Plantations in 16th and 17th century
Ireland were established throughout the country by the confiscation of lands occupied by Gaelic clans and
Hiberno-Norman dynasties, but principally in the provinces of
Munster and
Ulster. The lands were then granted by Crown authority to colonists ("
planters") from
Britain. This process began during the reign of
Henry VIII and continued under
Mary I and
Elizabeth I. It was accelerated under
James I,
Charles I and
Cromwell.
The early plantations in the 16th century tended to be based on small "exemplary" colonies. The later plantations were based on mass confiscations of land from Irish landowners and the subsequent importation of large numbers of settlers from England, Scotland and Wales.
The final official plantations took place under Oliver Cromwell’s English Commonwealth during the 1650s, when thousands of Parliamentarian soldiers were settled in Ireland. Outside of the plantations, significant migration into Ireland continued well into the 18th century, from both Britain and continental Europe.
The plantations changed the demography of Ireland by creating large communities with a British and Protestant identity. These communities effectively opposed the interests of the original inhabitants, who had an Irish and Roman Catholic identity. The physical and economic nature of Irish society was also changed, as new concepts of ownership, trade and credit were introduced. These changes led to the creation of a British Protestant ruling class, which secured the authority of Crown government in Ireland during the 17th century.
