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Petition from Protestants of the County of

 Carlow on the Act of Resumption 1702¹

BL.Ms Add. Charter 19535²

To the Kings most Excellent Majesty

The Humble Address of the High Sherrife, Justices of the Peace Grand Jury Gent and freeholders a the County of Catherlagh att their 21st Sessions held at Carloe the fourteenth day of Jan. 1701/2.

Your Majestis faithfull and loyall subjects, the Protestants of this your Majestis Kingdome of Ireland. Lyeing under soe Great pressures and difficulties from the late Act of Resumption and the Execution thereof that they apprehend the utter Ruine and Beggary of several protestant families must be the Consequence Doe Humly:, fly to yor Majestis favour and Goodness for Relief therein Beseeching yor Majesty the Restorer of their Religion Rights, Laws and Libties once Againe Graciously to take their Distressed condition into your Pious and Princely consideration and by such methods as shall seem most Expedient to yor Majesty in conjuncion with your Great Council now assembld in England (upon whome under God the Hopes and Expectacions of the Protestant work are fixed) - to apply suitable remedies to the Evil soe universally felt and complained of by yr Majestis Brittish and Protestant subjects how [here?] from the said Act a Executed and Construed; seventies which we are confiden could never have been Intended ‘em by the Great and Judicious Legislators.

May it Please you Majesty to suffer us on this and every other occasion with all humility to assure you Majesty that your Protestant Subjects of this Kingdom are all soe deeply sensible of their owne Duty and true Intrest as well as of the many Royall favours and Inexpressible Benefitts Received by them from yor. Majesty, with yor Constant and Tender Care of them, that as nothing can ever shake their fidelity and firm allegiance to yor. Majesty, soe none of yor. Majestys Subjects in any of yor. Dominions will on all occasions Show more forward and Ready zeal for maintaining and Defending yor. Majestys Sacred person and Government; the Protestant Religion, the Laws Liberties and Rights of the Crown and Kingdom England against all opposers whatsoever than your Majestys Protestant subjects of Ireland.

¹ The Act of Resumption 1700. “(The English Parliament) complained repeatedly about William’s grants of land confiscated from the defeated Irish; and finally in 1700, it passed an act of resumption, by which all these grants were revoked and the land handed over to parliamentary commissioners to be sold”. J.C. Beckett, The Making of Modem Ireland 2nd.edition, l98l,p.l55

² By Permission of the British Library, Great Russell Street, London.

Source: Michael Purcell (C2005)

Previously published in: Carlow Past & Present. ISSN 0790 555 Vol.1. No.4. 1993