Irish Adventurer’s Scheme

A scheme established during the War of the Three Kingdoms to help finance the reconquest of Ireland following the Irish Rebellion in 1641. Those who subscribed capital to the Adventurer’s Scheme in 1642-43 would receive parcels of expropriated Irish land as a reward once the reconquest was complete. The scheme attracted investment from both godly English Protestants shocked by reports of supposed atrocities committed by Irish Catholics and speculative merchant investors looking to profit from the aggregation of productive land. The reconquest of Ireland was completed in 1652-53, and subscribers to the Adventurer’s Scheme began to receive their allotted lands as part of the Cromwellian land settlement during the 1650s. London merchants who played a prominent role in the Civil War, including those involved in the sugar and slave trades, were major subscribers to the Adventurer’s Scheme and served on its governing committees. [MB].

Economic Sector: Land

Region: Ireland

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