Ireland History

Sir James Keating.—Nor did order and loyalty flourish conspicuously at the very seat of government. Unseemly broils between the chief officials, and faction fights between the followers of different parties were frequent.

The authority of the Crown was more than once defied by its own representatives, and their example was followed by others. When Lord Grey was sent over by the King to supersede the Earl of Kildare as Lord Deputy (1478) he was refused admission to Dublin Castle by its Constable, Sir James Keating, who garrisoned the Castle, and held it for two years. Keating was also Prior of Kilmainham, an important military ” hospital” of the Knights of St. John beside Dublin.

When deprived of this rank in 1482 he imprisoned his successor, and kept possession of the ” hospital.” Although the King excepted Keating from the general pardon to the adherents of Simnel (1488) , yet the intractable Prior held defiant possession of the ” hospital ” for another three years.
Anti-Irish Decrees.—Reduced to this condition of impotence, the Crown officials could only display a futile malevolence by further anti-Irish enactments.

Posted on July 3rd, 2008 under Gaelic Feudalism. Tags: anti irish decrees, Chaos, Disturbancer, dublin, Irish custom, King's lieges, Lord Grey, poyning's parliament, Sir James Keating. Comments: None

Meanwhile the ” little place,” as the Pale was now called, continued to shrink and decay. The unfortunate inhabitants were oppressed as much by the exactions of the lords as by the raids of the clans. ” Coyne and livery ” was still imposed upon them despite frequent laws against it, and the King’s own Deputy set the example.

In 1416, they petitioned the King to pity his ” poor lieges who are environed on all sideswith English rebels and Irish enemies.” Four years later they begged him to obtain the aid of the Pope on their behalf.

While the farmers were spoiled by ” coyne and livery ” the townspeople were impoverished by the anti-Irish enactments which • prohibited them from trading with the Irish. Many fled to England ; others affiliated themselves to neighbouring chiefs and lords. In 1422, Dunlavin, Trim, Collon and Dundalk indicate the borders of the Pale.

Posted on July 3rd, 2008 under Gaelic Feudalism. Tags: black rents, brotherhood of st. george, counties, kildare, Kildare to O'Connor of Ui Failghe, meath, o'neill, wexford. Comments: None