Donegal’s April Martyrology
Lord Falkland had left Ireland in October 1629, leaving the administration in the hands of Adam Loftus, viscount Loftus of Ely and lord chancellor, and Richard Boyle, earl of Cork and lord high treasurer. Their joint rule continued throughout 1630. This was an awkward arrangement rather than a settled constitutional solution. Both men were enormously well connected, wealthy and ambitious; both represented the Protestant governing interest; but they had different allies and competing priorities. The absence of a resident lord deputy gave their decisions particular weight, while also making the character of government less coherent than it would become under Thomas Wentworth in 1633.