To Plant and Improve: Justifying the Consolidation of Tudor and Stuart Rule in Ireland, 1509 to 1625 Samantha Watson A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Humanities and Languages Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences September 2014 THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: Watson First name: Samantha Other name/s: Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: PhD School: School of Humanities and Languages Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Title: To plant and improve: justifying the consolidation of Tudor and Stuart rule in Ireland, 1509 to 1625. Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) This thesis aims to examine the ideologies employed in justifying English conquest and plantation of Ireland between 1509 and 1625. It adopts the methodology of a contextualist intellectual history, which situates the sources within the intellectual and material world, and in relation to the publically approved paradigms, available to the authors. The thesis encompasses a range of source material - correspondence, policy papers and published tracts - from major and minor figures in government and undertakers of colonisation schemes. The source material will be examined with respect to the major upheavals in intellectual culture in late medieval and early modern England and, in particular, the impact of major pan- European movements, the Protestant Reformation and the Renaissance. Focussing on the ethics associated with the spread of Renaissance humanism and Calvinist Protestantism, it explores socio-political ideas in England and examines the ways that these ideas were expressed in relation to Ireland. A key theme is the humanist idea of the commonwealth, a neoclassical framework for thinking about the public good, which gave the English sanction to pass policies which would absorb the native Irish into an English state system. The second major movement, Protestantism, is found to be intimately linked with the theme of improvement. As the predestinarian ideas of Calvin gained traction, diligent toil and the ensuing material rewards were deemed to be evidence of personal salvation. As social paradigms shifted, the English became more aggressive in their pursuit of Irish land to farm and industrialise. By occupying and improving Irish soil, the English were performing service on behalf of God and the commonwealth. It concludes that the evolution of English colonial thought was synchronous with the progression of humanism and Protestantism. Importantly for the historiography of colonial thought, this thesis finds that neoclassical and biblical imperatives were being used to justify colonial enterprise from at least the early sixteenth century. The moral and ethical arguments for colonisation applied to early modern Ireland predated the apex of the colonial "improving" movement in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: a legacy unknowingly conveyed by Tudor theorists to their imperial British successors. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). 17.2.15 …………………………………………………………… ……………………………………..……………… ……….……………………...…….… Signature Witness Date The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: THIS SHEET IS TO BE GLUED TO THE INSIDE FRONT COVER OF THE THESIS ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed ................................................................. Date 17.2.15................................................................. COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.' Signed … …………….…........................... Date AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.’ Signed …………………........................... Date Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the immense contribution of my supervisor, John Gascoigne, whose support and guidance has been invaluable. Without his astute suggestions, the assortment of half-formed ideas and hypotheses produced at the beginning of my research would never have developed into the coherent final form represented in these pages. I would also like to extend my gratitude to my co-supervisor, Hamish Graham, for his kindness and support, and especially for lending his expertise on the topic of environmental history. I am also indebted to the wisdom of various scholars with whom I have had the pleasure of correspondence or conversation at some point in my degree, such as Andrew Fitzmaurice and David Armitage, as well as those academics and fellow postgraduates who provided me with feedback and friendly discussion at conferences and seminars. I am grateful for the financial support provided by the University and the School of Humanities and Languages, without which I would not have been able to embark on a rewarding research trip or present my work at conferences. On a personal level, I owe a great debt to my friends and my family for their good humour, encouragement and understanding, and companions of the four-legged variety for forcing me to take much-needed breaks. Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge my husband, who is my greatest supporter and confidante. His contribution has been immeasurable. Abbreviations APCI Acts of the Privy Council in Ireland, 1556-1571 BL British Library Cal. Carew Calendar of Carew Manuscripts Bodl. Bodleian Library, Oxford CSPI Calendar of State Papers, Ireland ERO Essex Records Office NASPI UK National Archives: State Papers Ireland NLI National Library of Ireland OED Oxford English Dictionary Online ODNB Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Phillips Papers Londonderry and the London Companies, 1609-1629: Documents of Sir Thomas Phillips SP Hen.VIII State Papers of King Henry VIII Sidney SP State Papers of Sir Henry Sidney, 1565-1570 TCD Trinity College, Dublin Note on spelling The original spelling of primary sources has been retained, except that I have silently regularised i, j, u and v in titles and quotations. Contents PART ONE: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1 1. Prelude .........................................................................................................................................1 1.1. Early modern Ireland and historians......................................................................................1 1.2. Historiography.......................................................................................................................3 1.3. Primary sources .....................................................................................................................9 1.4. Aims and methodology........................................................................................................10