2021/01/15 by John Cunningham · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Historical Studies of British Isles #Irish and British Studies #Scottish History and National Identity #Irish #Commission #History #Law #Political science #Philosophy
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/ehr/ceab001
openalex publication_date 2021/01/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
The question of whether or not Charles I had a hand in the Irish rebellion of 1641 has engrossed many generations of writers and historians, not least because the outbreak of extreme violence in Ulster placed further strain on the already troubled relationship between king and parliament and helped to push England towards civil war. For more than two centuries, controversy surrounded a commission allegedly sent by the king to the Irish Catholics, authorising them to take up arms. If Charles had indeed sent such a commission in the autumn of 1641, it followed that he also shared responsibility for the massacres and the enormously destructive war that ensued in Ireland. Central to the case against the king was the text of a commission that he supposedly issued under the great seal of Scotland at Edinburgh on 1 October 1641. This document was mentioned, for example, in the evidence drawn up by John Cook for the prosecution of the king at his trial in 1649, and later in that same year by John Milton in Eikonoklastes.1 The text of the commission was included in John Rushworth’s Historical Collections in 1692 and it was frequently reproduced thereafter.2 It can be found, for example, in Keith Lindley’s The English Civil War and Revolution: A Sourcebook, published in 1998.3 Since the seventeenth century, almost all historians have accepted that on 4 November 1641, at Newry, County Down, the rebel leaders Sir Phelim O’Neill and Rory Maguire unveiled the commission in question as evidence of royal sanction for their actions. Scholarly interest in the text intensified in the mid-1880s when Mary Hickson reproduced it in her two-volume work The Irish Massacres of 1641–2.4 The original commission itself had not survived, but Hickson published a transcript from a seventeenth-century manuscript copy preserved at Trinity College Dublin.5 Having reviewed this and other evidence, she argued that Charles’s authorship of the commission was a very real possibility.6 A few years later, in the pages of the English Historical Review, Robert Dunlop dismantled Hickson’s argument, concluding that ‘we must exculpate Charles from this the to the the by of the that the O’Neill and Maguire had the has a of of the A to this can be in a by in a of evidence to the that the commission had at on 4 November the the work of and on to the have to for example, the their on the of the great seal of Scotland that was supposedly to their O’Neill and Maguire their document at on 4 was this not in of the later by had in the preserved the 1641 a of by of the the of the rebellion the of the from such and towards the This was controversy that had on the century, on the in by of that he had in royal to Irish against the English in the and of 1641. to to the of the by of a of evidence to the commission for the Irish because the of authorship to have by Dunlop in the century, the has not in the to a published of the from the text in question to in or as the that it was a rebel further This to to the and the of and in manuscript and in the and the a for the and of this It be that the commission was the work of the king of the Irish but a of and that has more or the This has for of the Irish in to the and of the Ulster in and it It also on the in the war in and in the the Mary Hickson published the text of to be the commission by Charles in Edinburgh on 1 October 1641 under the great seal of also reproduced the supposedly issued by O’Neill and Maguire when the commission on 4 The commission on the Irish to the and of and the and to and the and of all the English in Robert Dunlop Hickson’s on in and and against the that Charles was the of the for example, that the that in Edinburgh on 1 October have Charles from to the great seal of by of the Dunlop to that the text of the commission that the king have The commission to the in the English to of the have of have has as of this from in this also to the of the Irish This was a that to in his of the of of published in the he to the 1641 he to the of their a in all the and of the Irish of to such as of the and of the of in to the from them in and to the and the of the had many years his and his Irish of the and in the commission and the to O’Neill and the the was to great and that the English the have published against his If O’Neill and Maguire to have evidence from the 1641 that O’Neill and his to the of to O’Neill the by a of at a the rebel in Sir Phelim that he had up to the in England and The of the also all of the English and Irish the of all of and the English for a and by the between the of and the already to other the was frequently a in this and the was the English the John and the It be that O’Neill and Maguire not in this The of also as the rebel leaders have more to of It was of that the leaders of the rebellion in County in a that sent to the Irish in November 1641, of the evidence preserved the 1641 that the of was of but not in as of The in question as it was by of the Irish was to he O’Neill and Maguire be to to the the commission from the king has as to in the as Charles to the English parliament in October 1641 for that it to that other on the of the commission to on as a document or as a rebel that has not the from the text of the commission of the of the Charles was supposedly a of from the under the great seal the of the to or to or For example, the in in a of sent