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The causes and course of the Irish rebellion,which broke out on the 22 October 1641, have been the subject of extensive research by historians. The thousands of Protestant ‘refugees’ who fled to England and Scotland, in response to the rebellion, however, have received very little attention from scholars. This article will explore the identities of the refugees, the volume and direction of refugee movement and the organisation and dispensation of local relief through a case study of the parish of Upton, Nottinghamshire. Upon their arrival in England refugees were expected to return to their parish of birth or last residence, leaving the responsibility of refugee relief firmly in the hands of parish churchwardens, overseers of the poor and constables. By focusing on the charitable response of these parish officials to the Irish refugees this paper will outline the motivations for the provision of aid at a local level. Moreover, this article will show how local officials were able to negotiate relief with respect to the economic and social position of the parish, particularly during the turbulent years of the British and Irish Civil Wars [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The will of English poet Edmund Spenser's son-in-law, William Wiseman, husband of Spenser's daughter Katherine, from the National Archives of Ireland in Dublin, is presented. Wiseman died at Bandon, Ireland February 11, 1635 and was survived by a later wife Alice, sister of Sir Pierce Smith. The will discusses funeral arrangements, establishes executors of the estate, creates a yearly stipend for his sisters Susan Ratcliffe and Mary Dale, establishes dowries for his nieces, and notes that his lands and properties should be enjoyed by his wife for the length of her natural life.

This article examines the role played by the recollection of the Irish rebellion of 1641 (or more properly the perception of the often exaggerated accounts of atrocities committed by the rebels) in formulating fundamental legislative elements of the late seventeenth-century Irish state. Repressive and punitive measures against Irish Catholics, intended in part to forestall further rebellions, were justified and rationalized by the fear of a potential recurrence of the attacks on Protestants. Thus, the representation of 1641 played an integral part in the Restoration settlement in Ireland, and arguably underpinned the 'penal laws' of a later era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses gendered violence both in the testimonies of English Protestant settlers displaced during the 1641 Irish rebellion and in the pamphlets written shortly afterwards. It argues that, given the settlers’ anxiety to highlight their vulnerability and innocence in the face of perceived native Irish barbarism, sexual violence with its suggestions of possible female acquiescence or complicity had an insecure place in their testimonies. Yet contemporary pamphlet writers described the rape of Protestant women as widespread and indiscriminate, using such narratives to question the masculinity of Catholic Irish men. By investigating personal testimonies of the sexual violence suffered by women, as well as the subsequent use of such information in narratives sensationalising the ordeal of Protestants in Ireland in 1641, the complex meanings attached to sexual violence during the mid-seventeenth century can be better appreciated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the historiography of rebellion and the establishment of a Confederate Catholic government in Ireland during the 1640s. The author reflects on nobleman Ulick Burke, the fifth earl of Clanricarde, and revisionist historical interpretation on Burke's role in establishing the Catholic rebel administration. Historical evidence and testimony is presented to suggest that Burke supported Irish Catholic royalty to the English Crown and opposed the rebellion. The author argues that Burke identified himself as an English nobleman and played the role of mediator between king Charles I and the Irish rebels.

This article explores a series of contacts between the marquis of Ormond and the Ulster Protestant forces in 1645–6, using sources that include the Carte manuscripts, parliamentary papers, pamphlet material, and other political correspondence, both manuscript and printed. It is argued that Ormond's Ulster contacts were as least as important as the concurrent negotiations with the Catholic confederates, which up to now have been prioritized by historians, and that his Ulster strategy was designed to avoid further negotiations with the Catholic Irish by regaining Protestant Ireland's support for the royalist cause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a history of John Bramhall, Archbishop of Ireland, who served under Thomas Wentworth and William Laud. Although historians have generally overlooked Bramhall, the author argues that he is noteworthy for his role in carrying out Laud's attempt to reconfigure the religious landscape in Ireland.

The article discusses the behavior of the Ulster Scottish community in Ireland leading up to the defeat of the Engagement in 1648. Details of the Engagement, an alliance between King Charles I and the Scots following their defeat of him in England's First Civil War, are offered. Divisions within Ireland's Ulster Scottish community regarding the Engagement are outlined and the author attempts to place the events of England's First and Second Civil war in an Irish context.

This article examines a speech given on the occasion of a visit to Kilkenny of James Butler, marquis of Ormond, some time near the end of August 1646. This is the first time the speech has been published, and the author attempts to provide historical context regarding its importance. He believes it provides valuable insight into a volatile and important political situation.