Introduction to Plantations. Ireland in the early 1500s Thick forest & scrub covered the country. No roads, only dirt tracks. Easier to travel by sea, then across the country. Dangerous to travel through an area without the local lords permission.

How the country was divided: King of England was the ‘Lord of Ireland’ He only controlled an area called ‘The Pale’ The rest of the country was controlled by Gaelic & Anglo-Norman Lords. Anglo-Norman Lords controlled most of the South of Ireland Gaelic Lords name began with ‘Mac’ or ‘O’. Do you know why?

Control outside of the Pale: Gaelic Lords Descendants of the Celts. The Lord ruled over the ‘Clan’. The Lord was elected from the derbhfine, usually their father & grandfather was the Lord before them (this often caused tension!) Their title was “The O’Neill” or “The O’Connor”

The Gaelic way of life: Language & dress Spoke Gaelic Men: wore knee length tunic / “léine” Had long moustache & fringe / “glib” Wore an Irish “Mantle” (English word) / “Brat” (Irish word) Women: Long tunic Irish “Brat” Both went barefoot.

The Brehon Laws Marriage Ancient Gaelic Laws The Brehon (judge) administered the laws. Brehon court held on a hillside open to everyone. Only form of punishment was an ‘éric’ (a fine), to be paid to victims family. Marriage Under the Brehon Law; Women kept their own name & property. Divorce was allowed. Children born outside of wedlock were entitled to a share of the fathers property.

Cattle & Land The land was the property of the whole clan. A persons wealth was measured by the amount of cattle they owned. Only Freemen owned cattle. Peasants & Labourers had few rights, though they were free to work for which ever Lord they wanted to.

Anglo-Norman Lords: Descendants of the Normans who arrived during the Middle Ages (1200s) Remember!!!! These Normans influenced Ireland by introducing: Norman castles, Norman towns, parliaments, the common law, place names, farming systems, changing the church. They were granted a “title deed” to Irish land by the King of England. (under English law, all land belonged to the King) When the Lord died his eldest son got all the land & became the new Lord. The Earl of Kildare: member of Fitzgeralds, ruled in Kildare & Meath.

They used the Brehon Law They married Gaelic people The King of England was technically their ‘Over-Lord’, but the Anglo-Norman Lords were more like the Gaelic people. They used the Brehon Law They married Gaelic people They adopted Gaelic Customs By 1500 the most powerful Anglo-Norman lords were: The Earl of Ormond: ruled the Butlers in Kilkenny & Tipperary The Earl of Desmond: member of Fitzgeralds, ruled in Munster The Anglo-Norman Lords were more Gaelic than English!!

The People of the Pale: ‘The Pale’ stretched from Drogheda to Dalkey, & from Kells to the Irish sea. It was controlled by the King of England in 1500. Many landowners & merchants lived there. These people were also descendants of the Normans, but kept closer ties to England.

Close ties to England were kept by the people of The Pale: They spoke English Kept English customs & culture Wore English style clothing, shoes, hats, stockings. Forbidden to wear a mantle. Always cleanly shaven or with a full beard (never with a moustache as this was considered a Gaelic.

Marriage: The Common Law: Under the English common law system: Divorce was forbidden. The wife took the husbands name & he controlled all of their property. Any child born outside of wedlock couldn’t inherit their fathers property. The Common Law: English system of law that was common to all of the King’s subjects. A common law judge was appointed to travel from place to place to try serious crimes in courthouses. Serious punishments included beheading, hanging, imprisonment.

What did the people of the Pale think of the Gaelic & Norman Lords??? War was common between rival Lords & this disrupted trade in the Pale. They called Gaelic Lords “the Irish enemy” They called Anglo-Norman Lords “The degenerate English” They saw themselves as superior to those outside the Pale. Landowners & merchant hated the Lords from outside of the Pale. The Pale was frequently Raided: Gaelic Lords stole cattle Farmers within the Pale had to pay ‘black rent’ to Gaelic Lords

Celtic warriors. Can you recognise any of their clothes???