19.5 Organised Migration Case Study: The Plantation of Ulster
In 1609, King James I of England started sending English and Scottish Protestants to confiscate and settle on land taken from the native Irish. Almost 4 million acres of land in the province of Ulster were divided up into estates and rented cheaply to the English and Scottish settlers.
2. The land taken over by settlers in the plantation of Ulster
Use a map of Ireland to identify the counties in which each of the groups was settled.
Causes of the Organised Migration King James I wanted to rule over the entire island of Ireland and to put a stop to rebellions. Ulster had been the strongest of the four provinces in the struggle against British rule.
King James I wanted to ‘civilise’ Ulster and to introduce the Protestant religion and English customs to the region.
The English and Scottish settlers were promised good farmland and a better life in Ulster.
Consequences of the Organised Migration The plantation introduced Protestantism and Presbyterianism to Ulster and they became the majority religions. This contributed to unrest and a divide between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland that still exists today.
Before the plantation, Irish was spoken in Ulster. During the plantation, the English language was introduced.
English farming methods were introduced, with more focus on crop-growing and less on cattle farming than before.
English and Scottish customs and cultures were introduced to Ulster during the plantation.