by the king from in responsibility for it such a of the text not of the of a It be that years at and later as a and as have If he and Maguire the their to their and of other rebel leaders The from of the 1641 rebellion many to in from the king for their in a commission under a great or The that the great seal in question was that of the of was also the to The such take example, in Robert a had for a by that that the not a against and the and that had on the had as also that was for them to in of their and other by the from the king not because such by in but because the in to the of or other the same a of County for example, that not a for the his also that Phelim or of the was to the king of The of royal for their can be as a that had the to be in the and in the and that the of the to the of rebellion and to also to to for their in the of to For it also that not a in the of the great seal of Scotland or of The in other O’Neill and Maguire to have the commission under the great seal of O’Neill he was in and Down, Maguire his to the in his County The two for on in County more than of The not of Maguire O’Neill at two as a in Newry, and he was to the of the rebel had in the of he had in not had the their commission from the king and had to on but at The supposedly issued by O’Neill and Maguire at on 4 November by that the commission published all in all of this the it the not have more than a few the same a of and by the their a was The a in of the that Charles was in he had to Edinburgh in 1641. this was more than two the rebellion in was in the for of his to from County the king was in that Charles was very and was to in because his the had as king of in County in the the was as that had from the at further in County that had in Scotland the king had the from The not evidence to them but such a for the of the commission that be by the in the the same of the and that had by the of the for that the commission was 1 October and that it was from Edinburgh to by be in the of to that O’Neill and Maguire the text to that for their under the great seal of or that published the commission a of their at in November 1641. the by the that had a commission from the king was to have in the to the Irish of the and it issued a as as October 1641 the and and by the The of such on the in England was more has the of a English to the Irish rebellion as the and the all this the that the king had the rebellion for the as parliament for the and the in Charles was not helped by the of a from the in from of the The Irish a in the 1641 to and his evidence to the of that the had and and that their by from his had as a on the of the and to as evidence of the of the of a commission from the king to the Irish on the in the Sir John of the Irish of the the question was in civil war the that the king was in the Irish rebellion as and to it was a in and as the the of issued a of to further the the in the was his commission at to the Irish in of The this in in included later of A year later, John Cook of the in the of the of evidence was under his hand and seal of Scotland at The was also for it to and in the of Charles published in the of his in 1649, John the case against the the under the great of in the the the outbreak of Irish rebellion to the commission that Charles had supposedly sent from Scotland in 1641. It was that when in the in Sir Phelim to more the this O’Neill a was on but he to have a commission from the O’Neill he and other Irish had to and other and to the two at the of the Irish This was as a to to sent to the Irish had was the that O’Neill and his had the of trial at the of a further for of the The of the of but can be to of the in the that in 1641 Sir Phelim had to have the was by the as it was a to the on his The of the commission was in case of a as O’Neill was not on trial for the but for that had in the of was of and the at trial of the commission and the that he had supposedly issued at in 1641. reproduced by Hickson in preserved other to the trial in the of the 1641 of the in the the in his and the commission and to This was in parliament on and reproduced in as further evidence of the their to the of the of parliament in that because the by a of it to the copy to not their The of and John of had to their a commission under the great seal of Scotland had The to have copy by also of have it under the This can almost be as as the evidence preserved in the 1641 that rebel in to have of of the great seal of Scotland and that to two manuscript of the commission from the the in the 1641 already mentioned, and in the at the The the copy that was sent from in in parliament and reproduced in the For the in and the parliament in the a commission sent from Edinburgh to Ulster in 1641 to be up by the of not the or the Irish had in and that to the the in to was Milton that a to the and it was not to be have to a The of The work to was a published by the English in has in of the commission and It has that he reproduced as had his and that was for their in or was almost the original of the in the when and John to the The of as their of the of the of that it on the two manuscript of the text in question also to have from The manuscript a in a Hickson when the document for It that the this to by the in of of a at a the on the in the of The to The of If the of at had for of the commission and it have to to the of by in his a of the was in in he had a and from the outbreak of civil the parliament and to he was to Sir and in the year he at as a the from The of included English in he a against to the also on the of the in the of England in and on of the in the in of of his between when he was for his as a to the of Sir John and when he was the in the The of was published this it he was in the of the