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So far as the planning for the Ulster Plantation is concerned, one very important factor needs to be borne in mind, and that is - that initially, Lord Deputy Chichester, a very experienced military Commander with experience of logistics, he had been the person who had been dominating the planning process. His plans for the Ulster Plantation could actually be described almost as ‘minimalist’ by comparison with those that were eventually implemented. You know, well over half the amount of lands was due to be given back to the native Irish.
As a result of O’Doherty’s rebellion in 1608, King James I became persuaded that a policy of root-and-branch extirpation of the native Irish from vast amounts of lands was the necessary option to prevent Ulster becoming the source of a new revolt. King James came under the influence of a very famous person, a very famous writer, a very famous jurist, Sir Francis Bacon. He came under the influence of Sir John Davies, another famous jurist, another well not-so-famous writer. These were the people who basically influenced King James’ policy: these were theorists as opposed to pragmatists.
So what you had happening basically was that you had grand schemes for the building of castles within 3 years, for defensive settlements and walls, for towns to be built, for thousands of able-bodied Protestants to come from England, and all of this (this was an absolutely massive exercise in social engineering) was allocated 3 years for implementation - it basically was totally unrealistic.
So you have the official Plantation process which was supposed to have been taking place between 1610 and 1613 and basically finished by that stage. In reality that didn’t happen and you had - for decades thereafter - you had the Plantation taking place almost in a natural order of social and economic process. What I mean by that basically is that more Protestants came from Scotland as economic conditions in Scotland dictated: the economic situation in Scotland was poor for a lot of people, and basically Ulster was more attractive. So they came for these economic reasons at a later stage, rather than as a result of, you know, political dictate of a government in 1610.
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