the main catalyst who was pushing them all closer together in a common Irish cause, which was to eventually force them to make a stand as combined Irish men against the increasing impositions of the English Crown, and eventually also against the English Ascendancy Puritan Parliamentarians when they were to come to control the power after his demise.

April: "Black Tom" Wentworth was to leave Ireland once again to return to England to give further advice to and assist Charles 1st in regard to his continuing ongoing problems there with the members of the Ascendancy Puritan English Parliament of which he had once been a main member himself, until he had sold out to join in with Charles 1st in his own personal interests and his current upwardly mobile status was to now only last until the meeting of the Long Parliament, which was to result in him meeting his final reward, due to implementing the continuous previous rapacious mercenary tactics of his mentor, Charles 1st. The Short Parliament in England had expired, and the Lowland Presbyterians were on the rampage again against the policies of Charles 1st in the Lowlands and their forces crossed over the River Tweed there, where they defeated the English Military Militia at Newburn, and were by this time set up in the north of England as a real threat to the rule of Charles 1st.

June 1st: The Ascendancy Parliament in Ireland was resumed under "Black Tom" Wentworth's relation Wandesford the appointed English Lord Deputy, with the Catholic Irish numbers now down to only a quarter of the Assembly, but despite this they were now combined with those in the Ascendancy there who really had the majority in their grievances against the imposed greedy imposition in Ireland of "Black Tom" Wentworth and this forced Wandesford to close the Parliament down in Ireland after 3 weeks of discussions, who also postponed any future meetings of the Parliament until the following October.

July: The new Irish Army that had been set up previously by "Black Tom" Wentworth, to personally serve the interests only of Charles 1st, was assembled at Carrickfergus in the Ulster Province under the command of James Butler the English twelfth Earl of Ormonde and it was composed mainly of Ascendancy Church of England / Ireland Episcopalian officers, while the majority of the troops under them were basically nearly all Catholic Irish.  

November 3rd: Charles 1st, due to his continual on going greed and ardent policies, was now in a truly desperate economic situation, and in desperation he decided to take a chance and call the English Ascendancy Parliament together and when he did this he was to lose complete control of authority there to the Long Parliament whose members for a long, long time had been receiving continual aggravating reports from those in important Ascendancy positions, on the way that "Black Tom" Wentworth had been carrying out  the government for Charles 1st's in Ireland.

November 24th: "Black Tom" Wentworth's old Puritan adversary, John Pym, was able to make use of this long list of grievances, that had been previously received from the Parliament in Ireland, to his own advantage, and was also assisted by Sir John Clotworthy an English Land Lord who had hisconfiscated Estates in the Ulster Province and a seat in the English Ascendancy House of Commons and they used their numbers to have "Black Tom" Wentworth impeached, and Charles 1st, who was a real "survivor," did not lift a finger to assist him, despite his many previous promises to him.

December 3rd: Back in Ireland, Wandesford who was the English appointed Lord Deputy, and a relative of "Black Tom" Wentworth, suddenly died, and Charles 1st replaced him with two other Lord Justices, Sir William Parsons, and another who was a cohort of "Back Tom" Wentworth in Lord Dillon, but in a sign of  things to come Charles 1st was then forced to withdraw Lord Dillon and replace him with Sir John Borlase.

                   Home Page                                                                   Return to Celtic Heritage                                                                          On to 1641 AD - 1