Wentworth's Rule
Archived: 16 October 2026
In 1638, Wentworth’s administration strengthened revenue, episcopal authority and executive power through monopolies, revenue farms, land investigations and prerogative courts. His suspension and imprisonment of Lord Chancellor Adam Loftus demonstrated the vulnerability of even senior opponents, while proposed Connacht plantations heightened landowners’ fears. Scottish resistance to Charles I’s religious policies brought anxiety to Ulster, where Scottish settlers maintained links with Covenanting communities. Troops moved north as a precaution. Bishop Henry Leslie’s Lisnagarvey sermon and Antrim communion records revealed pressure for conformity. Meanwhile, church revenues expanded and Dublin’s theatre flourished. Ireland remained peaceful, but coercive government and religious division presaged crisis.
