1597 - Fenton, Geoffrey - To Robert Cecil (1)

Allusion
Date	5 Oct. 1597
Author	Fenton, Geoffrey
Title	Letter from Sir Geoffrey Fenton to Sir Robert Cecil
Mentions	Certain Robin Hoods have come to Leinster

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2013-08-01. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-01-07.

Allusion

[...] There are come within two days into Leinster certain Robin Hoods, set on and enabled by Tyrone, namely, Brian Reogh O'More, and the two sons of the late Feagh M'Hugh, who yesternight made some small burnings in the Queen's County and borders of Kildare, and are now passed over to the Glynns, their old den. Doubts not they have a large confederacy amongst the Kavanaghs, the O'Mores, and O'Connors, with other septs in Leinster. This is a beginning of the unsoundness of Leinster, which he has so often touched upon in his former letters. It is not known yet what the number is of these new disturbers. Thinks they do not exceed 200, and that they have not done much, beside some petty burnings, which might have been prevented if the country had shown themselves as they ought to have done.—Dublin, 1597, October 5. Signed. Endorsed: —"Received at Whitehall the 9th of November."^[1]

Source notes

MS ref.: Vol. CCI, No. 7. The cited text is a calendar summary or paraphrase of the original.

IRHB comments

The writer of the letter, Sir Geoffrey Fenton (c.1539-1608), was an English writer, Privy Councillor, and Principal Secretary of State in Ireland. Its recipient, Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury (1563?-1612) was Lord High Treasurer May 1598-24 May 1612, Lord Privy Seal 1598-1612, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 8 October 1597-1599, and Secretary of State 5 July 1590-24 May 1612. The allusion has not been noted in previous lists or studies.

Lists

Not included in Dobson, R. B., ed.; Taylor, J., ed. Rymes of Robyn Hood: an Introduction to the English Outlaw (London, 1976), pp. 293-11.
Not included in Sussex, Lucy, compil. 'References to Robin Hood up to 1600', in: Knight, Stephen. Robin Hood: A Complete Study of the English Outlaw (Oxford, UK; Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 1994), pp. 262-88.

Sources

Atkinson, Ernest George, ed. Calendar of the State Papers, relating to Ireland, of the Reign of Elizabeth, 1596, July — 1597, December. Preserved in the Public Record Office (London, 1893), p. 414.

Also see

Notes

↑ Atkinson, Ernest George, ed. Calendar of the State Papers, relating to Ireland, of the Reign of Elizabeth, 1596, July — 1597, December. Preserved in the Public Record Office (London, 1893), p. 414.

Allusions links1501-1600texts

[1] Atkinson, Ernest George, ed. Calendar of the State Papers, relating to Ireland, of the Reign of Elizabeth, 1596, July — 1597, December. Preserved in the Public Record Office (London, 1893), p. 414.

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