The admirers of this celebrated English Poet may be gratified by a few particulars concerning him and his family, (extracted from original documents,) which may serve to correct some errors of his biographers, or supply information which they do not appear to possess. On 12th of August, 1580, Arthur, Lord Grey, accompanied by Edmund Spenser, his secretary, arrived in [319] Dublin, and on the 7th of September following, was sworn lord deputy of Ireland. On the 22nd of March following, Spenser was appointed clerk of the decrees and recognizances of chancery, and his patent was given “free from the seal in respect he is secretary to the Right Honorable the Lord D.” In this, department he was succeeded on the 22nd of June, 1588, by Arland Usher, kinsman of the celebrated archbishop of that name, and Spenser was appointed clerk of the council of Munster, an office afterwards filled by Richard Boyle, first earl of Cork. On the plantation of that province, queen Elizabeth, by letters patent, dated 26th ef October, 1591, granted him the manor and castle of Kylcolman, with other lands, containing 3028 acres, in the barony of Fermoy, county Cork, also chief rents “forfeited by the late lord of Thetmore, and the late traitor, Sir John of Desmond." - Orig. Fiant, Rolls office, Dublin.

Here on the banks of the Awbeg, the poet’s “gentle Mulla,” was written the Faery Queen. But Spenser was not so devoted to the muses, as to neglect his newly acquired possessions ; on the contrary he stands charged with having unjustly attempted to add to thern. His encroachments on the Mac Carthy’s are well known, but he did not confine himself to these alone. In 1593, Maurice, lord Roche, viscount Fermoy, petitioned the lord chancellor of Ireland, stating, “I wheare one Edmond Spenser, gentleman, hath lately exhibited suit against your suppliant, for three plowe lands, parcell of Shanballymore, (your suppliant’s inheritance,) before the vice president and councell of Munster, which land hath bene heretofore decreed for your suppliant against the said Spenser and others under whom he conveied; and neverthelesse for that the said Spenser being clark of the councill in the said province, and did assyne his office unto one Nicholas Curtey’s, among other agreements, with covenaunt that during his lief [life], he should be free in the said office for his cawses, by occacon of which imunity he doeth multiply suits against your suppliant, in the said province, uppon pretended title of others.,” - Orig. Rolls office - At the same time, lord Roche presented another petition against Joan Ny Callaghan, whom he states to be his opponent, “by supportation and mayntenaunce of Edmond Spenser, gentleman, a heavy adversary unto your suppliant.”- Orig. - He again exhibited another plaint, “that Edmond Spenser, of Kilcolman, gentleman, hath entered into three plough land, parcell of Ballingerath, and disseised your suppliant thereof and continueth by countenaunce and greatnes the possession thereof and maketh great waste of the wood of the said lande, and converteth a great deale of corne growinge thereuppon to his proper use, to the damage of the complainant of two hundred pounds sterling. Whereunto the said Edmond Spenser appearenge in person had several dayes prefixed unto hime peremptorilie to answere which he neglected to do ; therefore after a daye of grace given,” on 12th of February, 1594, Lord Roche was decreed his possession - Orig. Decree. - [320]

When Spenser - the poetic, the gentle Spenser, was guilty of these oppressive and unjust proceedings, the reader may easily guess at the conduct of his more ignorant and brutal fellow planters, by whom the country was converted into a desert. For these, and other aggressions on the unfortunate natives, the pOet soon afterwards felt the full weight of their vengeance. Ben Jonson informed Drummond of Hawthornden, that Spenser’s house was burned, and a little child of his consumed in the flames; that he and his wife narrowly escaped, and that he afterwards died in King Street, Dublin, in absolute want of bread. His name is still remembered in the vicinity of Kilcolman, but the people entertain no sentiments of respect or affection for his memory. - See Trotter’s Walks in Ireland.

That Spenser died in London has been asserted by some of his biographers; but Ben Jonson’s information seems corroborated by a record lately found in the Rolls office, Dublin. He left two sons, Sylvanus and Peregrine. In 1603, the former petitioned the chancellor of Ireland, stating, “where your petitioner’s father Edmund Spenser was seized in his demesne, as of fee, of Kyllcollman and divers other lands and tenements in the county of Corke, which descended to your petitioner by the death of his said father-so it is right honorable, the evidences of the sayd inheritance did after the decease of petitioner’s father cum to the hands of Roger Seckerstone, and petitioner’s mouther, which they uniustly detayneth, which evidences for as much as your petitioner can have no accion at comon lawe, he not knowing theire dates and certainty, he is dryven to sue in consideracon byfore your Honourable Lordship, and avereth that the said Roger Seckerstone, his mouther’s now husband, uniustly detayneth the said evidences to your petitioner’s damage of one hundred pounds, wherein he prays remedy.” - Orig. Petition.

