Catalogue description MARRYING and FOSTERING with IRISHMEN.

Statutes at Large, I. 174 (3).

The Act for marrying with Irishmen, 28 Hen. VIII.

By marriage, alterage, and fostering of the King's subjects of Ireland with his Irish rebels, great lack of obedience has arisen, and divers enormities have ensued, especially during the last two hundred years; for, in spite of divers good Statutes and Acts of Parliament, the King's subjects "did often and many times as well marry as foster with the said Irish rebels, and sometimes by fraud and covine," and for their own safeguard and discharge procured to make such Irish rebels denizens by letters patents, whereas those rebels so made denizens did not use themselves as the King's subjects. For reformation hereof, be it enacted by authority of this present Parliament, that no persons, the King's subjects, within this land, shall "marry or foster themselves, their childer, or kinsfolk, within the fourth degree, or any of them, to or with any Irish person or persons of Irish blood, which be not the King's true subjects, ne use themselves accordingly, though any such person or persons be made denizens, unless that every such person so to be made denizen do his homage and fealty before the King's Chancellor or Keeper of the Great Seal for the time being to the King's Highness, swearing the oath comprised in the Act of succession for the fulfilling and accomplishment of the effect, tenor, and purport of [the same]; and also shall be bound by recognizance before the King's Chancellor or Keeper of his Grace's Great Seal of this his land for the time being, in such sums of money as to the said Chancellor or Keeper of the Great Seal shall be thought meet and convenient, that he from the time that he is made denizen, shall be faithful, true, and obedient to the King's Highness, his heirs, and successors." Any of the King's subjects who shall so marry or foster, at the time of the said marriage or fostering "shall have a true and unfeigned intent and meaning that the party so made denizen" will be faithful to the King. If any person so made denizen do transgress his fealty, proclamation thereof shall be made by the Deputy in the shire or open market next adjoining to such offender, and such of the King's subjects as shall have fostered or married with him shall utterly avoid any wilful familiarity or company with him, unless it be to reconcile him to the King, or to obtain restitution of goods taken from any of the King's subjects. If any of his Highness's subjects do offend in the premises, every such offence shall be deemed high treason, and the offender shall suffer death, and forfeiture of lands and goods. Any of the King's subjects thus marrying or fostering, who shall support any such denizens in rebellion, shall be attainted of high treason.

Copy.

Calendar of the Carew Manuscripts preserved in the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth, ed. J. S. Brewer & W. Bullen (6 vols., 1867-73), vol. I, document 93.