War and revolution : County Fermanagh and its borders, c.1640-c.1666

Abstract

This thesis reconstructs the religious, military, political and socio-economic framework of County Fermanagh and its borders during the turbulent and revolutionary mid-seventeenth century, it examines a period of intense national turmoil from a regional perspective and takes the 1641 rebellion, the wars of the 1640s and the Cromwellian regime of the 1650s as its focal point. The opening chapters sketch the socio-economic structures of pre-war Fermanagh and identify the balance of power between the various communities. The remaining chapters analyse the outbreak of rebellion in October 1641 and reconstruct the course and conduct of the wars during the 1640s. They examine the response of the settler community to the Catholic led uprising and outline the means in which the various protagonists were fed, clothed and paid throughout the 1640s. As the war progressed and the inhabitants of Fermanagh became part of a wider three-kingdom conflict, the relationship between the centre and the locality becomes a central theme of the thesis. Similarly the impact of external events on local allegiances emerges as a recurring theme of war and revolution in County Fermanagh. In order to evaluate the effect of war on everyday life the project concludes with an overview of Cromwellian and Restoration Fermanagh, identifying the extent to which the county returned to stability in the late 1650s and early 1660s.