Colonial Ulster: The Settlement of East Ulster 1600–1641
Description
This landmark volume by Raymond Gillespie reconstructs the society of east Ulster – the counties of Antrim and Down – in the early seventeenth century. These counties formed a distinct region within Ulster and were excluded from the official scheme for the Ulster plantation. In remarkable detail – all the more impressive due to the loss of so many records of this era – the author explores demographic and economic developments, the emergence of rural and urban communities, and the tension between central government and local interests. In doing so, he reveals a fascinating picture of the strivings of both settlers and natives to establish a modus vivendi during a period of rapid change.
Contents
Introduction
- The Physical World
- The Human Background
- The Demographic Structure
- The Economic Structure
- Central Government and Local Interests
- Rural Society
- Urban Society
- Antrim, Down and the Wider World
- Epilogue
Appendices
- Demographic statistics
- Agricultural activity
- The business of the Court of Wards in east Ulster
- Status and literacy in rural society
- Estimates of landed wealth, c. 1635
- East Ulster MPs 1613–40
- Occupations of Belfast freemen, 1635–44
- Bibliography
- Index
LIST of MAPS
- Topography and land ownership
- Origins of Scottish settlers, c. 1630, by surname
- Distribution of denizens, 1600–35
- Agricultural regions, c. 1600–41
- Markets in east Ulster, 1600–40