to other parts of Connaught or Clare.[1] But, as they had not to take a long and toilsome journey across Ireland in winter before being able to get their cases tried, they were to a certain extent better off than the rest of the Irish.
The number of Connaught landowners was extremely large. As we have already seen, the land question in Connaught and Clare had been settled more or less on Irish lines under Elizabeth and James. Nearly all who claimed lands under Irish gavelkind had been made proprietors according to English law.
The Books of Survey and Distribution show that there were innumerable small landholders—almost a peasant proprietary west of the Shannon in 1641.[2]
And a large part of Connaught had remained undisturbed in that year, so that there must have been many landowners in the province who had taken no part in the rising until after November, 1642, and so were entitled to some part of their estates.
It is not true either that all Connaught and Clare were given to the Irish. It was provided that innocent Protestant owners of land west of the Shannon, might, if they liked, hand over their property to the government, and get in exchange lands east of the Shannon. But it does not appear that many, if any, took advantage of this. All Sligo and Leitrim and part of Mayo were distri-
