Catalogue description LORD BOROUGH'S INSTRUCTIONS.

Instructions by the Queen to Thomas Lord Burghe, K.G., Governor of Briell in Holland, appointed Deputy in Ireland, 18 April 1597.

(1.) At your arrival deliver our letters to our former Deputy and Council. Receive the sword "with observation of all due honour," and take your oath.

(2.) Require the Council to inform you of the general state of that realm, and especially of the army. "Discreetly and quietly inquire of the state of religion, how it is there observed, whereof we are informed there hath been notorious negligence, in that the orders of religion are in few parts of our realm there observed; and that which is to be lamented, even in our very English Pale multitudes of parishes [are] destitute of incumbents and teachers, and in the very great towns of assembly numbers not only known to forbear to come to the church or divine service, but even willingly winked at to use all manner of Popish ceremonies. For this cause, although we know it is hard, specially at this time, to have things so well observed as in time of quietness, when it was also much abused by negligent looking into, you shall earnestly require the bishops which be of our Council there to show you some cause of this general defection, especially in our towns. And likewise you shall inform yourself whether there be not a Commission Ecclesiastical, and of such as be in commission you shall require to understand upon what occasions the said Commissioners have not discharged their duties to withstand these pitiful disorders. And of their answers you shall make good observation, which we would have to be delivered by them to you in writing, and thereof to advertise us with some opinion, by advice of the better sort of our Council there, how this general defection might be reformed in some convenient sort, and not thus carelessly suffered, as though we had granted a toleration of Popery, that being one of the chiefest points at which in all demands the rebels have so greedily aimed."

(3.) For the administration of civil justice, we have of late years "appointed certain learned men in the laws of our realm to occupy the places of the Chief Justices of our Benches, the Master of the Rolls, and Chief Baron, which in former time have been occupied by men native of that country, not indifferent." Give them your assistance in the execution of justice.

(4.) Command the Muster Master (Lane) to deliver to you rolls of all who receive pay of us, certifying where they serve, "how many of them are checked in their pays for their absence," and how many pretend to be free from checks. Make no warrant to the Treasurer (Wallop) for pay to such as be absent from the musters. As many captains in remote parts "have untruly informed the Muster Master of their full numbers," consult with such of our Council as have no interest in such abuses, and appoint commissioners to take monthly musters in all remote places. This will be a hard matter, "considering the great corruption of late used therein." View any bands that may conveniently come to your presence. The men to be able of person and furnished with fit armour and weapons.

(5). In former times, upon discharging of our armies, certain captains, officers, and private soldiers in bands were allowed pensions, with intention that upon the renewing of any such army they should be called to the like places of service, and their pensions cease. This good order has been very negligently observed. Require the Muster Master and the Treasurer to have a roll made of the names of all pensioners now continuing in pay, and the Treasurer to make certificate how long they have been pensioners. Lose no opportunity to place the said pensioners in like rooms as they formerly held; and though at present they are no rooms of captains void, because the forces of late sent out of England were "directed under captains from hence," yet if any of them shall die or depart out of that country, you shall prefer some of the pensioners to those rooms, if not impotent or unserviceable. If any pensioners come from thence, the Treasurer is to forbear to pay their wages. "Have care in bestowing pensions when they fall without our knowledge and privity, for we do find that matter much abused, and some preferred that least deserve it, besides many needless wards continued, which when their rooms are void, we do require you to advertise whether they may be spared or not, before you seek to prefer any to them."

(6.) Require the late Deputy and Council to acquaint you with such of our letters and commandments as have not yet been executed.

(7.) "Upon colorable suits made to us here to recover lands concealed from us in that realm, sundry suitors have fraudulently combined with certain being deputies to the Escheators and Surveyors there, and have by their means entered upon sundry our ancient lands, of our revenue, and have falsely rated the same under their ancient values, and gotten colorable estates thereof very falsely and not warrantable by law, whereof complaints have been made by our ancient tenants, wronged thereby, to our Deputy and Council and our Court of Exchequer, but by reason the said [deputies] to the head officers depend upon some of our Council there, the complaints are not indifferently heard, but our revenue decayed greatly. Of which matter you shall require to be informed duly both of our Treasurer and our Justices of either Bench and the Chief Baron of the Exchequer, whom you shall authorize to examine the said complaints, and in whom they shall find the frauds and abuses, to cause the same to be publicly and severely punished, and our ancient tenants restored and our revenues revived. Of which kind of causes you shall understand that our Treasurer and the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas have very earnestly written to our Council in a case of one John Rawson, wherein so great abuses have been by colour of inferior officers, as they do require to have some special authority to inflict some notable punishment upon the offenders."

(8). A commission is to be directed to you and five others to make leases of our lands for terms of 21 years or less, and to make bargains for the wardships, marriages, and lands of our wards, excepting persons of the degree of Barons and above. Be more wary for our profits than previous Deputies have been. By another commission you and the same five are authorized to call to account all persons indebted to us, and compel them to make payment. Your are not to execute these commissions by yourself alone without the privity and assent of the other Commissioners, as some of our Deputies have done, especially in demising our lands and granting wardships.

(9.) Whereas our former Deputies have made warrants called concordatums to the Treasurer to pay extraordinary sums for special services, we charge you to grant no such concordatums without the assent of the Council, and to make books of them every quarter.

(10.) When we appointed a Governor, Justice, Attorney, and other ministers to govern Connaught, we allowed them yearly stipends out of the composition made with the country in lieu of all other taxes and cesses. The composition, amounting to nearly 4,000l. a year, was received by Sir Richard Bingham, Chief Commissioner, and out of it 2,313l. Irish were paid to our ministers. The rest was commonly spent by the Chief Commissioner in "pretended extraordinary charges arising by the troubles of the country." But now, owing to the rebellion in that country of late years, little of the composition money has been answered; yet the Commissioners, though not residing within the province, have demanded their stipends out of the treasure sent for our army. This is not to be allowed, but you are to consider how that province may be reduced to quietness, and the composition answered. As, however, the Chief Commissioner is to be in the province for ordering martial affairs there, if the composition money will not stretch so far, he is to be allowed his entertainment out of the treasure sent from England.

(11.) You are not to "give the order of knighthood to any but such as shall be, both of blood and livelihood, sufficient to maintain that calling, except at some notable day of service to bestow it for reward upon some such as in the field have extraordinarily deserved it." Former Deputies have dishonoured us in this respect.

(12.) Inquire what has been done since the death of the Earl of Clancare for the rule of the country of Desmond. As he has left no lawful issue male, all his lands ought to revert to our Crown. Inquire how Florence McCartey, who married the Earl's daughter, behaves himself, and whether he attempts to meddle with the Earl's possessions. If he use any force, "overrule him with forces in our name." Maintain Donnell McCartey, the base son of the said Earl, "a gentleman of good value, and by his wife and his mother of good parentage, with whom also may be joined to assist him O'Sullivan Beare, his kinsman." Nicholas Browne, a son of Sir Valentine Browne's, an undertaker in that country, "and greatly friended by the alliance of his wife, daughter of the said O'Sullivan," can give you information, and is able to serve us against any attempt made by the said Florence.

Copy.

Calendar of the Carew Manuscripts preserved in the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth, ed. J. S. Brewer & W. Bullen (6 vols., 1867-73), vol. III, document 267.