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Historical revision XIX: The Irish customs administration under the early Tudors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2016

Steven G. Ellis
Steven G. Ellis*
Affiliation:
University College, Galway
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Type
Historical revision
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 22 , Issue 87 , March 1981 , pp. 271 - 277
Copyright
Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 1981

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References

1 Cf. Richardson, H.G. & Sayles, G.O., ‘Irish revenue, 1278–1384’ in R.I.A. Proc., 62 (1962),Google Scholar sect. C, pp 87–100. For the period 1275-1345, tables based on the pipe rolls have been published by Gearóid Mac Niocaill, Na Buirgéisí (2 vols, 1964), ii, 523-8, 533: surprisingly, this work does not appear to have been consulted by Dr Treadwell (below, note 2).

2 Treadwell, V W, ‘The Irish customs administration in the sixteenth century’ in I.H.S., 20 (1976–7), pp 384–417 Google Scholar See also idem, ‘The establishment of the farm of the Irish customs, 1603–13’ in E.H.R., xciii (1978), pp 580–602.

3 Calculated from P.R.O., E. 101/247/8, 15 (damaged), 248/1. £50 received in prise wines in 1427 has been excluded from these calculations. Cf. Lydon, J.F, Irelandin the later middle ages (Dublin, 1972), pp 12, 63, 143.Google Scholar A rough calculation from figures in Mac Niocaill, Na Buirgéisí, ii, 523–8 suggests that the great custom was worth c. £360 p.a. about 1344, but the yields in the 1420s may represent a slight recovery from the depths of the fourteenth-century trade recession. All sums in this paper are given in pounds Irish (= marks sterling).

4 No figures are available for the customs, but the total revenue continued to decline in the 1430s and ’40s: cf. P.R.O., E.364/60, 66, 73–5, 79, 80; Richardson, & Sayles, Ir.parl in middle ages, p. 238,Google Scholar n. 74; Griffith, M.C., ‘The Talbot-Ormond struggle for control of the Anglo-Irish government, 1414–47’ in I.H.S., 2 (1940–41), p. 387 Google Scholar

5 Memoranda roll, 6 Edward IV m. 25d (P.R.O.I., RC 8/41, p. 394); P.R.O., E. 101/248/17 (printed in Quinn, Guide finan, rec., pp 17–27). The distinction here is one between revenue accountable in the exchequer and that alienated: cf. Otway-Ruthven, , Med. Ire., p. 166 Google Scholar; Treadwell, , ‘Irish customs administration’, p. 387,Google Scholar n. 11. The actual totals for 1483-4 were Dublin, 16 Aug. 1483 to 31 Jan. 1485: £200, Drogheda,22 July to 31 Dec. 1483: £56 11s. 1d. Additionally, up to c. £40 a year in customs from Dundalk, Ardglass and Carrickfergus was regularly assigned to the constable of Carrickfergus: Cal. pat. rolls, 1467–76, p. 162, 1476–85, pp 160–61, 339.

6 Niocaill, Mac, Na Buirgéisí, 1, 221–5, 242–6, 226–71,315–9Google Scholar; Cal. pat. rolls, 1485–94, pp 176, 224; Quinn, Guide finan, rec., p. 25.

7 Cf.Stat. Ire., Hen. VII & VIII, pp 88, 92; Treadwell, loc. cit., pp 405–10.

8 Richardson, & Sayles, , Ir parl, in middle ages, pp 152–3, 227–9.Google Scholar

9 For example, Receipt rolls, 7–8 Edward IV, 14–18 Edward IV (R.I.A., MS 12 D 19, pp 173–7); Memoranda roll, 20 Edward IV m. 10 (R.I.A., MS 24 H 17, p. 77’ information by the farmer of poundage that a merchant had refused to pay poundage on merchandise valued at £80. Arrested, he pleaded that freemen resident in Dublin city were exempt, but the king’s sergeant denied that he was continuously resident. A jury found him guilty, the goods were forfeited and he was fined for contempt). Cf. Memoranda roll, 12 Henry VII m. ? (P.R.O.I., Ferguson coll., iii, f. 343: a similar case with a successful defence).

10 P.R.O., C.47/10/31 (collation in Quinn, Guide finan, rec., pp 27–8). Quinn dates the roll to 1486, but the omission of allowances to ministers who had died or been dismissed by mid–1492 suggests the exchequer year 1491–2. Cf. Richardson, & Sayles, , Ir parl, in middle ages, pp 180, 269–71,Google Scholar Ellis, S.G., ‘The struggle for control of the Irish mint, 1460–C.1506’ in R.I.A. Proc, 78 (1978), sect. C, pp 26–30, 33–4.Google Scholar

11 Parliament roll, 8 Henry VII c. 20 (P.R.O.I., RC 13/9); Statute roll, 10 Henry VII c. 11 (Stat. Ire., Hen. VII & VIII, pp88,92); Lynch, , Case baronies Ire., p. 38.Google Scholar No complete copy of Poynings’ resumption is known to survive: an extant calendar (P.R.O., E.30/1548, ff 5–8; printed in Conway, Agnes, Henry VIF s relations with Scotland and Ireland, 1485–98 (Cambridge, 1932), pp 204–9Google Scholar) appears to have been taken from the original bill which was later amended. Cf. Lynch, op. cit., p. 38; Ormond deeds, 1413–1509, nos. 288, 298.

