Catalogue description The LORD DEPUTY and COUNCIL of IRELAND to HENRY VIII.

Your letters dated Westminster, 25th February last past, addressed to the whole Council, were delivered to me your Deputy on the 2d inst. I directed my letters to the Earl of Ossory and all others of the Council for their assembly together on the 6th. We whose names are subscribed, assembling accordingly, considered that one of the chief points contained in your letters was "that with such money as was to be had here, which ye willed us to levy immediately, we should dispatch as many of your army as we might; so as until we see what money might be had for that purpose," we thought we could not resolutely answer your letters, and agreed to defer our answer till this time.

To the first part of your said letters "concerning your revenues, and the usage of ourselves in the vain consumption of them," we answer that you "have appointed particular officers which have had only the trust and meddling with your revenues, and that we, the residue of your Council, had no dealing therewith, neither the charge thereof."

"To that point where your Majesty noteth in us a remissness that ye have spent so much money sithence the apprehension of Thomas Fittz Gerald, and how little honour or profit ye have received for the same; thereunto we say that none of your Council there, having the experience of this land, nor your Council here, judged it meet, immediately upon his apprehension, to discharge any part of your army, considering that his uncles and kinsmen, with all the Irishmen in manner of the whole land, were as then nothing stayed. And yet, immediately upon his committing to the Tower, 500 of your army were discharged out of wages, and afterward, upon the apprehension of his five uncles, which was done by great policy, far beyond the hope and expectation of all men in these parts, it was thought that there had been seen no better ne no more like time, within the remembrance of any now living, to proceed to a further reformation. And over that, at that season O'Brene, the pretended Earl of Desmond, O'Chonnor, and divers others being combined together, it was not thought meet then, being the beginning of a summer, if your Grace had been minded to a further reformation (as all we trusted), to abate your army, but rather increase the same. Nevertheless afterward, when we perceived all the summer in manner passing over, and your army not paid of their wages, so as they could do no service, but mutinied amongst themselves, whereby such misorders and inconveniences did grow amongst them, that in manner we had as much or more trouble to stay them as we had our adversaries; we advertised you and your Council divers times what hurts and hindrances the lack of money did in your Grace's affairs; in default whereof the more part of your army did but lie still, vainly consuming your treasure and impoverishing the poor inhabitants of the country.

"To that your Highness doth write that (as we write) your revenues be worth 7,000 marks by the year, besides your first fruits, tenths, and such other things as ye be entitled unto, which is thought will amount to as much more, and then will your casualties amount to no small thing, ne that grant which ye doubt not but your loving subjects of the lay fee will make unto you both of Munster and other places:-- truth it is, that we did write to your Grace that your revenues amounted to 7,00[0] marks a year, which we did upon this ground. Your Highness did write unto us to advertise you of the extent of your revenues; whereupon we called your Under-Treasurer to us, demanding of him the knowledge thereof; who showed us that your revenues of record in your Exchequer by the attainders and other grants by Parliament by estimation should mount to 5,000l. yearly, whereof he showed us he had advertised your Council. And to the first fruits they have been but lately granted, and few benefices have been void since the grant; and what the yearly extent of them will amount unto, it cannot be known but after the receipt of them a year or two.

"Concerning the tenth, there is no such grant made. As to your casualties, your Grace knoweth they be not certain; for wards, marriages, relieves, escheats, felons' goods, and such like, may be some year less or more than some other. Therefore that person of reputation of whom your Highness in your said letters maketh mention to be sent hither, at his coming may examine by his wisdom the certainty thereof.

"As to any grant which is made or like to be made by your subjects of the lay fee, there is none such, neither is like to be; for at the being here of William Bodie, it was demanded of the Commons, for the augmentation of your revenues, that they should grant the 20th part yearly of all men's revenues, spiritual and temporal; whereat they of the lay fee sticked, insomuch as they sent thither two of the Common House to your Majesty, to declare their inability therein."

None of us have the receipt of your revenues, but only the Under-Treasurer, who has sent to you and your Council, by William Body, a declaration of his account from the time of his hither coming until a certain day; and from that day hitherto he is ready to yield his account.

