In the sixth year of this reign, Simon Lombard and Hugh Tallon granted to the eremites following the rule of St. Augustin, (commonly called Austin Friars) a house and three acres of land in the village of St. John, near Tullow.* A.D. 1314. The knights hospitallers, or of St. John, were this year invested with the lands of the suppressed order of Templars. The king had before received four hundred pounds, (a large sum in those days), being the produce of their goods. A.D. 1315. Adam was prior of the Carmelite monastery at Leighlin-bridge.+ The lord justice, Sir Edmund le Butler, was created earl of Carrick, (A.D. 1316),‡ and John Fitz-Thomas was raised to the dignity of earl of Kildare. Selden remarks, that the earl of Kildare's patent is the most ancient form of creation he had seen. The said lord justice, earl of Carrick, defeated MacMorrough in an engagement at Ballylethan. About this period Edward Bruce, brother of the king of Scotland invaded this country, and with his army passed through Castledermot and Gowran, laying waste the country in his progress.§ It is probable that the county of Carlow suffered on this occasion, though no specific mention is made of the circumstance. The bridge of Leighlin was built in the year 1320, by Maurice Jake, or Jakis, canon of Kildare.|| Would that we had more deeds of this useful and praiseworthy character to record! It is the most pleasing part of the historian's task, to hand down an account of the actions of good men, to a posterity, who we hope are not ungrateful. A. D. 1323. This year Donnell, son of Arthur MacMorrough, "a slip of the royal family," (as Campion calls him,) raised forces, and displayed his banner within two miles of the city of Dublin. He was speedily taken prisoner by Sir Henry Traherne and Walter de Valle, who received one hundred and ten pounds for this service. Donnell paid Traherne two hundred pounds sterling, to save his life; after which, he was conveyed a prisoner to the castle of Dublin. O'Nolan, and twenty-five of his followers, were killed on the occasion. The O'Nolans seem to have laid claim to the barony of Forth, in our county." ** It is worthy of note here, that Pope John XXII. relieved the king's dominions in Ireland from the tribute of Peter-pence, which had been enforced from the time of the conquest to the present year. Cox states, that the barony of Idrone, (the property of a member of the family of Carew) was in this reign seized by one of the Kavanaghs. But this, I think, is an error. The Kavanaghs might, and probably did take forcible possession of a portion of the county, as already stated; but regarding Idrone, the legal Monast. Hiber. • Ware. Archdall." Borlase. § Cox. ** Campion. Camden. owner seems, on the best evidence, to have possessed it, till the reign of Edward III.; under which period we shall recur to the subject. We learn, that the sabbath was very negligently observed in Ireland at this period; the markets, in several places, being held on Sunday; but, at Carlow, the market was now fixed for another day of the week.* A.D. 1326. This year, Friar William de Tisudelm was preceptor of the establishment of knights hospitallers at Killarge, or Killergy, in our county. And the same year, Friar Williant de Fyndrum was preceptor.-Ballymoon seems to have been deserted on the suppression already noticed, CHAP. IX. Reign of King Edward II. A.D. 1327, to A.D. 1377. On the resignation of his father, Edward III. was proclaimed King, the 25th day of January, 1327; being then but fifteen years of age.t Friar William de Wall was, preceptor of Killarge at this period.‡ In 1329, Donnell MacMorrough, who had been some time in prison, contrived to make his escape, by means of a rope, conveyed to him through the instrumentality of Adam Nangle, or Mangle; for which deed the latter was afterwards executed.}} A.D. 1331. The Irish of Leinster, at this period, plundered the English and burned their churches. One outrage of the latter description was attended with circumstances of peculiar atrocity. The savages, attacked the priest and congregation at the church of Freineston, set fire to the building, and burned its inmates, consisting of about eighty persons, The priest, attired in his vestments, and bearing the host in his hands, attempted to escape, but these barbarous assailants, with an utter, and, it would seem, extraordinary disregard of the circumstances, forced him back with their javelins into the flames, where, with the entire congregation, he was consumed. When the pope heard of this diabolical act, he remitted a bull to the archbishop of Dublin, commanding him to excommunicate the persons engaged in the affair, together with all their adherents and followers, and to lay their lands under interdict; with which order the archbishop immediately complied. But it would seem, that the Irish despised the excommunication, interdict, and chastisement of the church, again assembled in great numbers, and invaded the county of Wexford. However, Richard White and Richard Fitz-Henry, with the burghers of Wexford, and Archdall, Monas, Hib. * Cox. others of the English, attacked and defeated them; four hundred of the Irish being killed, and many drowned in the river Slaney.