A Weed in the Corn: Surrender and Regrant in 16th Century Ireland (Master's Thesis)

Unpublished Master's Thesis: Approved May 15, 2014, University of St. Thomas-Houston

(Below is a sample of my thesis. The rest can be found by clicking the link in the post title.)

INTRODUCTION

The 16th century was one of rapid change for Ireland due to the encroaching control of the Tudors. The Tudor dynasty spans the years 1485 to 1603, beginning with Henry VII and continuing on with his son and grandchildren. While the Norman invasion had introduced English control into Ireland, it was not a complete take-over. As such, the Gaelic Irish had continued to live as they always had, side by side with the descendants of the Normans, often intermarrying, such as the O’Neill and FitzGerald families. Tudor policies rapidly changed the Gaelic way of life, sparking rebellion. These rebellions caused the Tudor government to look to other ways of subjecting the Irish, such as surrender and regrant.

Surrender and regrant spans a relatively short span of time, and often gets pushed to the side by historians. Part of this neglect may be due to the fact that even the Tudor government lost interest in this policy due to its seemingly ineffectiveness in favor of the Plantation system. Yet, surrender and regrant opened Ireland up to the English government in ways that it had not been accessible before.

By looking to one family in particular, the O’Neills of Ulster, I propose to demonstrate that before surrender and regrant, the Gaelic lords were able to keep the English primarily located within the Pale. After surrender and regrant, the English were soon everywhere.

Throughout I have attempted to focus on historical events and dates, as it is difficult at this time period to garner how people felt or thought specifically, as there are few, if any, personal diaries existing. I have relied heavily on letters, state documents and Annals.

This work has grown out of my interest in the O’Neill family, which started with my desire to learn more about Shane O’Neill, the Ulster lord who was a constant headache for Queen Elizabeth, and yet who was usually glossed over in favor of his nephew, Hugh. After spending over three years researching the O’Neills, and Tudor policy, the importance of surrender and regrant stood out to me. My hope is that what is conveyed here gives interesting insight into this fragment of social and political history.

EARLY 16th CENTURY ULSTER AND THE O’NEILLS

Brief Background History of the O’Neills

The O’Neills descended from Niall Noígíallach (Neil of the Nine Hostages),[i] an Irish king who reigned from 379 to 405 A.D. according to the Annals of the Four Masters.[ii] Few facts are known about Niall Noígíallach, but there are several legends and poems that credit him with leading raids on Romano-Britain; in one raid, St. Patrick and his sisters are alleged to have been captured. [iii]

Niall’s son, Eoghain mac Néill, created the kingdom of Tír Eoghain, anglicized as Tyrone. It included not only the modern area of County Tyrone, but also Derry and parts of Donegal.[iv] Eoghain died in 465,[v] and his ten sons divided the territory of Tír Eoghain, with various clans established therein, such as the O’Donnellys, O’Hagans, and MacShanes. The O’Neills and MacLoughlins were the overlords or túath, with the O’Neills rising as the dominant family by the twelfth century.[vi]

There was no central power controlling Ireland at this time. The people shared a common language, customs and political structure, but there was not a concept of one person or one entity dictating control over the land.[vii] Rather, the “two pivotal institutions in Irish life were the fine or joint-family, which was the social unit, and the tuath or petty kingdom—the political unity.”[viii] Landownership and responsibility for the land was shared by the fine. In turn, groups of fine made up a tuath. These institutions were hierarchical, and society had a mix of free and unfree classes. A person’s worth was based upon wealth, family connections or learning, and this worth culminated in rank within the culture. This was called their honor-price. Within a society that did not have a central government or a network of cities, kingdoms such as Tír Eoghain and Tír Chonaill served to provide these stable bases.[ix]

[i] Keating records a poem that says the sobriquet stems from Niall’s receipt of five hostages from the five provinces of Ireland and four from Alba (Scotland). Keating, vol. 1, 394.

[ii] AFM 127.

[iii]See Keating vol. 1, 373; 388-90.

[iv] The kingdom of Tír Chonaill, anglicized Tyrconnell, was created by Niall’s son, Conall Gruban, later known as Donegal, the holding of the O’Donnells; together, they made the northern Uí Néill. The southern Uí Néill was also descended from Niall. See Keating, vol. 3, 723-4. Tír Chonaill included parts of the modern counties of Sligo, Leitrim and Fermanagh.

[v] AFM 147. “Eoghan, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages (from whom are descended the Cinel Eoghain), died of grief for Conall Gulban, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, and was buried at Uisce Chain, in Inis Eoghain; concerning which was said:

Eoghan, son of Niall, died
Of tears,—good his nature,—
In consequence of the death of Conall, of hard feats,
So that his grave is at Uisce Chain.”

[vi] Keating vol. 3, 723-4. These MacShanes were a different clan from the MacShanes that later descended from Shane O’Neill. See “The Origins of the McShanes” for more information.

[vii] Staunton 12.

[viii]Byrne, “Early Irish Society: 1st – 9th Century,” 32.

[ix] Bethell 43.