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Life
[Lord Mountjoy d.1606; Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 18 April 1603]; defeated forces of Hugh O’Neill and Spanish at Kinsale, 24 Dec. 1603; had an Irish ‘fool’ in Neale Moore. ODNB
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Commentary
C. B. Gibson, MRIA, The History of the County and City of Cork, Vol. 2 (London: Thomas C. Newby 1861; printed at Cork by Guy Bros.): A feature of the work is the leniency of its treatment of Lord Mountjoy (Charles Blount) after the victory of Kinsale in respect of persecuting Catholics not known to be enemies of the king:
ְ‘On the subject of religion, the Deputy Mountjoy speaks with as much model ation as we could expect [4] from a statesman of his time, when the principles of religious liberty were understood, and practised by noparty: “And, whereas, it hath pleased your lordships, in your last letters, to command us to deal moderatelyin the great matter of religion, I had, before the receipt of your lordships’ letters, presumed to advice such asdealt in it, for a time, to hold a more restrained handtherein.” He tells their lordships there was a fear that the measures adopted against Catholics, in Dublin, would be practised over the kingdom. He thinks that too great preciseness cannot be used in reforming ourselves, the abuses of our own clergy, our church livings, and discipline; that the gospel cannot be set forth with too much zeal and industry, “and by all ordinary means most proper unto itself; that is, set forth and spread in meekness.” He does not think thatany corporeal persecution, or punishment, can be too severe for such as shall be found seditiious instrumentsof “foreign or inward practices,” or that the principal magistrates should be chosen, without taking the oathof obedience, or tolerated in absenting themselves frompublic divine service; but, he adds, “we may be advised how we do punish in their bodies, or goods, anysuch, only for religion, as do profess to be faithful subjects to her majesty, and against whom the contrary cannot be proved.” The reader may wish to know more of a man whoheld opinions so much in advance of his age.’ (Available online; accessed 14.09.2024.)
Notes
‘A Letter from Lord Deputy Mounjoy to the Lords of the Council of England’ is printed as Appendix to John Mitchel’s Life of Aodh O’Neill (1846).
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