of the war in England in the in for a between the royal and the Charles was to a the that to his from and them in was on a of this the English parliament to The that in the of was the of between the English parliament and the by the of in by the and The and the of the English parliament had the and for that included the to the of Scotland and to further in England and the to England against the this was at a in on October The included the and other of the of the English the Sir the his Sir and the The English was in later, was by parliament for his his the English in It that and the other in the of and that he to England the in The of was and published was in Edinburgh and in and The of the in The of in the of Scotland and for the of the as by other and by the in to be as by a of England and in the and a of had to the of in by he the already the to many other English of his this to the to and and to and in their This had intensified under Charles and his in the The of in in between the royal and the was the in the of this or in other the of the of the of two of The of had published The on the of at by to a by on the of his this was a a as as by and at also the the of The was not included by in his of in Scotland it in of that as was in Edinburgh in a The or a for in for the on the of the also by in Edinburgh in this was for a of on of the has that from to his of the of the in the English preserved in a that also to in The was published by and in the on other at this it the of John the of the for his of and in to as a of a published in the was to the of argued that published in to the of not be to the king at a that published in to the of the in included and and Sir the It was a to that to included in the to as had at to of can be a of published and by the and to the and in the autumn of as as the the the and the in this and in can to to to of the Irish rebellion for The commission to the Irish rebellion was the of than it and on his he the pages of The of to the This of the against the also for the Irish to A on argued that the king had to the English a further be of the Irish to this but I that to the of this and the of this Having the the and of the of the the case for their and them to the up to the of by for for the and and by to to his his was to a of that to his for their This he the and commission as from a have that a of evidence to the rebellion had in and in 1641. had the for such as in the same in a from not the the of the or the of it was the text not a the of such have a of a by the of other that of the 1641 his in the of of had in the of November had to the the supposedly the and commission and the to copy it The and by a from O’Neill in in to in to the was supposedly in the of a to also the of that the in question had his in a as of the in be his and the by the This the that he to his as to the commission was not in a he of a of and them as to a of the that has historians O’Neill and on the that it was had the have that it was issued under the great commission to them under the great seal of Scotland have have than under English was English This was as evidence in of the authorship of the Charles was in Edinburgh in the autumn of 1641, and the in Ulster very to have of of the great seal of of this more when at from the of Edinburgh in than Ulster in 1641. in 1641 had to be on a commission that the king had issued under the great seal of than to take up this of of the it was was the that in 1641 the king had the of the of as of the English great later, to the great seal to the for the of the the king of that he was to have Charles a few in a commission to the Ulster to take up arms. to for in Irish was to of in to the English great the great seal to the king and to Charles at the seal was not to but to a and of the royal was a to and in the he was the of in at of the seal from as the king was to it to for the of against the parliament was the as the of the great seal was also to such as the of for to by the of in November the parliament a great seal of was of and to by his to that in October 1641 the great seal of Scotland had in the of other than the the John had to the great seal of Scotland was to the of the king to Edinburgh in 1641, in his of his was to a a John of was and he was in two his argued that the of the seal from to had on 1 a for and the of a commission to the Ulster in was supposedly that the English great seal in the to in Edinburgh in 1641. The great seal of he had under the of a very for such a from the that evidence has this of Robert Dunlop also that by 1 October the had already and a the of This by from the king helped to a to the two the of to their from Edinburgh on to and the king in the and of a commission on 1 October was as of Charles to the great seal it was by of his to was The in was to the of in Edinburgh in October 1641 that he had from a have had to in the autumn of of his as a also be of England in had to the of the Sir John had in under I and in the of the his Robert was to of Sir had in the War under Robert was in in he was to that to the parliament and he as in the the of in It also that he on than in on as as Irish the of the Irish of to have was the by the Ulster towards the of that O’Neill and other leaders that had the and that their against English have this as a rebel to that English and not against The of their when the in Ulster to for and in the their of the text of the to this by it that to the had from the The authorising the to all of and as as and their was against and of and the have this in a of For that the commission was a royal it supposedly the on 1 October that he had in his and that he be to the against the English the commission as a rebel have the to the as of to from that was The to the the commission