ANNALS OF CORK.
"Corke in Latine Oo'racium or Oorradum, the fourth city of Ireland . happilie planted on the sea. Their haven is an haven roiall. On the land Djseyp.dof side t~ey are incombr~d with evill n~ighbours, the Irish outlaws, ~hat. they P~~~~ ' are fame to watch thEm gates hourhe, to keep them shut at serVIce t1mes, at meales from sun to sun, nor suffer any stranger to enter the city with his weapon, but the same to ]eave at a lodge appointed. They walk out at seasons for recreation with power of men furnished. They trust not the country adjoining, but match in . . wedlocke among themselves onelie, so that the whole citie is welnigh linked one to the other in affinitie." CorkeisanancientcitieintheprovinceofMounster,andbuilded(asitshould C appeare) by the Easterlings or Norwaies. It standeth now in a marsh or a 0 fqj ofd bog, and unto it floweth an arme of the seas, in the which are manie goodlie Pre 2 ~n ' receptacles or harboroughs for ships, and much frequented as well for the · · goodlie commodoties of fishings therein, as also for the trade of merchandize, by the which the citie is chieflie maintained, for the inhabitants are not onlie merchants and great travellers themselvesibut also great store of strange merchants do dailie resort and trafficke with them. t is walled round about and well fortified for a sufficient defence against the lrishrie, &c. The citie is governed ~ a Maior and two bailiffes, who using the government according to the Iawes of England, do keep and maintain the same in verie good order. , They are verie much troubled with the enemie, and therefore they do continually, as men lieng in a garison, keep watch and ward both daie and night. The prince of that country did most commonlie keepe and staie himself in all troubles w1thiu that citie, until the same was conquored by the Englishmen, who ever since have inhabited in the same." King Henry II. granted to two of his followers, " Robert Fitz Stef 1 ~en ~nd Milo de Cogan, all the Southern parts of Munster, namely, the · g- Gg:~;:en- dom of Cork from the west of Lismore, and the adjCDining Cantred, except · the city of Cork, the said territories to be equally divided between them, 818 • and held by him by Knight's service." · Having received their grants and done fealty they crossed over to Ireland, and ar- riviug safely at Cork, " were received with due honour by the citizens and a knight named Richard de Londres, who had acted as governor thereof under },itz-Aldelm." Having speedily established peace with Dermitius, prince of Desmond~ and with the . other powerful men of those parts, Fitz-Stephen and Milo divided oetween them seven cantreds of land lying neat the city, of which they had already obtained pos- session. The three eastern cantreds in this partition fell to the lot of Fitz-Stephen, and the {our western to Milo, which was made equal by the smaller lots com_prising the best land, whereas much of the other was barren. 'fhe city was left in their joint charge, and the tribute reserved for the remaining twenty-four cantreds was to be equally divided between the two lords, as it was received." Smith recites a charter by which Henry II. confirms "to Robert fitz-Stephen and Milo Cofr~I.:d, de Cogan, the government of my city of Cork, with the cantred which chap belonfed to the Ostmen of the said city, which I retain in my own hands, xviii: &c. moreover confirm to them and their heirs, all the kingdom of Cork, except the said city, to hold of me and my son John by an exact division towards the . b
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