In the 1600s, conditions in Scotland promoted the migration of Scots to Ireland. sil Early in this century, King James of England confiscated the lands of the departed Gaelic Lords of Ulster. hu These lands were subsequently given or sold to men who began the plantations of the Protestant British in Ulster. Many immigrants from Scotland arrived, and by 1606 they were producing a useful harvest from lands that not very much earlier had been largely vacant. This "civilizing enterprize" served to lessen the risk of further native rebellion and foreign invasion in Ulster. The "printed book" of conditions for successful applicants for Ulster land was published in London in April 1610. This scheme was to promote the removal of native Irish inhabitants, although there were some favored Irish who were left in possession of some lands. hu
Estimates of up to 100,000 Scots settled in Ireland during that time, sil however the great migration to Ulster actually drew from every class of British society. hu On 15 Aug 1610, James, Earl of Abercorn, was granted Irish denization (see den), sil1 and on 28 Mar 1619 a grant of Strabane in the Barony of Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland, with 2,000 acres at Strabane, 2,000 acres at Doaghlong, and 1,500 acres at another location. sil2 In the Ulster Plantation, east Donegal was extensively settled by Scots, while the west part remained in the hands of the native Irish families. igi
In 1641, the Irish rebelled in an attempt to regain their lands. hu
By the late 1600s, planters and natives in Ireland mingled freely. Gaelic families often dropped the "O" and "Mac" from their names and became Protestants. hu
In the early 1700s, the English Parliament limited the export of woolen cloth from Ireland to England in order to encourage this market by English merchants. This development had the effect of impoverishing the Scotch Irish in Ulster, who lost their primary market. Starting about 1717, and continuing until the onset of the Revolutionary War in America, thousands of Scots Irish Ulster men and their families emigrated from Ireland to America. Religious restrictions in Ulster also played a role in their emigration. Although these emigrants travelled to various cities in America, a majority came to Pennsylvania because the policies of William Penn were recognized to be fairer than those of other colonies.
Denization was the first means whereby an alien could acquire British nationality, and can be traced back to the 13th century. It was the forerunner of naturalization, but it also continued alongside naturalization, the main difference being that letters of denization were granted by the Crown, whereas naturalization was, and still is, the result of an Act of Parliament. Persons who were British subjects by denization could not pass on the status to their heirs. Occasionally, a claim to citizenship, based upon descent from a denizated ancestor, makes an appearance in the Home Office. Although such a claim cannot be formally acknowledged, it has sometimes been possible, in the past, to grant the claimant administrative recognition. Source: Immigration & Nationality Directorate of the United Kingdom
hu Bardon, Jonathan, 1992, A History of Ulster, Blackstaff Press, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
igi William O'Kane and Eoin Kerr, Irish Gravestone Inscriptions: A Guide to Sources in Ulster, p. 26.
sil David Dobson, 1999, Scots-Irish Links, 1575-1725, Clearfield Press, printed for the Clearfield Company by the Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, Maryland, Parts I-II, ISBN: 0-8063-4686-8, Part I.
sil1 Irish Patent Roll, In: David Dobson, 2001, Scots-Irish Links, 1575-1725, Clearfield Press, printed for the Clearfield Company by the Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, Maryland, Part III, ISBN: 0-8063-5102-0, p. 1.
sil2 Calendar of Carew, manuscript series Nos. 211/122 and 124, In: David Dobson, 2001, Scots-Irish Links, 1575-1725, Clearfield Press, printed for the Clearfield Company by the Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, Maryland, Part III, ISBN: 0-8063-5102-0, p. 1.
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