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" 'Not otherwise worthy to be named, but as a firebrand brought from Ireland to inflame this Kingdom' : "
Robinson, Andrew
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Latin Dissertation
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| Record Number
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1100920
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| Doc. No
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TLets667744
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| Main Entry
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Robinson, Andrew
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| Title & Author
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'Not otherwise worthy to be named, but as a firebrand brought from Ireland to inflame this Kingdom' :\ Robinson, Andrew
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| College
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Ulster University
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| Date
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2013
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| student score
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2013
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| Abstract
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Sir John Clotworthy, later created Viscount Massereene during the Restoration ofCharles II, has long been noted by historians to be a key figure in pan-Stuart kingdomopposition to the eleven-year tyranny of Charles I. Perhaps most famously onebiographer of Archbishop Laud referred to Clotworthy as 'not otherwise worthy to benamed, but as a firebrand brought from Ireland to inflame this Kingdom'. This thesisaims to look more closely at Clotworthy's career during the Stuart Civil Wars, 1638-1651,to argue that the Antrim planter was more than a mere conduit of discontent and playeda leading role in the Long Parliament from 1640 to 1648. The personal traits that havedefined his character for the better part of 350 years, namely his devotion toPresbyterianism, blatant anti-Catholicism and a thirst to expand his estates in CountyAntrim are all investigated throughout this thesis. Unfortunately no personal archive ofClotworthy papers is known to be in existence and letters written by him are piecemealand spread amongst many archives and depositories. It is therefore imperative tocontextualize his political career by considering the social, familial and political circles inwhich he moved, especially those occasioned by his marriage to Margaret Jones,daughter of Viscount Ranelagh, which brought him within the patronage network ofRichard Boyle, 1 st earl of Cork. Clotworthy also shared a wider political and religiousagenda that drew him into a nexus of leading English grandees which included suchluminaries as the earl of Warwick, Viscount Saye & Sele, John Pym and Denzil Holles.This thesis contends that where Clotworthy's own papers are not extant, the politicalpath he traversed in association with these important allies give strong indications as tohis own ideology and mentalite. Furthermore this thesis draws attention to therelationships between Clotworthy and his servant and Gaelic Irish convert toProtestantism Owen O'Connally, as well as the Carrickfergus merchant John Davies,suggesting that a consideration of his agents, allies and men of business can help furtherelucidate Clotworthy's importance during the Stuart Civil Wars, suggesting his role wasas much more than a mere firebrand and that he played a central role in the politics ofthe Three Kingdoms.
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| Added Entry
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Ulster University
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