"Though the extent of your revenues amounteth to the sum of 5,000l. yearly, a great part of that came in but lately by the grant of this Parliament. And further, albeit that the extent is 5,000l. and above yearly, yet having now examined the Treasurer and Barons of your Exchequer how they be paid, they have informed us that a 1,000l. thereof by the year is waste, not leviable ne paid, [In the "State Papers" a fresh paragraph is made to commence here.] forasmuch of your revenues as appertained to the Earl of Kildare, in the county of Limerick, your Grace hath nothing of it, nor shall not have, until the pretended Earl of Desmond be at some point; [In MS 608, p. 69a is the following statement, evidently derived from this letter:--"Anno 1537, the King's revenue in Ireland was not full 5,000l. per annum."] of whose offers, I, your Grace's Deputy, have at several times advertised you and your Council, to the intent I might know your pleasure therein, whereof hitherto I have not been advertised. The promise was, that by May day he should have had his pardon for him and his brethren under your Great Seal of England. If he shall see no answer made unto him, he will be in more fear and suspicion than he was before, especially now upon the death of the other Geraldines.

"Besides this, many parcels of your manors be desolate and waste, whereof hitherto your revenues hath not been paid by reason that Thomas FitzGerald, his uncles, and complices, first so oppressed them, and after the arrival of your army for the expugnation of the same rebels, your Deputy and army burnt, robbed, and destroyed the inhabitation of divers parcels of them, whereby the tenants were exiled. And afterward your Deputy, by [your] Grace's advertisement, distrusting to commit the custody of divers of the March garrisons to any of [t]his land's birth, but being in the guard of divers of your army, whatsoever more by that occasion was wasted there was little inhabited; trusting that there will be few wastes after this year, if your Grace ensue our devices in two points.

"One is, no man in this country will manure and inhabit your ne any other man's lands, especially to any fruitful purpose, unless he may have a security of continuance therein, so as when he hath edified the same he shall not be expelled from it.

"Another cause there is, which hath been the chief cause of the continuance of these wastes, and shall be the occasion of more wastes, if it be not remedied immediately. The inhabitants of the county of Kildare and other wheres where the most of your Grace's lands be, were most principal offenders in this rebellion; whereby they be in such fear (especially now since the execution of the Geraldines) as they dare not trust to abide in the country, but wandering about, so as the possessioners there endeavour not themselves to inhabit and manure their own lands, fearing more the loss of their lives than the decay of their goods and their lands; and therefore out of hand it were good they had their pardons, as we have divers times moved ere now, for the which they would gladly fine; which, if it were done, many of your waste lands would be taken to farm at this May.

"And to that your Grace is put in understanding that your revenues stand you in no stead when any thing is to be paid, your said Under-Treasurer showeth us that he hath paid divers notable sums of your said revenues to your army here, so as nothing remaineth in his hands, as he saith, but that he is greatly indebted by borrowing, as your Grace's commissioner, which ye shall send hither, at his coming may know.

"And to that especial point whereupon in manner dependeth all the effect of your said letters, wherein your pleasure is, that we should lay our heads together to devise not only how your revenues here may be increased and augmented, but also that such direction may be taken touching the same, as they may be conserved, maintained, and received duly in a certain order, that they may stand you in stead for such purposes as your Grace shall allot the same; declaring further that your gracious mind and purpose is to continue here as many men of war as may be well maintained with your revenues here, reserving a convenient portion to maintain the reparation of your fortresses, and for the edifying and erection of such others as may serve to the expugnation of your rebels:"--although it is needful that your Grace shall reward at your pleasure such men as have done you service with part of your lands; yet may it please you to consider the value of them before you grant them, the places where they lie, and whether they be within the country where no charge shall be to defend them, or in the March, so as your reservations may be according, or else your revenues shall be soon diminished.

"Another thing is, your lands in the Marches must be inhabited with men of war, as the Earl of Kildare used them, or else the Marches shall not well be defended.

