Irish Glass. 13 



Ireland may be said to begin, for in tiie Patent Rolls of Ireland 

 the following grant of the year 1588 occurs: — "Elizabeth R. 

 The Queen to the Lord Deputy and the Lord Chancellor inform- 

 ing them that Captain Thomas Woodhouse has lately erected 

 certain glass-houses for making glass for glazing and drinking 

 likely to prove beneficial to him and therefore he has made 

 humble suit for the especial privilege in that behalf, Her Majesty 

 considering that the making of glass might prove commodious to 

 both realms, and that Woodhouse was the first that with any 

 success had begun the art in Ireland, is pleased to condescend to 

 his petition and therefore orders that a grant shall be made to 

 him, his exors, and assigns of the privilege of making glass for 

 glazing and drinking or otherwise ; and to build convenient houses, 

 for the term of eight years, the glass to be sold as 'cheep or better 

 cheepe ' than similar glass in foreign parts, prohibiting all other 

 persons from the manufacture during the period marked in the 

 patent. Richmond, January nth, ]588." Woodhouse does not 

 appear to have retained the patent for very long, as in the next 

 year, 1589, a George Longe or Stone presented a petition to Lord 

 Burghley (Landsdowne MSS., Oct. 3rd, 1589) asking for a patent 

 to set up glass-houses in Ireland. In the petition he states that 

 in the ninth year of the reign of Elizabeth the first privilege of 

 making glass in England was granted to Anthonye Beckue alias 

 Dollyne and John Carye, strangers, born in the Low Countries, 

 but Dollyne and Carye being merchants and having no skill in the 

 mystery, they had to lease out their patent. That he agrees to 

 pay an annual rent for every glass-house continued in England, 

 but at no time to continue more than four glass-houses in Eng- 

 land, where there were then fourteen or fifteen, but to set up the 

 rest in Ireland, and to find twelve men at every glass-house, suffi- 

 ciently furnished to serve her Majesty, within thirty miles of their 

 abode. That he had spent his time wholly in the trade and had 

 found stuff meet for, and brought to perfection the making of glass 

 in Ireland, keeping at least twenty-four persons the space of two 

 years at the cost of over ;^5oo. That he had spent at least ;^3oo 

 in procuring the patents for England and buying the patent in 



