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Home , County Fermanagh, Plantation of Ulster, Scottish people

The Plantation of and Ulster-Scots: What’s it all about?

© CCEA 2016 Developed in association with the Ulster-Scots Agency and the Ulster-Scots Community Network The and Ulster-Scots: What’s it all about? Contents

Introduction 1

What? What happened before the Plantation? 2 What were the aims of the Plantation? 3 What was the result of the Plantation? 3

When? Background 4 Antrim, Down and 4 The 5

Why? Why have a Plantation in Ulster? 6 Why go to Ulster? 7

Who? Who received the land in the Plantation counties? 8

How? How did the Plantation affect ordinary people? 10

Where? Where did the settlers live? 12 New towns 12 Life in the countryside 13

Legacy How successful was the Plantation? 14 The people 14

Today ’s Walls 16 Plantation castles 17 Plantation churches 17

Glossary 18 Acknowledgements 18

i These are the 6 Ulster counties that made up the Plantation ...and these 3 didn’t! The Plantation of Ulster Londonderry began over 400 years ago. Antrim Many thousands of people from and moved across the Irish Sea to live in Tyrone Ulster during the reign of James the First. He had been the King of Scotland, but in 1603 Down he had also become King of England. Monagha He wanted to change Ulster by ‘planting’ people from England and Scotland in it. n

ii 1 What were the aims of the Plantation? King James the First hoped that the people People! who came over to Ulster during the What? Plantation would help him to change the province. Taxes! He hoped that settlers from England and Loyalty! What happened before the Plantation? Scotland would be obedient to him and to There had been many wars in between the Irish his government. In the King’s mind Ulster people and the English. The last one – The Nine Years’ needed to be ‘civilised’ and made to be War (1594–1603) – took place during the reign of Queen more like England and parts of lowland Elizabeth the First and ended with the defeat of the Gaelic Scotland. chieftains. Most of the living in Ulster did Now the whole of Ireland was under English control. not see things this way and resented the But the very same year, Queen Elizabeth died. She had no King interfering in their land. children. What would happen to Ireland now? Elizabeth was replaced by her Scottish relative, King James What was the result of the of Scotland. The King of Scotland now became the King of Plantation? England too. This meant that Scots would play an important The Plantation brought many changes part in the plans for the Plantation. to Ulster. The population grew rapidly as thousands of settlers arrived, many of them with their wives and children. Queen New towns and villages were created and schools and industries were established. The new people brought new names and Londonderry customs to Ireland. But some people say that many of Ulster’s problems began with Antrim Donegal the Plantation.

Tyrone

King James I Fermanagh Armagh Down

Monaghan

Cavan

2 3 , home of the MacDonnells When?

Background Antrim, Down and The Flight of the Earls Ulster was not the only place to be Monaghan After being defeated by the English in ‘planted’. Other parts of Ireland Counties Antrim and Down were The Nine Years’ War, two of the most had been ‘planted’ with English not included in the Plantation of powerful Irish chieftains, the Earl of people. A quarter of a century Ulster. Because these counties Tyrone and the Earl of , left before the Plantation of Ulster, a are very close to Scotland, Scottish Ireland with many of their supporters plantation in the southern Irish people had been coming to them in an event known as ‘The Flight of the province of Munster had been for centuries. Usually on a clear Earls’. started. day it is easy to see Scotland from They boarded a ship in the coasts of Antrim and Down. In Antrim, a Scottish family, the At the same time that the MacDonnells, were already firmly in in County Plantation of Ulster was taking Two Scots, James Hamilton and Hugh control of the north of the county. Donegal on 4 September place some were Montgomery, received large land grants The MacDonnells were a Highland 1607 and hoped to sail sailing across the Atlantic Ocean of many thousands of acres in County family. King James officially ‘granted’ to where they to establish settlements in Down. So in May 1606 the ‘Hamilton the MacDonnells large parts of County would ask for help from in America. In 1607 Jamestown, and Montgomery Settlement’ began, and Antrim. The MacDonnells also began the Spanish king to drive named in honour of the King, was hundreds of Scottish families began to bringing families from Scotland to live on the English out of founded in Virginia. arrive in east Ulster. their lands. By the time the Plantation of Ireland. However, because of storms the King James had also tried to Ulster began, there were already many James Earls never reached ‘plant’ the islands of Lewis and living in Counties Antrim Hamilton Spain. Instead they Harris in the Outer with and Down. landed in and lowland Scots when he was King of Just as Antrim and Down were not part ended up in Rome. Scotland. of the Plantation, neither was County They never returned Monaghan. In this county most of the to Ireland. Earl of Tyrone land remained in Irish ownership in the early 17th century. Some Englishmen The lands of these chieftains were acquired large estates in the county confiscated and King James now had to and a number of English families settled decide what should be done with these there. However, the number of Scots in territories. Eventually the King and his at this time was very officials decided that the solution to their small – fewer than in any of the other problems in Ulster would be to have a Ulster counties. Plantation.