"Item, an especial thing is to be noted for a great augmentation of your revenues, that like as your Grace hath been hitherto advertised, your Grace do take an order with the Earl of Ossory and his son that your revenues may be levied in the four shires about the Barrowe, that is to say, the counties of Kilkenny, Tipperary, Wexford, and Waterford, where (besides all the manors which appertained to the Earls of Kildare and the heirs general of the Earl of Ormond, and divers other things within three of the same shires, which in effect be under their rule,) the subsidy and the first fruits be granted there as they be in these four shires, the same would greatly, and no one thing more, amend your revenues. Let them be contented to suffer your Highness' officers to meddle with your revenues without their interruption. And it shall be necessary that your Majesty appoint officers there for the ministration of justice to your subjects of the same four shires.

"Another thing we have concluded among us to be passed in this Parliament, which shall so augment your revenues as we can see none other shall, that there shall be no money current here but after the rate of sterling, which now at the first shall increase your revenues 2,000 marks by the year and above, so as after your officers paid, your Highness shall have, for the payment of your Deputy and army which shall remain, for every 13s. 4d. ye had before, 20s.; where you had before but 100 marks ye shall have 100l.; for every 1,000 marks 1,000l.; after which rate your coin is current in all places of this land, except in these parts. Albeit this order can never be observed here, unless your Grace appoint a mint here immediately, the profits whereof will be somewhat to your Grace.

"And concerning the manner of the appointment of this garrison, and what men they shall be, peradventure it shall not be hurtful that your commissioner, which shall be sent hither, shall partly ensue our devices therein, which know the land; for if the soldiers should be after the order of Caleyes (Calais) or such like places, it will not be best perchance so here.

"And further where your pleasure is, that we shall not only, against the coming of the said person of reputation whom your Grace will send hither as is aforesaid, make a perfect extent of all your revenues, we shall accomplish the same, God willing; albeit your Grace may, by the view of these present letters, consider in manner the extent of them; but also in the mean season, with such money as your Highness suppose to be here already, dispatch as many of the worst of the army as we should amongst us think meet."

In the last article you charge us with disregard of your letters to us for the alleviating of your charges. We beseech you to pardon us thereof. Nevertheless, if you peruse our letters to you when Patrick Barnewell came thither, we trust you will perceive that we have not offended in that point; for at that season, upon the receipt of your letters, your Deputy and Council made a shift upon their credence for 400l. Irish, wherewith they dispatched out of wages 250 of your army; and at this season your Treasurer has dispatched 50 horsemen, having no money to dispatch any more, for they have been so long unpaid that the revenues of a year and a half would not suffice to content them. Therefore we request that your Treasurer may speedily be furnished with money. We think you should not trust to have money of the compositions for the general pardon sufficient to discharge them. The gentlemen and others who will fine for their pardons have not such substance whereby they should be able to make immediate payment, "but he which will stick to pay 10l. in ready money will be better contented to pay 20l. by days."

"When your army shall be all dispatched except only those which shall tarry here to be found upon your revenues, your half year's revenues shall not be due till the feast of Saint Michael, and the most of the same shall not be paid before the Hilary term next, so as all this summer the garrison shall remain unpaid, by occasion whereof they shall not be able to do any service;" wherefore we beseech you that they may be entirely paid until the said feast.

"As to the suppression of certain monasteries expressed in a commission under your Great Seal, we shall proceed thereunto with such convenient speed as shall be most for your Highness' profit."

Dublin, 20 April.

Signed: Leonard Gray; [J.] Lord of Trimleston, your Grace's Chancellor; Georgius Dublin.; Edward Miden.; J. Rawson, P. of Killmaynam, R. B. of Delvyn; Willm. Brabason; Gerald Aylmer, Justice; Thomas Lutrell, Justice; Patrick Fyngles, Baron; John Allen.

Copy. Headed: A.D. 1536.

Printed in "State Papers," II. 426, from the original in the Record Office.

Calendar of the Carew Manuscripts preserved in the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth, ed. J. S. Brewer & W. Bullen (6 vols., 1867-73), vol. I, document 98.