A Planter in Ulster

I’m a planter in the Ulster Plantation. The plantation was organised by King James I. I am a Presbyterian from Scotland and I have been given land in county Tyrone. I am an undertaker which means I have to meet certain conditions to keep my land. There are other planters here called servitors. They are English soldiers who fought in the Nine Years war. The land they have was given to them as payment for their service. A small number of loyal Irish were also given land.

King James I wants to create a loyal protestant population in Ireland. He also wants to get money for the crown through renting his land. The land that the crown kept was used to found new towns such as Omagh. As an undertaker I am not allowed to have Gaelic Irish tenants. However my rent is lower than the servitors and the loyal Irish. I have been given an estate of 1,500 acres and on this I must build a stone enclosure to protect myself. My land is near Londonderry which the king had given to the merchants of London to plant.

I think the plantation has been a great success. English law, culture and language is spreading in Ulster all of the time. Religion is also getting strong with the Church of England and Presbyterianism. We are driving away Catholicism. The Gaelic Irish have not completely gone away. They hide in the forests and hills and sometimes attack us. I am afraid that this might result in a revolt. However we are making the plantation a great success. We have introduced new farming methods such as the growing of flax.