Ussher’s Falkland Sermon
The transition began before Falkland reached Ireland. Oliver St John, Lord Deputy since 1616, had been recalled in February 1622 amid mounting criticism of Irish government. He surrendered the sword of state in April and departed in May. Between May and September the kingdom was governed by two lords justices, Adam Loftus, lord chancellor, and Richard Wingfield, Viscount Powerscourt and marshal of Ireland. This was not a vacuum of power: the Dublin administration, courts, revenue offices and provincial presidencies continued to function. Yet it was an interval in which the Crown was plainly reassessing how Ireland had been governed and whether its money and policies had achieved their stated purposes.