12 Parliament rolls, 3 Edward IV c. 65, 7–8 Edward IVc. 48 (Stat. Ire., Edw. IV, i, 174, 546–8); Rot. pat. Hib., pp 268 no. 37,269 nos. 58–9; Cal. pat. rolls, 1476–85, p. 120,1485–94, pp 64, 78, 423; Quinn, Guide finan, rec., p. 19; Memoranda rolls, 2 Richard III m. 9 (P.R.O.I., RC 8/33, pp 410, 411), 2 Henry VII m. 27 (P.R.O.I., Ferguson repertory, iv, 59).

13 B.L., Royal MS 18C, XIV, ff 27v, 151v, 152; Memoranda rolls, 6 Edward IV m. 25d P.R.O.I, RC 8/41, p. 394), 10 Henry VII m. 10(P.R.O.I., Ferguson repertory, iv, 59), 12 Henry VII m.?, 24 (P.R.O.L, Ferguson coll., iii, ff 343-4; R.I.Α., MS 24 Η 17, p. 201); P.R.O., E.101/248/21. These staffing arrangements were maintained after Kildare’s restoration in 1496. For example, he appointed his servant, John Offali, as searcher on 25 Oct. 1496: Memoranda roll, 12 Henry VII m 17 (R.I.Α., MS 24 Η 17, p. 205).

14 Ibid., Parliament roll, 19–20, Edward IV c. 24 (Stat. Ire., Edw. IV, ii, 734–6); Memoranda roll, 20 Edward IV m. 10 (R.I.Α., MS 24 Η 17, p. 77). The statute confirming the levy of poundage in perpetuity was in fact passed in 1499, not in 1500: Stat. Ire., Hen. VII & VIII, pp 72, 96, 100. Cf. Treadwell, loc. cit.

15 B.L., Royal MS 18C, XIV, ff 134v, 138; Memoranda roll, 12 Henry VII m. 27 (R.I.A., MS 24 H 17, pp 211–17). The grant was to a maximum value of 20 mks. p.a. and subject to account. For the three years 12 July 1500–03, the prior accounted for a total of £23 8s. 11d. Pipe roll, 18 Henry VII (N.L.I., MS 761, p. 333; R.I. Α., MS 12 D 10, p. 201). Cf. below, note 22.

16 [Hattecliffe] to ?, c. Aug. 1496: L. & P Ric. III & Hen. VII, ii, 69.

17 Pipe roll, 18 Henry VII (N.L.I., MS 761, p. 327); Cal. pat. rolls, 1485–94, pp64,78, 423; L. & P Hen. VIII; i (2nd ed.), no. 604 ( 1); Rot. pat. Hib., pp 268 no. 37,269nos. 58–9, 271 no. 2.

18 Memoranda roll, 17 Henry VIII m. 19 (P.R.O.L, Ferguson coll., iv., f. 106): the customer pleaded a pardon of 1526 for an offence of 1519.

19 Memoranda rolls, 14 Henry VII mm 8–9 (P.R.O.L, RC 8/43, pp 111–18), 23 Henry VII m. ? (P.R.O.L, Ferguson coll., iii, f. 364). Cf. Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Eliz., pp 452–6. The Statute of Archers (12–13 Edward IV c. 45; Stat. Ire., Edw. IV, ii, 98–100) laid down that merchants importing goods from England were to import bows for the defence of the land to the value of Is. for each £1 of goods imported upon penalty equivalent to the value of the bows to be imported. Of the six memoranda rolls calendared by the Record Commissioners for the period 1484–1509, no prosecutions for this offence appear on the two before 1494.

20 Memoranda roll, 8–9 Henry VIII m. 8 (P.R.O.L, Ferguson coll., iv., f. 39): the merchant successfully pleaded the king’s licence (cf. Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Hen. VIII–Eliz., p. 1).

21 Memoranda rolls, 19 Henry VIII mm 21–22 (P.R.O.L, Ferguson coll., iv. f. 39: apparently test cases against Dublin merchants — one was fined, another successfully pleaded a pardon to the city), 20 Henry VIII m. 19 (ibid., f. 139: king’s licence successfully pleaded).

