The Plantation of Ulster

Plantations in Ireland in the 16th century had been largely unsuccessful until the Ulster Plantation. The six counties in which land was seized for plantation included Donegal, Coleraine (which became County Derry), Tyrone, Fermanagh, Armagh and Cavan. Portions of land were given to 'servitors' (army commanders and the King's servants), 'undertakers' (men of property who undertook to bring over Protestant British families) and 'deserving Irish' (those who had changed sides during the Nine Years War). Undertakers were allocated between 2000, 1500 or 1000 acres. They each had to bring into the country 24 able-bodied men, and those granted the largest land holdings had to build a stone castle. It was agreed that at least half the settlers would be Scots, as James I was now King of England and Scotland.

An unsuccessful revolt by Cahir O'Doherty in 1608 led to a redrafting of plans, with the native Irish getting even less land than planned, only about a quarter of the confiscated property. Whole territories were cleared of native Irish and settlers were placed together in large concentrations to defend against any attack from the displaced natives. Brehon Laws and traditions were prohibited. In the west the entire region of Tír Chonaill was declared forfeit to the Crown.

Sir John Davies, as Attorney General, laid a lot of the legal ground work for the Plantation and was himself granted portions of the planted lands. For his role in the Nine Years War, Sir Arthur Chichester was awarded most of Inishowen.

Initial plans for the Plantation were a little over ambitious. A survey by Sir George Carew in 1611 showed that although the Plantation was supposed to be completed in three years, very little progress had been made. Planters could not sell land to the Irish or rent out farms to them under the terms of the Plantation. Undertakers were supposed to bring over tenants from their own estates in Britain. However, not enough people arrived and the new landowners resorted to renting farms to the native Irish.

As they had invested heavily in the Plantation, The City of London Guilds were granted lands on the bank of the River Foyle on which to build a new city. The County of Londonderry (formally Coleraine) was created with the new city at its centre. The Protestant Church of Ireland was also granted all the church lands formally owned by the Catholic Church. The arrival of the new settlers caused huge discontent amongst the native Irish. Not only had they lost their farms, they also had to attend Protestant Church services. James I was a devoted Protestant, and the introduction of the new religion was central to his plans for the province.

Chichester also deported up to 6000 former kern (native Irish soldiers), who were roaming the countryside after the end of the war and the Flight of the Earls. The province remained unstable for most of the 17th century due to further rebellions and civil war in Britain. The wars of the 1640's eliminated the last major Catholic landowners in Ulster. Another wave of Scottish migration came to Ireland in the 1690's. They were Scottish Presbyterians and became known as the Ulster Scots. By the mid 18th century, new settlers of their descendants formed the majority of the population in Ulster.

Although the new settlers were mostly farmers the Plantation brought with it a growth of towns and the urban network. The newcomers brought with them their own traditions, culture and religion and formed their own community. The native Irish, although reduced in number, were not entirely removed or anglicised, creating a divide both religious and social between the two groups that has survived to the present day.

The Legacy

The Flight of the Earls and the subsequent Plantation of Ulster had a lasting effect on Politics in Ulster. It led to the separation of the community along Protestant and Catholic divides. Discrimination against Roman Catholics caused huge resentment, which was only increased by the introduction of the Penal Laws (which discriminated against anyone who was not a member of the established Church of Ireland in the 17th century.

The two communities were unable to integrate. Under the Government of Ireland Act of 1920 six counties in Ulster split politically from the rest of the country.

As part of the Northern Ireland Peace Process, the Good Friday Agreement was signed on the 10th April 1998. In the agreement, all parties in Britain, Ireland and Northern Ireland agreed that the future of Northern Ireland should be decided by 'exclusively peaceful and democratic means'. New legislation for the province is being introduced on policing, human rights and equality. Importantly, there is a new feeling of optimism that the violence of the past is over and we can explore and commemorate our shared history.

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