1606: Hamilton and Montgomery Virginia 1607: Jamestown (Virginia) 1607: Flight of the Earls Hugh 1610: Plantation of Ulster Montgomery 4 5 “I would rather Why have a Plantation in Ulster? Why go to Ulster? labour with Why? Ulster was the last province in Ireland to There were many reasons why people be brought under English control. King moved from England and Scotland to James hoped that the ‘planting’ of loyal Ulster. my hands in subjects would stop the threat of rebellion. For most of the settlers it was with a hope the Plantation “Ulster? Keeping law and order in Ulster was that they would find a new and better expensive and the King was also worried life for themselves and their families. The of Ulster, than I’ll sort this that if a Spanish army invaded Ireland it younger sons of landowners saw the would find support among the Irish. opportunity to acquire their own estates. dance and play Farmers hoped to receive larger and better place out once The Flight of the Earls meant that he was farms. Landless labourers hoped they in the Plantation now in possession of vast territories in six and for all!” would have their own farms rather than counties and could choose who should of Virginia!” having to work for farmers. receive them. It is likely that many people had heard To the King, a Plantation in Ulster seemed about the success of the Hamilton and like the perfect answer. By encouraging Montgomery Settlement in east Ulster, and settlers from England and Scotland to this encouraged many more people to move to Ulster, he hoped that the province come across to make a new start. would become richer. And a richer Ulster meant a richer King because of the extra For Scottish settlers, Ulster was also easy tax that would be paid. to get to – just a three hour boat trip from Portpatrick in Scotland to Donaghadee. So if things didn’t work out, it was easy to get the boat back home again – a lot easier than sailing back from Virginia!

Sir Arthur Chichester King James I Lord Deputy of Ireland 6 ULSTER 7 Who?

Who received land in the Plantation counties?

The confiscation of Irish-owned territories in the six Plantation counties meant that the King now had hundreds of thousands of acres to grant out to whom he pleased. After much planning it was agreed that the land should be divided between the following groups of people: Undertakers Servitors London Companies Irish 160,000 acres 55,000 acres 40,000 acres 94,000 acres 75,000 acres The undertakers got their Servitors were men who The King and his officials A total of 280 Irishmen Lands that had belonged to name because they agreed had served the King in hoped to find support from received grants of land in the pre- Irish to undertake the ‘planting’ Ireland as soldiers or the wealthy merchants of the six Plantation counties Church were transferred to of British settlers on the government officials. London for the Plantation. – in all over 94,000 acres the new Protestant Church estates they were given. Altogether the servitors These merchants belonged – but only 26 of the more that in time became known There were 59 Scottish received nearly 55,000 to what were known as important Gaelic lords as the Church of Ireland. undertakers and 51 English acres in the Plantation companies. Eventually it were given estates of 1,000 This included lands owned undertakers, but the average counties. Most of them was agreed that the London acres or more. The largest by as well as lands size of the Scottish-owned were given estates of companies would receive grant to an Irishman was possessed by monasteries estates was smaller than the 1,000–2,000 acres, but land in what is now County the 9,900 acres in south and abbeys that had been English-owned estates. The some of them received as Londonderry. Armagh given to closed by the English. undertakers were expected little as 200 acres. The Sir McHenry In addition, land was set to introduce British settlers servitors were allowed to McNeill. aside in each parish for the to their estates. For every have both Irish and British support of the Church of 1,000 acres he received an tenants. Ireland minister. This land undertaker was expected was known as ‘glebe’. to ‘plant’ 24 men or at least Today there are many 10 families from England or with the name Scotland. Glebe because they were once owned by the Church of Ireland. 8 9 How? Scotland How did the Plantation affect ordinary people? Renfrewshire The Borders Lanarkshire The Irish The Scots Kirkcudbrightshire The rules of the Plantation were that all Over 60 Scots were granted Wigtownshire had to leave the estates granted lands as part of the project England to English and Scottish undertakers. In of Plantation. A few were reality, on nearly every estate given to servitors, but most were Lancashire an undertaker there were large numbers undertakers. The most of Irish families. important of the new Nottinghamshire