22 Memoranda roll, 11-12 Henry VIII m. 19(ibid., f. 60; R.I.A., MS 24 H 17, p. 251 ): a Dublin merchant fined £7 for exporting from Clontarf without entry in the customer’s books.

23 1494–5, £205 2s. 2d. calculated from B. L., Royal MS 18C, XIV, ff 20–31,53,113.1339, 142–4, 146–7v. 1495–6, £272 4s. 1d. calculated from ibid., ff 13–89v 1496–7, £309 7s. 4d. Memoranda roll, 12 Henry VIIm. 24(R.I. A , MS 24 H 17, p. 201). C. five years 1498–1503 (precise dates not given), £1.282 7s. 9½d. Pipe roll, 18 Henry VII (R.I.A., MS 12 D 10,p.203;N.L.I.,MS761,p.335). 12 Apr. 1504to 25 Sept. 1505, £369 12s. 9½d. Pipe roll, 21 Henry VII (R.I.A., MS 12 D 10, p. 205; N.L.I., MS 761, p. 338).

24 Calculated from B.L. Royal MS 18C, XIV, ff 13–89v, 113, 133–9, 142–4, 146–7v

25 Cf. Treadwell, , ‘Irish customs administration’, pp 410–11,Google Scholar 416, ‘Irish customs farm’, pp 587–8.

26 Calculated from B.L., Royal MS 18C, XIV, ff 13-89v Cf. above, notes 9 and 22.

27 Stat. Ire., Hen. VII & VIII, p. 112; P.R.O., E. 101/248/21 (Dublin, £272 8s. 5d., Drogheda, £277 13s., these figures include £179 4s. 2d. in money respited).

28 Patent roll, 24-5 Henry VIII a. 4 (P.R.O.L, Lodge MS ‘Acta regia’, i, f. 10; Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Hen. VIII-Eliz., p. 3).

29 For example, P.R.O., S.P 65/1/2; L. & P Hen. VIII, xviii (i), no. 553; Treadwell, , ‘Irish customs administration’, pp 410–11.Google Scholar

30 Ormond deeds, 1413–1509, no. 261, Rot. pat. Hib., p. 272a no. 13. In fact the king had already regranted the Youghal customs to the town on 25 Aug. 1496: Cal. pat. rolls, 1494–1509, p. 71.

31 Memoranda rolls, 12 Henry VII m. 29 (P.R.O.L, Ferguson coll., iii, ff 337-8), 17 Henry VIII no. 1 m. 30 (ibid., iv, f. 107; B. L., Add MS 4791, (. 201 ). The earl of Ormond thought that the deputy (Kildare) had procured the writ of 1525 to annoy him: S.P Hen. VIII, ii, 119. For a second, legal, explanation, cf. Treadwell, , ‘Irish customs farm’, p. 589.Google Scholar The exchequer’s labours were probably unremunerative.

32 B.L., Harleian MS 3756, f. 7v

33 Rot. pat. Hib., pp 272a no. 11, 272b no. 4 The purported grant of 1505 for the Ulster ports (inc. Carlingford) noted by Treadwell (‘Irish customs administration’, p. 391) is in fact a draft fiant, defective and unsigned: N.L.I., D. 15957 (Dowdall deeds, no. 513). Cf. Ellis, S.G., ‘Privy seals of chief governors in Ireland, 1392–1560’ in I.H.R. Bull., 51 (1978), p. 191, n. 20.Google Scholar

34 L. & p Hen. VIII, ii, no. 999; B.L., Harleian MS 3756, ff 4v, 5, 6v. From 1519, the farm was reduced to 7 mks. p.a. for poundage only.

35 For example, Cal. pat. rolls, 1476–85, pp 160–61, 339; Treadwell, loc. cit., p. 410.

36 Receipt roll, 18–22 Henry VII (R.I.A., MS 12 D 10, p. 189); Stat. Ire., Hen. VII & VIII, p. 112; Patent roll, 24–5 Henry VIII a. 4 (P.R.O.L, Lodge MS ‘Acta regia’, i, f. 10; Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Hen. VIII-Eliz., p. 3).

37 Fiants Ire., Hen. Vili, no. 11.

38 P.R.O., S.P 65/1/2. In 1520–22, the customs of Trim and Naas had been worth £2 and £4 6s. p.a. respectively: P.R.O., E. 101/248/21.

39 Brabazon to Cromwell, 15 Feb. 1535: S.P Hen. VIII, ii, 226; P.R.O., S.P 65/1/2.

40 Ellis, S.G., ‘Thomas Cromwell and Ireland, 1532–40’ in Hist. Jn., 23 (1980), pp 514–17Google Scholar

41 Above, note 29; Treadwell, , ‘Trish customs farm’, pp 587–8.Google Scholar