Down Survey
Archived: 14 October 2026
In 1658, completion of Sir William Petty’s Down Survey gave the Commonwealth its first national-scale detailed mapping of Ireland, enabling confiscated land to be valued and allocated to Adventurers and soldiers. Though not covering Connacht or resolving competing claims, it strengthened Protestant ownership and made Catholic dispossession more enforceable. Henry Cromwell governed from Dublin, balancing courts, revenue, army discipline and an unstable land settlement. Oliver Cromwell’s death on 3 September brought Richard’s succession and Henry’s promotion to lord lieutenant. Religious policy privileged Protestants but constrained dissent and excluded Catholics. Beneath order, military power, land claims and constitutional legitimacy remained precarious.