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 THE PLANTATION OF LEINSTER

To James I. and his advisers the new plantation in Ulster appeared a great success. They began to look around for further opportunities for confiscation and these were very soon found.

In the early days of his reign James had made no distinction between the old Irish and the old English. Grants were freely made to all the chief men of both races who took advantage of the Commission for the remedying of Defective Titles or of that for accepting surrenders and making regrants.

But already in 1611 Sir John Davies, on the look out for means to increase the revenue of the Crown, had pointed out the weakness as regards a legal title to their lands of many of the old Irish in Limerick and North Tipperary, the O'Kennedys, O'Mulrians and others. They had expelled the old English families planted in their districts; the heirs of these were not known; hence the lands had come to the Crown by common escheat. Davies, however, did not advise confiscation and plantation. He merely suggested that the Irish might be called on to compound for their estates,