The selection of the English undertakers in the Ulster Plantation, 1609–10

Abstract In 1610, just over fifty men were granted hundreds of thousands of acres of land as part of the estates allocated to English undertakers in the Ulster Plantation in the counties of Armagh, Cavan, Donegal, Fermanagh and Tyrone. Exactly who these individuals were and why they were given estates remains understudied. This article closely explores the process whereby lands were petitioned for by consortiums of individuals in 1609 and early 1610, before assessing who, from amongst the well over 100 applicants, were actually granted lands. Where possible, it considers the background of many these individuals, their ties to the court and officials in England and Ireland, and their material resources. It also highlights how the applicants for lands who had the greatest financial means to make a success of it were generally ignored in favour of petitioners whose ability, from a material perspective, to implement the articles of plantation was highly dubious, something which many senior officials, such as the viceroy of Ireland, Arthur Chichester, had been anxious to avoid.