Clare Genealogy: The Butlers of County Clare: Appendix II: Attainder of James Butler of Grallagh

Appendices

Appendix II: Attainder of James Butler of Grallagh

1570
(Statutes at large, 12. Eliz. cap.5.Extract from Preamble)

An Acte for the attaynder of such as be or shall be indicted of high treason or petie treason committed or to be committed from the 1st of Aprill 1569 to the last of Aprill 1571 yf thei shall not yelde their boddies.

In theyr mooste humble wyse beseechen your most Royall Majestie, the lords spirituall and temporall and all outher Your Highness faithefull and obedient subjectes the Comments of this greate High Courte of Parliament assembled.

Whereas throughe the inestimable charge bestowed by Your Highnes, the contnyall travaile of bodie and minde of you most faithfull and trustie servaunt the right honble the lord deputie with the willinge readie assistance of the nobilitie and Your Majesties good and faithful subjects of the English Pale, all the provynces and remote partes of this realme weare reduced to that knowledge of the duetie to yr mooste roiall Majestie that, as yt seemed, they nothinge more desired than that lawe and justice, with officers for execution thereof, shoulde be amonge theym planted (the countrie of Tyrone now by Parliament united to you Imperiall Crowne and usurped by that traytor Tyrrelaghe Leynaghe onlie excepted). The whiche unwonted towardness of the throwe and sounde reformacion of this realme appearinge, and that Your Majestie had greatlie to the encreasynage of your growing charge appoynted officers and ministers to have theire contynuell aboade and receancye in the provynces and territories of Mounster, Thomonde and Connaght, to administer justice to the inhabitants theare without any bourden to your people, and likewise Your Highnes mooste prudentlie had furnished all necessaries for the appeasinge and throwe quieting of the tumultes of the Neyles of Tyrone then in apparaunce the only preturbers of this State, which beynge atchived, the like order was loked for plantynge of justice in Ulster that was experymented in the said outher provinces.

This right godlie intendement of Your Highness so honorablie put in execucion had noo doubte made an ende of the contyneuell consumpcion of Your Majesties’ threasures, and disburdeded Your true Englishe subjects of the greate burden they now beare by lodginge and victualinge of Your Majesties armye, and transformed this monsterous and uglie disordered state to the perfite shape of a happie common weale, a mooste juste occasion to heap on Your Highnes the everlastings blessings of Almightie God, for that in these your happie daies a reformacion many waies before this tyme attempted and never achieved, haithe ben by Your Highnes and your godlie minister by lawe and justice (the waie warranted by the mouth of God), devised, and to the comforte of all faithful hartes established.

But the wicked, better acquainted with darkenss than lighte, have chosen to wallowe in their own filthe and puddle of tyranny, oppression, rape, rapine and spoile, for as it is manifest and well known to us, the vile and ingrate traytours Mac Cartie, more latelie create earle of Clancartie; Sir Edmond Butler, Knight; Edwarde Butler and Piers Butler his brethern; Piers and James Butler, sonnes to the vicounte Mountgarret; James and John Butler, sonnes of PPiers Butler of the Grallaghe; Walter Butler, Tibbot Butler, Piers Butler, John Butler, sonnes to Edmond Butler of Pollestone; James Fitz Geralde, sonne to Sir Morishe Fitz Desmond, the seneschal of Imokillye; the White Knight; with divers outhers, wicked and disloyall traytours, against whose wicked and tyrannouse course of life the lamentable crie of manye widdowes, innocent orphans and pore oppressed people resounde before the Throne of God his Majestie for vengeaunce, have for the overthrowe of all those Your Majesties mooste godlie and princelie proceadinges, conspired together mooste traitourslie and wretchedlie, contrarie to their duetie of allegiaunce, to levie sharpe and cruell warre againste Your Majestie and your true and faithfull subjects of the Englsih pale; and for the better accomplishlinge of their divellishe and wicked purpose, practiced with the Kynge of Spayne and the Scottes, our auncient enemies, and outher forreyne prices and potentates to invade this lande, and combyned with the traytoure Tyrrelaughe Leynaghe and outher the Irishrie of Ulster (except Sir Hugh O’Donel), the said Sir Edmond Butler promisinge to the same Tyrrelaughe Leynaghe that yf the lord deputie with the armye did invade Ulster that then the same Sir Edmond with the rest of the traytours of Mounster shoulde invade the English pale on the Southe, and yf the lord deputie should turn his face to the Southe then Tyrrelaughe with the northern traytours should invade the English pale on the north side. The said traytours procured also the Irish of Leynster, Mounster and Connaght to be of their confederacie as the same Sir Edmond Butler himself confessed……

The right honble the lord deputie, having sondrie intelligences occasion to suspect intendment of some greate and perilous exploite against the State…..fought by all meanes and waies to prevent the same, and if it were possible to reclayme soo many of them as weare not paste all grace ….all whiche could not prevaile, for althoo after the said Sir Edmond and his bretherne traytorouslie entending this furious and franticke rebellion, had robbed and spoiled the inhabitants of the countie of Kilkenny of theyr armour and weapons and had committed sundrie outher haynoise uttrages….whiche sufficentlie dissiphered their conspiracie and rebellious pretence, and that they had likewise in divers waies actuallie and manifestlie begonne the rebellion; yet they being foreborne to be then presentlie by proclamation denounced rebelles and traytours, had respite for 15 daies to make their apparaunce before the lord deputie and councill or otherwise to be taken from thenceforth as enemyes and rebelles, which apparaunce they neglected to make, chosing rather to be rebelles as in verie deade they were…..then veyrille protesdinge they ment noo hurte when they did all the harme they could, seyeinge they weare good and true subjects when they had joined and confederate with our auncient Irish enemyes and outher foreyn power….