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stated that "he set over the Church of Tamney, Bishop Carellus, whom according to the custoin of the Church, Patricius, Bronus, and Bitæus ordained to his episcopal office." But were this even stated on a more satisfactory authority, it would not serve the argument very much. It might shew that the Irish knew something of the rule or practice followed elsewhere; but this would only make the contrast of their general carelessness about it the more remarkable.

Nos. XXXI.-XXXIII.

OF THE INTERCOURSE WHICH SUBSISTED BETWEEN THE INHABITANTS
OF IRELAND AND THOSE OF ENGLAND IN THE PERIOD IMMEDIATELY
PRECEDING THE ANGLO-NORMAN INVASION OF IRELAND.

No. XXXI.-OF THE IRISH EXPEDITION TO ENGLAND UNDER THE
SONS OF KING HAROLD.

Of the intercourse

tween England and Ireland in

The records of history furnish us with some existing be interesting information relative to the intercourse maintained before the Conquest between the Irish people and their neighbours in the isle ceding the adjacent. It is a subject which belongs proConquest. perly indeed rather to the secular than to the ecclesiastical history of Ireland; but seeing how little attention appears to have been directed to

the ages pre

• Trias Thaum. 13).

it in any of those modern works in which it might have been more suitably introduced, it appears worth while to set forth here some particulars relating to it, which, especially as connected with the Anglo-Norman invasion of this country, cannot fail to prove interesting to the reader. The earliest writing to which we shall now direct attention in connection with this subject is the following extract from ORDERICUS VITALIS (Ec. Hist. Lib. 4) in the "Historia Normannorum Scriptores" of Duchesne, Lut. Par. 1619. The passage occurs in the History of William II. A.D. 1068, p. 513. (N.B. Ordericus wrote in the twelfth century.)

pedition to

rold.

"The two sons of Harold king of England, vexed at Orderic's having seen their father put to death, and themselves account of banished out of the country, had taken refuge with Dir- the Irish exmet king of Ireland.* By means of his co-operation and England that of the princes of the realm, they were enabled to under the raise an auxiliary force, and return to Exeter with sixty- sons of Hasix vessels freighted with troops well armed. Then advancing inwards from the shore they commenced ravaging the country with considerable audacity, and raging about with fire and sword, made use of every endeavour to perpetrate as much mischief as possible. Upon this Brien, son of Eudo count of Bretagne, and William Fitzgerald, advance on them without loss of time to encounter them in arms; and in two conflicts engaged in on the same day, they reduced a tremendous multitude to

Or rather, "a king of Ireland." This was the celebrated king of Leinster, Dermod Mac Maol-na-mbo, who was killed in battle in Meath, A.D. 1072. Vid. Lan. iii. 474.

W. Gem

met's ac

same enter

prize no

such a scanty handful, that the remnant which retreated made their escape in two boats, and filled Ireland with lamentations. And only that night interrupted the battle, not even a messenger to tell the news of the slaughter would have escaped home to his native soil. Such fortune justly befel sons who sought revenge for a tyrant father, and the parties who became their abettors in such a design."

A similar account is furnished by Willelmus count of the Gemmeticensis in his History of the Normans, (Lib. 7, cap. 41, p. 290, tom. eod.) where he adds, that there were slain upon this occasion 66 a thousand and seven hundred warriors, with some princes of the realm of Ireland."

ticed.

The subject of this intercourse between England and Ireland in the times immediately before the Conquest will be found illustrated with further particulars and other interesting extracts in the articles which follow.

King Mur

Primate

No. XXXII.-LETTER OF MURCHARDACH [i. e. MURTOGH O'BRIEN"]

KING OF IRELAND TO PRIMATE ANSELM.

"Murchardach, king of Ireland to Anselm, arch-pretogh thanks late of the English, greeting and faithful obeisance. "What ample acknowledgments am I bound to renhis kindness der unto you, my lord, for that, as I am informed, you to his son-in- make remembrance constantly in your prayers of me a

Anselm for

Vid. pp. 428, 429, sup.

sinner. And besides this, you have given to my son-in-law Arnulph law Ernulphus the benefit of your aid and interference, de Montgoas far as was consistent with your own dignity. Be as- mery. sured that you shall find me also ready to act as your servant in such matters as you shall be pleased to make the subject of your commands. Fare you well."

Upon this epistle the notes of Ussher are as follows:

notes on

"Ernulf, whom Murchardach here calls his son-in- Archbishop law, is Arnulph de Montgomery, the original invader of Ussher's Pembroke and lord of that region, (which is called Di- this Epistle. veta and Western Wales,) son to Roger de Montgomery and account first earl of Salop and Arundel.* Concerning him Gi- of the above raldus Cambrensis writes in his Guide through Cambria Arnulph. (lib. 1, cap. 12,) Arnulph de Montgomery under Henry I. king of the English, was the first who built a castle in Pembroke, a rather unsubstantial one, of hurdle work and scraws. Which afterwards, on occasion of his returning into England, he gave over in charge to a trusty and prudent individual, Gerald de Windsor, his constable and standardbearer, with a few men for a garrison;' i. e. to that Gerald from whom the earls of Desmond and Kildare, and the other families of the Giraldines [or Fitzgeralds] in Ireland derive their origin. Arnulph having afterwards re- How Arvolted from Henry I. (together with his brother Robert nulph came de Belesme, Earl of Salop,) passed over into Ireland with to be allied by marriage a view to obtaining auxiliary forces for strengthening to king Murhis cause against his own sovereign; and there he took togh. to wife the daughter of king Murchart or Murchardach, as Caradoc of Lhancarvan also testifies in the History of A.D. 1101 and 1102. The issue of the conspiracy William of Malmesbury expresses in these words (lib. 5, de

See the Annals in the next Article inf. at A.D. 1091, seqq.

Curious ob

servation of

mesbury,

concerning

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Regibus) Robert with his brothers Arnulph, (who had inherited his father's title,) and Roger of Picardy (so named from having married a wife out of that country) renounced England for ever; but the stringency of the oath given to this effect was qualified by the addition of this clause-unless at some future time he shall have given satisfaction to the king's pleasure by his good conduct.' This narrative is necessary for enabling us to understand the little epistle above given, which we have copied from a MS. volume of letters written by Anselm."

The following curious passage of MalmesW. of Mal- bury's, occurring in his Life of Henry I. not only for its connection with what precedes, but also the relations on account of the general purport of its contents, will be read with interest. (Vid. Rer. Angl. Scrip. post Bed. Lond. 1596, fol. 91.)

existing be-
tween Eng-
land and
Ireland in
the age of
'Murcard'

I.

"So far did our Henry secure the attachment of and Henry Murcard king of Ireland, and his successors (whose names fame hath not promulgated) that they would write nothing but what would gratify and flatter him, and do nothing but what he would bid them. Albeit Murcard is said, for what cause I know not, to have exhibited for a few days a little high temper towards the English; although he soon calmed the swelling passion of his bosom when a stoppage of sailing and shipping intercourse was threatened against him. For what would Ireland be worth if no commodities were to be conveyed thither by sea from England. So starved of every kind of useful produce is the soil outside the cities, from the penury, and the ignorance of its cultivators, with its wild and squalid multitude of Irish occupants. But the English and French people who reside in the market

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