Above : Picture Of Earl Strafford

In 1639, Wentworth was created Earl of Strafford, and exchanged the title of Lord Deputy for the more honourable one of Lord Lieutenant. In Ireland he was not particularly unpopular with the masses of the populat ion ; nor was there any reason why he should be. His repression of the disorders amongst the soldiers and his protection of trade had been positive benefits, while his acts of injustice and tyranny had not affected them.

By the members of the Privy Council, however, and the higher officials generally, he was detested. With several of them he had had special quarrels, while all resented his arrogance and his outbursts of ill-temper. In many cases of dispute he had certainly been in the right; as when he put an end to the Earl of Cork’s robbery of Church property, and revealed the embezzlements of Lord Wilmot. But this did not excuse him in the eyes of the delinquents and their friends. It was these men who finally contributed to his ruin. Like many others, he suffered as much for some of his good deeds as for any of his bad ones.

In 1640, Strafford summoned a Parliament, which showed itself as subservient as he could desire, and voted large subsidies to the King. To the sums thus collected Strafford added £20,000 of his own. Most of this money he applied to the uses of the new army which he had got together. Charles was exceedingly anxious to obtain the help of the Irish troops, as the situation in England was growing ever more menacing. They now numbered 8,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry, and were admirably drilled and equipped.

Below : Picture Of Lord Wilmot

Most of the soldiers recently recruited were Catholics, and the fact that they had ” armed the Irish Papists ” added immensely to the unpopularity of both Strafford and his Royal Master in England. In the spring of 1640 the troops were ready to start.

At this juncture (April, 1640) Strafford was summoned to London, and, in his absence, all the arrangements made in connection with the new army went to pieces. Means for transporting the soldiers to England could not be found ; there was no money to pay or feed them, so they took again to the old practice of plundering the civil population. Finally, it was decided to dissolve them. Many enlisted in Continental armies, but numbers stayed at home, and in the Irish civil wars proved most useful to the Confederates, by furnishing a trained nucleus for their regiments, and by helping to drill the new recruits.

The Fall of Strafford is an episode in English History, and, except in so far as the Irish officials aided to bring it about, does not much concern us here. The English House of Commons decided to proceed against him, and soon after his arrival in London he was lodged in the Tower. His enemies in Ireland rejoiced exceedingly, and when, in June, the Parliament met for another Session, it at once drew up articles to help the case against him at his coming trial. These articles included illegal taxation, the refusal of the ” Graces,” the establishment of the Court of High Commission, the intimidation of the Connacht juries and many other matters.

The English Commons cared little for Irish grievances, but any stone was good enough to throw at their enemy, and they availed themselves willingly of this one. They passed a Bill of Attainder against Strafford through the two Houses. The King, who had shortly before given the Earl his royal word that he would not permit him to be injured in ” life, honour or fortune,” was mean and cowardly enough to consent to the Bill. Strafford was executed on Tower Hill on May 12th, 1641.