Mapping Ulster

[William Douglas]

Around three centuries ago, a significant endeavor was undertaken in parts of Ulster by a remarkable gentleman named [Thomas] Raven. His task was nothing short of extraordinary—a meticulous and comprehensive survey of the lands granted by King James [I] to his loyal subject and planter, James Hamilton.

According to Mr. John Stevenson, Hamilton "lives on in the portrait preserved at Castle Ward, and, fortunately, Raven's surveys of his extensive estates from 1625, as the land became settled, have withstood the ravages of three centuries. Through these surveys, we gain insight into what the settlers observed during the early years of the Plantation, in the streets of the fledgling towns and the land divisions of those first twenty years.”

What emerges is the image of a transformed Ulster during the Plantation era, a picture layered with dual intrigue. Firstly, there is the inherent fascination tied to the Plantation itself—an extraordinary social experiment. Through Raven’s work, we see an emerging community transplanted anew, complete with its farms, tenants, roads, dwellings, mills, mosses, and woods. Even some of the trees are identified in remarkable detail. Amidst this orderly portrayal, however, the character of the settlers on this land appears strikingly incongruous.

Historian [William] Lecky observes, “They were poorly equipped to elevate the moral standing of the province, to win over a people they viewed with disdain, or to ease the blows of a profound calamity.”

Similarly, Stewart, the son of a minister, delivers a scathing depiction:

“They were, generally speaking, the refuse of two nations—individuals who sought refuge here from debt, financial ruin, or justice, yearning for a place where they might escape fear of man’s retribution in a land with little regard for God. Atheism flourished, respect for God diminished, and wrongdoing thrived, accompanied by quarrels, violence, murder, and debauchery. Traveling to Ireland was seen as a mark of misfortune, becoming proverbial as the epitome of disdain: 'Ireland will be his downfall.'”

Ireland would never again experience such depths of despair as she did in the years preceding the Plantations—years in which she “drank deeply and consumed to the last drop.” Raven’s maps of 1625 bear witness to this turbulent chapter of history, offering both tragedy and insight.

Four hundred years ago, in approximately 1625, Thomas Raven documented and mapped the lands transformed by two decades of Plantation settlement in Ulster.

See more:
•  The Plantation of Ulster 

•  BBC One - Mapping Ulster, Thomas Raven's Book of Maps 

•  Visualising the Plantation:mapping the changing face of Ulster 

•  The Project of Plantation