480 



Domini 1587, settling upon the Countess for her life a pension of £100, 

 Irish, per annum. 



And hy warrant"^' of same Queen, issued in same year, a pension of 

 £35, Irish, per annum, each, was granted, during pleasure, to the Ladies 

 Jane, Ellen, and Elizabeth EitzGerald. 



It is manifest from these facts, that the Earl of Leicester was in error 

 in attributing to the Old Countess and her decrepit daughter a visit to 

 Queen Elizabeth, which was really made, and at the very period indi- 

 cated, by the younger Countess and one of her sisters-in-law. 



Having placed these respective parties in the enjoyment of pensions 

 from Queen Elizabeth, I will at once pass on to the reign of King 

 James I., and see what happened then. 



This monarch ascended the throne of England in March, 1602, and 

 the pension granted to the three Ladies EitzGerald ceased to be paid. 

 This I can understand, as the warrant of grant from Queen Elizabeth 

 constituted a tenure during pleasure only, and it was merely an act of 

 official duty in the Yice- Treasurer of Ireland to refuse further compliance 

 with it until the will of the king was known. The pension, granted to 

 the Countess ceased to be paid then also ; this I cannot understand, as 

 the tenure of her grant was for the term of her natural life, and such 

 instruments are and have been always considered binding upon the 

 Crown, without regard to succession. 



The circumstance of estoppel must have occasioned much inconve- 

 nience, if it did not produce absolute want, to these ladies ; and once more 

 the Countess proceeded to London, and in all likehihood was again ac- 

 companied by one of her participating sufferers, to seek redress at the 

 foot of the throne. 



The result of the appeal to the King was crowned with the same 

 success as a similar appeal was to Queen Elizabeth ; but the case of the 

 three Ladies Eitzgerald was more tardily dealt with than was that of 

 the Countess. Their situation, however, when redress did come, was 

 improved in the permanency of the tenure, as well as the amount of 

 the pensions granted to them, as I find letters patents,| under the 

 great seal of Ireland, bearing date the 1st day of June, in the fourth 

 year of the reign of King James I. of England, Anno Domini, 1606," 

 which recite 'Hhat information had been given to the King of 

 the distressed estates of the Ladies Jane, Elinor, and Elizabeth Eitz- 

 Gerald, sisters to the late Earl of Desmond, who complained of their 

 want of maintenance, because their several pensions of £33 65. 8d., 

 sterling, granted them by Queen Elizabeth, determined by her death, 

 being held and enjoj^^ed by warrant, and not by letters patent," and 

 which granted a pension of £50 sterling per annum to each of said 

 ladies, to hold same from the cessation of payment of the former pen- 

 sions, until by a gift of lands, or other good means, they and each of 



* Landed Estates' Record Office, warrants of payment pensions, Elizabeth, 

 t Ibid., Patents, James I., lib. 11 B, p. 245. 



