Capell’s Disarming Parliament
Capell became lord deputy in the spring of 1695 after a period in which Ireland had been governed by lords justices. His appointment was political as well as administrative. The government needed money, dependable institutions and a means of bringing influential Protestant landowners and office-holders into a workable relationship with Dublin Castle. The previous parliament of 1692 had broken down over the Commons’ claimed right to originate money bills. In 1695, however, negotiation produced a compromise: the Crown would retain its constitutional role under Poynings’ Law, while the Commons would be allowed a meaningful part in framing the methods by which revenue was raised.