Connacht Deadline
Archived: 14 October 2026
In 1654, the Commonwealth sought to consolidate Cromwellian conquest through transplantation, surveys and institutions. Catholics deemed liable to removal faced a 1 May deadline to move to Connacht or Clare, though enforcement proved uneven amid exemptions, shortages and local dependence on tenants. Courts of survey launched the Civil Survey, recording pre-war ownership, resources and boundaries to facilitate confiscation and redistribution. Charles Fleetwood, appointed Lord Deputy, pursued a hard settlement despite divisions among Protestants and intervention over exemptions. Ireland gained Westminster representation without an Irish parliament. In December, William Petty’s contract initiated preparations for the Down Survey, making dispossession administratively durable.