* The situation of Freinestown is not exactly defined; but from the context and collateral circumstances, I think it not improbable, that it may have been the present Friarstown, a townland in the county of Carlow. For the honour of our country, we could wish that the reader of the above horrible massacre, were not thus reminded of a similar event, which occurred in a neighbouring county, in the year 1798; most persons will know, that we refer to the dreadful scenes at the barn of Scullabogue. The depredations of the Irish had become so formidable about this time, that decisive steps were necessary in order to check them. It was, however, deemed advisable, in the first instance, to summon the prelates and nobles of most distinguished rank in Ireland to a council, or parliament in England; there to debate on the meaures to be adopted. The colonists of the Irish settlements regarded this requisition as a grievance; and in few, if any instances, complied with it. The return of the writ to the county of Carlow says: "Having by virtue of this writ called before me the commons of the county, they unanimonsly allege, that there is no layman able, by reason of poverty, from the frequent robberies and depredations of the Irish enemies, to meet our sovereign lord the king in his parliament in England," &c.-We further learn, that so degrading was the situation of the government, and so weak and defenceless were the English settlers, that they became tributary to the Irish chieftains, and paid them regularly for their proection or cessation of hostilities, what was called the Black Rent.† In the year 1332, the castle of Clonmore was taken by the English. We cannot say whether this is the castle of Clonmore, the ruins of which now stand in our county. There is certainly no record of its erection previously to the above period. The lord justice, Sir John Darcy, not being invested with power sufficient to oppose the great number of Irish now in rebellion, invited Maurice (afterwards earl of Desmond) to his assistance, (A.D. 1332) with a promise of pecuniary remuneration from the treasury. With this proposition, Maurice complied; and advancing against the O'Nolans and O'Morroughs, routed them, burned their district, and compelled them to submit and give hostages. § Finding himself unable to pay an army so numerous as that now collected, (which amounted to ten thousand men), the lord justice connived at the extortion of coin and livery, now first practised by the English; the evils of which custom are justly deplored by all historians of the country. Sir John Davies thus alludes to this practice: "But the most wicked and mischievous custom of all others was that of coygne and livery, often before mentioned; which consisted in taking man's-meat horse-meat, and money, of all the inhabitants of the country at the will and pleasure of the Camden's Britannia, vol. iii. p.670. ↑ Camd. Brit. † Chron. of Ir. Cox. soldier, who, as the phrase of Scripture is, did eat up the people as it were bread, for that he had no other entertainment. This extortion was originally Irish, for they used to lay bonaght upon the people, and never gave their soldiers any pay. But when the English had learned it, they used it with more insolency and made it more intolerable; for this oppression was not temporary, or limited either to place or time: but because there was every where a continual war, either offensive or defensive, and every lord of a country, and every marcher made war and peace at his pleasure, it became universal and perpetual; and was indeed the most heavy oppression that ever was used in any Christian or heathen kingdom." In the year 1331, John de Kell held the rank of prior of the Augustinian monastery near Tullow; when king Edward III. confirmed the grant, which was made by Lombard and Tallon in the last reign t A.D. 1335. Friar Ralph de Bradley was preceptor of Killarge this year; which office he continued to hold in 1337. In 1339, Friar John de Wassingle was preceptor of the same establishment.