182 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



at least three, together with his reports to Mary and Elizabeth of the 

 results of his observations, are among the most valuable of the State 

 Papers of that age. Sussex proposed to divide Ireland into six parts, 

 viz., Ulster, Connaught, Tipper Munster, JSTether Munster, Leinster, 

 and Meath ; and he enumerates in his Eeport the countries which 

 these divisions respectively comprised. But though he appears to 

 have been the first to conceive any large plan for an efficient adminis- 

 trative settlement of Ireland, he was recalled before he had had 

 time to grapple effectively with that problem of the shiring of Ireland, 

 which he saw lay at the root of all real administrative reform. But 

 at least he made a beginning. It is worthy of remark, too, that 

 Sussex is the only Deputy who, in addition to creating fresh counties, 

 gave to his creations names not borrowed from the territories by which 

 they were constituted.^ 



In 1556 there was passed the Statute 3 & 4 Philip & Mary, 

 Cap. IL, "whereby the King's and Queen's Majesties, and the heirs 

 and successors of the Queen," were declared entitled to the countries of 

 Leix, Slewmargy, Irry, Glenmaliry, and Offaly, and provision was 

 made for making these countries shire ground. After reciting that 

 these countries had been subdued in the previous reigns, but had 

 rebelled and been again reduced by the Queen's Deputy, Thomas 

 Patcliff Pitzwalter, Earl of Sussex, the Statute proceeds thus : — 

 ' ' And for that neither of the said countries is known to be within the 

 limits of any shires or counties of this realm, be it enacted that the 

 King and Queen, and the heirs and successors of the Queen, shall 

 have, hold, and possess for ever, as in the right of the Crown of 

 England and Ireland, the said countries of Leix, Slewmargy, Irry, 

 Glenmaliry, and Offaly." A further section provided that "to the 

 end that the same countries may be from henceforth the better 

 conserved and kept in civil government, the new fort in Leix be from 

 henceforth for ever called and named Maryborough, and the countries 

 of Leix, Slewmargy, IiTy, and part of Glenmaliry, be one shii-e 

 and county named the Queen's County"; and, similarly, that the 

 new fort in Offaly should be named Philipstown, and the country of 

 Offaly and part of Glenmaliry be called the King's County. 



That the Government of the Earl of Sussex contemplated a 

 further extension of the policy embodied in this Act appears from the 



^ The case of Londonderry is an exception to this statement more apparent than 

 real. In its first form, the County of Londonderry was known as Coleraine, 

 taking its name from the ■n'ell-known town of that name. 