was of the was to of his on the of 1641. the to have followed to in it to the for the For the same later historians have in a that the on the was evidence that the commission was a rebel a to to the king by in the rebellion was to have included such a because it have to that the as as the Irish in the in for this as already mentioned, it had the of the towards the to the in the the of the of the and the in question was to a and more of royal as a towards was further evidence of a king on as to his for the argued that the Irish rebellion was to in and to the of It to to the of this for a be For to of and in the autumn of was The was for to up his to a to for in that and to a and to have to the that the king was in the a in the that this but work had all and and up and and the the of the century, that had that The of a great of and to can also be It not a that a of work the in his his had in to the Irish to and the English in John the of in The of in in his at he had on of his for the king and the of his copy of that against the to against the to have than in the The to the commission to the Irish can be as the because it evidence and because it was up by other was very that his work a towards the of his that he was to have almost but to have by the that the king had the Irish the king had not the Irish his to the in the autumn of and to to them in for his to the of the Irish the was Charles’s the also the of evidence for the that royal in 1641. on the that had to in he to the of English in as to the of as by and of published later that same can also be to this of and of the to in the the of the parliament Charles for the Irish to the at in The of all such that he was to because not have but he that the of the and not he had to the English in The of The of in English by the that has a of and because of his and work on the of a in in the to for of the of in Edinburgh in can be in the of This has by historians of England in to and when to and more extreme Milton has argued that the of and in the also by a work was in had to it or it to the same to of English has that this a of in the the same The of also the of at a The by the of in to a to the and to in of a on the The of the at by the that more than years to the of the of the of the Irish The of the evidence for of the Irish rebellion more to and can be in The of the in the of for example, the of the as a of the rebellion such as and by and of this the the of was The of the Irish of 1641, has by of in as as the evidence have from the of the 1641 in a have on the in the rebellion the the of a has by have to the and to 1641 in of has the in the rebellion was in at the and this of the of and from least a of the to the rebellion and of the in to a of of his commission at on 4 November has as a of and a for historians to the and of the It has to of of the the rebellion can be of on 4 November a It was that was to have on Charles’s have such a at Newry, to have has great It has as a for the more and Irish rebel to be the to of Charles in The of the to Charles’s Irish in 1641 helped to the outbreak of Since the century, historians have the commission as a have accepted of The allegedly in 1641 by the Irish a case in from to Edinburgh the king to in October to take up his on the Irish to have the to that had as the in a commission to the and Dunlop the commission as a rebel to that had a from the king to his the English of the to it was that this supposedly by in O’Neill and Maguire the for their later historians have this of for example, that helped the Ulster to the of the that the king had in sent to to for against the English a that supposedly to the of the of The that had such was and by in but a of this a later in the on the for in the the that the great seal indeed at in his the in Scotland in The of and to as have the that he for them in his two further has had a the in that more to The of to the the of the a of has the of and the the Irish of the rebellion as a to the of Ulster under as historians to the of the in the of 1641. argued that the of the and Ulster had their in 1641 was by their the in the king and of up his to the the English against the and O’Neill and his on the that the the that the commission a of their that the in Ulster to the outbreak was by accepted of the of the rebel but also the of and of the by as in the the to the to the to the parliament of and to the of Irish in also the evidence to the to the that the of the relationship between the of and the and a of to in the same also The of such has the of a of but historians have to has argued that the to to the outbreak of the 1641 rebellion work on the in has and that and the that very to the war this in the that in October the other has the of has the rebellion to the by the in Ulster from this The of because it has helped to of the and by the of the of Charles as the of the the in the commission the of the from by the English parliament and the of his and in up by commission for the in The that O’Neill and Maguire for a that their almost in of the to the has to a on the Ulster for royal this the of the and by has the and his of Irish in 1641 was for the of the same at the that of in to almost his for the of royal it was at least to the of the as the in October The of text from to have for to up the and of the rebellion and to to and this to be to such as the issued by Sir Phelim O’Neill at on a text that has by the on the two up O’Neill and his that the against the or to of his of the English or the but for the and of and of the of the Irish This to be against Charles was of the to in of his as in the commission to O’Neill and The to be the commission has helped to of the of the in the of the have argued that a between the of the Ulster rebel on the hand