landlord families from Staffordshire In most areas Irish families significantly Norfolk outnumbered English and Scottish families. Scotland included the Cunninghams in Suffolk The undertakers were happy to have Bedfordshire Irish tenants, especially if they did not , the have enough British tenants on their Achesons in County estates. Armagh, the Humes in and the Stewarts There were no rules forbidding Irish in . Some of the Scottish Devon tenants on lands owned by the Church The English undertakers were important men in the of Ireland or the servitors. government of Scotland and close friends In many cases Irish and British were The English servitors and undertakers in of the King. Others were landowners from ready to co-operate on everyday matters. Ulster came from many different parts of south-west Scotland or the Borders. England. They may not have Most of the ordinary Scottish settlers in liked each other, but There was a strong Devon connection Ulster came from the south-west of Scotland they were prepared with Ulster. Sir Arthur Chichester – that part of Scotland closest to Ulster – to work together if was from Devon as was Sir Thomas and in particular Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire, it meant getting Ridgeway, both of whom received land Kirkcudbrightshire, Wigtownshire, what they wanted. in County Tyrone. The Flowerdews, Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire. Surnames Blennerhassetts and Bartons and most associated with this area include Crawford, of the other Englishmen who received Cunningham, Hamilton and Montgomery. land in County Fermanagh came from the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in Other settlers came from the Borders area East Anglia. of south-east Scotland including the Armstrongs, Beattys, Elliotts, Grahams and Others came from Staffordshire, Johnstons. The Borders had a reputation for Bedfordshire and Nottinghamshire. lawlessness and the Some of these men were able to bring were feared for the trouble they caused. settlers across from their home counties. The word ‘reiver’ means a raider, rider or Many other settlers came from counties a bandit. Some of them were banished to such as Lancashire in the north-west of Ireland to stop them causing trouble in England which were closer to Ireland. Scotland. 10 11 Where?

Where did the settlers live? The English and Scottish settlers tended to live in areas with their fellow countrymen. Most of the Scots lived on estates owned by Scottish undertakers and similarly most of the English lived on English-owned estates. The areas with the highest numbers of settlers were usually those closest to the ports. People were able to sail directly from 1626 Map of ‘The Cittie of London Derrie’ England and Scotland to Londonderry and . New towns Life in the countryside There was also good farmland around One of the big changes brought about The government wanted the settlers Beef cattle now began to be kept in these ports and so many people by the Plantation was the establishment to live together in villages on each large numbers as well as dairy cattle. settled in these areas. Fewer people of towns. estate and not scattered here and there. Farmers now produced extra food to settled in areas far from ports or 12 However, in reality most of the settlers sell at markets and fairs rather than Some of these towns were more where the land was poor and did not live like this. This shows that just enough to feed their families. Many successful than others. The largest mountainous. most of the time the settlers felt safe of the settlers, especially the English, towns in Plantation Ulster were, in and did not fear an attack from the Irish planted orchards. In some areas fields order of size, Londonderry, Coleraine living near them. were enclosed with hedges rather than and . The London companies the countryside lying open. were in charge of helping the towns of The settlers brought with them new Coleraine Coleraine and Londonderry to grow. ideas about farming. Better ploughs pulled by stronger breeds of horses In County Tyrone James Hamilton, Londonderry meant that much more land could be who was the Earl of Abercorn, used for growing crops. Some of the established a town at Strabane. grain grown in Ulster was shipped to Many of the landlords were not Strabane Scotland to be sold there. wealthy enough to establish a town and so founded a village on their lands instead. In the Acheson family founded a village that was later to become Markethill.

12 13 Surname Map Legacy of major Scottish landowners during the Plantation

STEWART

McCLELLAND MACDONNELL How successful was the The people STEWART KNOX Antrim Plantation? The Plantation brought big changes to CUNNINGHAM Londonderry SHAW The Plantation was more successful in Ulster. If we look around today we find STEWART ADAIR some areas than in others. evidence of the settlement everywhere, KNOX AGNEW not only in the buildings and towns, LESLIE HAMILTON COLVILLE Many of the men from England and Donegal EDMONSTONE but in the very people who live here. HAMILTON Scotland who received grants of land Surnames such as Hamilton, Stewart, in the six Plantation counties sold out DRUMMOND Montgomery and Forsythe are Scottish in RICHARDSON HAMILTON quickly and returned to their homelands. origin. Other names such as Babington, MONTGOMERY Some of them found it almost impossible Poots and Parke are English. Because Tyrone STEWART to encourage British families to settle on HAMILTON many settlers and Irish married each ERSKINE their estates, especially if the land they other there are people today who regard HUME STEWART ACHESON owned was remote and mountainous. themselves as Irish when they have British DUNBAR Down HAMILTON Others were successful in bringing over surnames and British when they have Fermanagh settlers and in introducing new farming Irish surnames. Armagh BALFOUR practices and industries. Differences in speech were also introduced CREIGHTON Monaghan as a result of the Plantation with the most important change being the spread of the CRAIG Cavan . The Scottish settlers ACHESON HAMILTON spoke Scots (also called ) which Ulster’s a HAMILTON BAILIE splendid continued to develop into what we now place, eh! call Ulster-Scots. New words arrived in Ulster, Oh aye, – like sheugh, oxter, scunner, thole and scunner it is! thran. New words developed too, through the close influence of the oxter thran on the settlers. sheugh