Sylvanus had two sons, Edmund and William. On 18th of February, 1638, Charles I. by letters patent, confirmatory, granted to Edmund the manor, castle, &c. of Kilcoleman, and other lands in the barony of Fermoy - Patent Inrolled. William survived his brother. The following letter, dated White-hall, 27th of March, 1657, appears in the Irish privy council book, A. 28, p.118. preserved in Dublin Castle. “To our right trustie and right wel beloved our councel in Ireland. A peticon bath been exhibited unto us by William Spenser, setting forth that being but seaven years old, aft the beginning of the rebellion in Ireland, he repaired with his mother (his father being then dead) to the Citty of Corke, and dureing the rebellion continued in the English quarters. That bee never bore annes or acted against ye cornon wealth of England. Thathisgrandfather Edmund Spenser and his father were both protestants, from whome an estate of lands in the barony of Fermoy, in the county of Corke, descended on him, which dureing ye rebellion yeilded him little or nothing towaxds his releife. [321]

That ye said estate hath been lately given out to the soulders in satisfaccon of their arrears onely upon the accompt of his professing the popish religion, which since his comeing to years of discretion hee hath, as bee professes, utterly renounced. That his grandfather was that Spenser, whoe by his writings touching ye reduccon of ye Irish to civilitie, brought on him the odium of that nacon, and for those workes and his other good services, queene Elizabeth conferred on him ye estate which ye said William Spenser now claims. Wee have alsoe been informed that ye gentleman is of civill conversacon, and that ye extremitie his wants have brought him to, have not prevailed over him to put him upon indirector evill practices for a livelyhood. And if upon enquiry you shall finde his case to be such, wee judge it just and reasonable, and doe therefore desire and authorize you that hee be forthwith restored to his estate, and that reprisall lands be given to ye soulders elswhere ; in ye doeing whereof our satisfaccon will be greater by ye continuaccon of that estate to ye yssue of his grandfather, for whose eminent deserts and services to ye conign wealth that estate was first given him. We rest your loving freind. OLIVER, P.” - This letter so creditable to Cromwell, proved highly serviceable to the object of his consideration. Though Kilcolman and the other lands were passed under the act of settlement to lord Kingston, sir Peter Courthop, Robert Foulke, and other adventurers, yet they were afterwards restored to Williarn Spenser, and he had moreover, a grant dated 31st of July, 1678, of Caltrahard, and other lands in the county of Galway, and Ballynasloe, Tullrush, and others in county Roscommon, containing nearly two thousand acres- Patent Inrolled 29 o Charles II. -This William, by his wife Barbara, left a son Nathaniel.

The poet’s second son Peregrine, died in 1641, seized of the lands of Rinney, near Kilcolman. Hugolin his eldest son and heir succeeded to those lands. Being a Roman catholic, he attached himself to the cause of James II. and was outlawed. By letters patent, dated 14th of June, 1697, the forfeited estate of Hugolin Spenser, in Rinney, three hundred and thirty-two acres, &c. were granted to Nathaniel, son of William, Spenser, esq. the next protestant heir of said Hugolin - Inrolled 90 William III - On 24th of November following, William, and Nathaniel Spenser, for £2,100, mortgaged all their estates in Cork, Galway, and Roscommon, to Robert Peppard. On 26th of February, 1716, they sold the lands of Ballinasloe, with the fairs and markets there, to Frederick Trench, ancestor of the present earl of Clancarty. These fairs afterwards became the most noted in the British empire. On 14th of October, 1718, Nathaniel Spenser made his will, (proved in 1734, in the court of Prerogative, Dublin,) wherein he names Edmund his eldest, Nathaniel his second, and John his third son: he devises to Barbara his daughter, a remainder in his estate, her husband taking the name of Spenser. He also names his sister Susannah, and [322] his wife Rosamond. Soon after this the rest of the property passed away from the poet’s name and family. The latter has long since become extinct, but his name will last as long as the language in which he has left such an imperishable monument of his genius.