The Plantation of Ulster by Jonathan Bardon

Author:Jonathan Bardon [Bardon, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gill & Macmillan
Published: 2012-02-14T16:00:00+00:00

THE LUCK OF THE DRAW

Meanwhile the fifty-five London Companies, regularly levied for contributions to the enterprise, were busily arranging themselves into twelve associations to obtain by lot the proportions divided up by Smithes and Springham. The companies had to put forty thousand pounds up front, and the larger companies combined with smaller ones, each to form a consortium to gather together enough cash to entitle them to one of the twelve proportions. For example, the Goldsmiths, with a share of £2,999, were joined with the Cordwainers, Paint-Stainers and Armourers, whose shares were £250, £44 and £40, respectively. The Drapers had one associate only, the Tallow-chandlers, while the Vintners had nine: Curriers, Plumbers, Poulters, Blacksmiths, Weavers, Woodmongers, Fruiterers, Tylers and Bricklayers. The Coopers and Brownbakers surrendered their interests to the City, and the Haberdashers to two of their own members. The Bowyers and Fletchers, contributing £2 10s and £10, respectively, joined the Clothworkers. Others were to sell their interests later. The Fishmongers, associated with the Glaziers and Basketmakers, bought out the Leathersellers (who had already bought out the Plasterers’ share) in 1617.

On 17 December 1617, at a court of the Common Council, the City sword-bearer, with great pomp and ceremony, drew the lots for the twelve proportions of the Londonderry Plantation. Some of the proportions were split to avoid taking in church lands and lands assigned to the natives. The result of this lottery was as follows: New Buildings (Goldsmiths), Muff (Grocers), Ballykelly (Fishmongers), Artikelly/Ballycastle (Haberdashers), Killowen/Articlave (Clothworkers), Macosquin (Merchant Taylors), Agivey (Ironmongers), Movanagher (Mercers), Vintnerstown (Vintners), Magherafelt/Salterstown (Salters), Moneymore (Drapers) and Dungiven/ Crosalt (Skinners). Vintnerstown soon became known as Bellaghy, and Muff was later renamed Eglinton to avoid confusion with Muff in Co. Donegal. By the luck of the draw, the Grocers, Fishmongers and Goldsmiths got what eventually turned out to be the most fertile and accessible proportions. The Ironmongers found that their proportion was split into no fewer than seven estates not joined to each other. The Drapers and Skinners were left with the most inaccessible proportions, with much infertile land. To the dismay of representatives of all the companies, Alderman Cockayne (soon to be succeeded by Alderman George Smithes) announced that all the forty thousand pounds already raised had been spent, and the court felt that it had no choice but to levy another five thousand to be paid to the chamberlain by 1 February 1614.

The actual total area of lands in the new county of Londonderry was 508,700 acres, or 794.9 square miles. The livery companies had 57.3 per cent, the Church 22.8 per cent, the native freeholders 10.2 per cent, the Irish Society 5.9 per cent (the city of Londonderry and Coleraine with attached lands) and Sir Thomas Phillips 3.8 per cent.20 Like the other Ulster undertakers, the companies were bound by the Articles of Plantation (which included removing all natives from their proportions); but unlike them they had to submit to the permanent supervision of the Honourable the Irish Society and contribute to the upkeep of Coleraine and the city of Londonderry.

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