14 15 Castle

Today Plantation churches The English and Scottish settlers needed Although the Plantation of Ulster began over 400 years ago, there are still places to gather for public worship. some reminders of it that survive today. Some of these you will be able to Sometimes they repaired an existing visit, but others will be hidden away and not easy to get to. church and on other occasions they built a completely new church. A handful of Plantation castles these churches are still in use. The largest Those granted land were required to church built in the Plantation counties is build a fortification on their lands. The St Columb’s Cathedral in Londonderry. simplest type of fortress was known as a It is still used every day and is very ‘bawn’. The word bawn comes from the popular with tourists. Irish for ‘cow fort’. A bawn was a courtyard surrounded by strong walls and was usually square or rectangular. The most important of the new English and Scottish landlords were expected to build a strong castle as well as a bawn. The ruins of some of the castles built The Walls of Derry by the undertakers and servitors in the Plantation counties have survived. In Derry’s Walls County Fermanagh it is possible to visit Monea Castle, probably the finest In 1613 the town of Derry was surviving Plantation castle. It was renamed Londonderry because the built by Malcolm Hamilton, one of the Saint Columb’s Cathedral, Londonderry London companies now became Scottish undertakers. Comparisons have responsible for it. been made with Claypotts Castle near Other churches include Clonfeacle . Church of Ireland church in Benburb, In the same year the building of new County Tyrone. This church was built walls around the town began. around 1620 by Sir Richard Wingfield, an The walls were completed in 1618. English servitor. Today the walls survive almost intact Most of the churches that survive from and it is possible to walk along their the Plantation counties are in ruins. In full length of just over one mile. the old graveyards surrounding these The walls are the most important churches it is sometimes possible to surviving 17th century fortifications find a tombstone to one of the original in the and well worth settlers. a visit. The remains of other town Cannon on the walls walls built at this time can be seen at , , and Claypotts Jamestown, . Castle 16 17 Glossary Acknowledgements Deputy Keeper of Records, Public Record Office of Map (pages 12–13) Bawn Mark Thompson Design: A bawn was a Maps (cover, pages ii, 2, 6–7, 8–9, 11, 12, 14–15); Planter illustrations (cover, pages 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14) courtyard surrounded Photo (page 4, bottom right) by strong walls and National Museums Northern Ireland: was usually square or Photos (page 5, middle right and page 7) rectangular. The word National Trust Images: comes from the Irish for Photo (page 4, middle) ‘cow fort’. Thinkstockphotos.co.uk: Background (cover, pages 1–18) iStock Collection / ke77kz Dots effect (cover, pages 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10–11, 12, 14–15, 16–17, 18) Servitor Hemera Collection / Marina Putyata effect (back cover, pages 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16) Servitors were men who iStock Collection / WitchEra Church and bawn illustrations (cover) iStock Collection / colematt had served the King in Photo (pages 2) Photos.com Ireland as soldiers or Photo (page 3) Photos.com Map (page 4, bottom left) Ingram Publishing government officials. Photo (page 5, top) iStock Collection / spumador Photo (page 6) iStock Collection / Hodagmedia Symbols (cover, page 10) iStock Collection / Baz777 Undertaker Symbol (cover, page 11) Ingram Publishing Map (page 11) iStock Collection / Jonathan Woodcock The undertakers were Photo (page 13, bottom left) iStock Collection / ygrek men from England and Photo (page 13, bottom right) moodboard Photo (page 16, top) iStock Editorial / heckepics Scotland who received Photo (page 16, bottom right) iStock Collection / heckepics Photo (page 17, top) iStock Collection / RobertBradley lands in the Ulster Photo (page 17, middle right) iStock Collection / heckepics Plantation. They got Photo (page 17, bottom) Purestock their name because they Ulster-Scots Agency / Ulster Historical Foundation: Map (page 15) based on the Surname Map in The Scots in Ulster – The agreed to ‘undertake’ First Scottish Migrations to Ulster, 1606–1641 (Surname Map and Pocket the planting of their Guide) 2010 lands with settlers from The contents of this publication have been extracted from Travel Four Centuries Back in Time! published by the Ulster-Scots Agency, 2008; their homelands. advised by the Ulster Historical Foundation.

18 The Plantation of Ulster and Ulster-Scots: What’s it all about?

© CCEA 2016 Developed in association with the Ulster-Scots Agency and the Ulster-Scots Community Network