+ A.D. 1339. At this time Edward III. revoked, under his signet royal, all the franchises, liberties, and grants, which had been made to the kingdom of Ireland, or to any individuals thereof. This rash exercise of the prerogative justly created universal dissatisfaction, and caused great discord among the English of the pale. They laid a remonstrance before the king, which produced a restoration of their possessions. In this year the Irish were again in arms. The earl of Kildare pursued the O'Dempsys, many of whom in their flight were drowned in the river Barrow; and the greatest booty ever seized in the country was now (February) brought from Idrone, in the county of Carlow, by the lord justice (the bishop of Hertford) and the English army.§ William St. Leger succeeded to the see of Leighlin, in 1341; and died at Avignon, about the beginning of May, 1348.|| Thomas of Brackenberg next filled the episcopal office of this diocese. He was a Franciscan friar. Pope Clement VI. by a bull, (dated the 18th of March, and 7th year of his pontificate), advanced him to this dignity. He was restored to the temporalities on the 5th of August, 1349. It is thought, that he died in July, 1360, in the eleventh year after his consecration; and that the see continued vacant three years. see. John Young, treasurer of Leighlin, succeeded as bishop of this Like his predecessor, he owed his advancement to an exercise of the pope's prerogative, and was restored to the temporalities by king Edward III., on the 21st of September, 1363. In the twentieth year of his reign, Edward III. granted to Thomas de Brotherton, earl of Norfolk and marshal of England, his Billets. + Archdall, Monas. Hib. + Ibid. § Camd. Cox. Harris's Ware. vol. i. p. 458. uncle, licence to hold the county of Catherlough and all castles, islands, manors, towns, lands and tenements in capite. Donald Oge MacMorrough, called prince of Leinster, was most perfidiously murdered by his own followers, on the 5th day of June, 1347.* A.D. 1358. About this time, the castle of Kilbelle, in our country, the property of Sir John de Cornwalle, knt., was destroyed by the O'Nolans and their accomplices.-Two fortalices at Galbarrstown and Rathlyn near Leighlin, suffered the same fate at the hands of the MacMorroughs and O'Birnes. In the year 1359, the king ordered a proclamation to be issued in Ireland, to the effect, that no mere Irishman should be mayor, bailiff, or officer of any town within the English dominion, (i. e. the pale), nor be eligible to any ecclesiastical office. In the following year, the severity of the regulation was somewhat diminished by a provision, that it should not extend to such clerks as had preserved their loyalty, or rendered service to the king.-Resolving to effect some reformation in the unhappy state of Ireland, Edward determined on appointing his son Lionel, duke of Clarence, lord lieutenant of that country. The king had, however, sufficient sagacity to perceive, that, let the rank of the individual be what it might, unless he had efficient and powerful support, his mission must prove fruitless, his labours be nugatory. With a view to the prevention of this inevitable result, he summoned all the great proprietors of land in Ireland (among whom we find the duchess of Norfolk) to appear in person, or by proxy, before him and the council, in order to consult upon the defence of their possessions in Ireland. They were further required, to repair to that kingdom in person, (or send a sufficient deputy), with all the forces they could raise, by a certain day. On the 8th of September, 1361, Lionel, arrived in Ireland, with a large army. In the list of the officers who attended him, we find the name of Sir John Carew, Banneret, who was allowed four shillings per diem for himself, two shillings for one knight, twelve pence each for eight esquires, and six pence a day each for ten archers on horseback.† These allowances may seem exceedingly small to those who are unacquainted with the exact value of money in those days; but when we inform them, that the price of a cow was but ten groats, or three shillings and four pence, they will be of a different opinion. The new lord deputy immediately issued a proclamation commanding all holders of land in Ireland, who might be absent from the country, to return to it forthwith on pain of forfeiture. He prohibited all persons of Irish birth, (without discrimination,) from approaching his camp; but the impolicy of this decree becoming soon apparent, from the deficiency in numbers of his army, he relaxed it soon afterwards; by which his affairs were much benefited. vol. i. Camden. --Cox. + Chron. of Ireland, fol. 1587.-Cox. Hib. Ang. Cox, |