“Your petitioners therefore do most humbly pray that your Majesty may be graciously pleased to let your Irish Catholic subjects make use of the said College for the instruction of their youth, and that it may be a general Seminary for the clergy of this Kingdom, and that either all the bishops, or such of them as your Majesty will think fit (by your Royal authority and commission), present the most deserving persons to be directors and teachers in the said College, and to oversee it, to the end it may be well ruled and truly governed, and pure orthodox doctrine, piety and virtue be taught and practised therein, to the honour and glory of God, propagation of his true religion, and general good of your Majesty’s subjects in this realm, and as in duty bound they will ever pray,” &c.
And the following petition from the heads of the College appears upon the Register:—
“To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty.
“The Humble Petition of the Vice-provost, Fellows, and Scholars of Trinity College,
Near Dublin,
“Humbly Sheweth
“That your Petitioners have continued in the College under your Majesty’s most gracious protection, acting pursuant to the Statutes and Charters granted by your Majesty’s Royal Father and others your Royal Ancestors, And during your Majesty’s absence upon the 6th day of September last, by orders pretended to be derived from your Majesty, Guards were placed in the said College, That upon ye 16th of ye said month Sir John Fitzgerald came with a great body of armed men, and forceably dispossest your Petitioners, and not only dis-seized them of their tenure and freehold, but also seized on the private goods of many of your Petitioners, to their great damage and the ruin and destruction of that place; that upon the 28th of the said month, under pretence for a search for arms, seizure was made by one Hogan of the Sacred Chalices and other holy vessels belonging to ye Altar of the Chappel, and also of the Mace; that upon the 21st of October several persons pretending orders from the Government broke open the door of the Library, and possest themselves of the Chappel: by all which proceedings your Petitioners conceive themselves totally ejected out of their freehold, and despoiled of their propertyes and goods, contrary to your Majesty’s laws, tho’ your Petitioners have acted nothing against their duty either as subjects or members of ye College. May it therefore please,” &c.
November 20, 1689.—The Vice-Provost and Fellows met together and elected the same officers that were chosen the year before.
Facta est hæc Electio a Vice Præposito et Sociis Junioribus locum Sociorum Seniorum supplentibus, quam Præposito et Sociis Senioribus (cum conveniat) vel confirmandam, vel irritam reddendam reliquimus. R. Acton, G. Thewles, Js. Hall, J. Allen.
December.—About the beginning of this month Dr. Acton died of a fever.
At the Court at Dublin Castle, April 11th, 1690. Present the King’s Most Excellent Majestie in Council.
“Whereas His Majestie has been gratiously pleased to appoint the Right Honorable the Ld High Chancellor of Ireland to visit and view Trinity College, near Dublin, and the Records and Library thereunto belonging, and whereas his Majestie is given to understand this day in Council that Mr. George Thewles and Mr. John Hall have several Keyes belonging to ye said College in their custody, and refuse to deliver the same to his Lordship in order to view the said College records and Library; his Majestie is gratiously pleased to order, and doth hereby order the said Mr. George Thewles and John Hall, or either of them, forthwith to deliver the said Keyes to the Ld High Chancellor, as they shall answer the same at their peril.