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provement of the north of Ireland, under the name of
the Plantation of Ulster. According to the arrange-
ments therein made, the county is supposed to have
consisted of 1070 tates of 30 acres each, besides 46
islands, great and small: of these, 212 tates, contain-
ing about 6360 acres, were assigned to the church, and
the remainder disposed of among the English and
Scotch settlers, who, from their undertaking to fulfil the
conditions of the plantation, were called Undertakers.
A portion, consisting of 390 tates, was assigned to the
head of the Mac Guire family; and the rest of the
native inhabitants were here, as in the other five coun-
ties, removed to waste lands in Munster or Connaught.
The principal settlers were Sir James Belford, Sir Stephen
Butler, Sir Wm. Cole, Sir John Hume, Malcolm Hamil-
ton, John Archdall, George Hume, and John Dunbar,
who were Scotchmen; John Sedborrow, Thomas Flower-
dew, Edward Hatton, Sir Hugh Wirrall, George Ridg-
waie, Sir Gerrard Lowther, Edw. Sibthorp, Henry
Flower, Sir Edw. Blenerhasset, and Thomas Blener-
hasset, Englishmen; besides whom, Sir John Davis,
Capt. Harrison, Sir Henry Folliott, and Captains Gore
and Atkinson, acquired large tracts in the allotments
set apart for such natives as were suffered to reside. Of
these, Con Mac Shane O’Neal, and Brian Mac Guire
were the only persons of sufficient consequence to be
noted in the report to the English government on the
state of the plantation in 1619. In the war of 1688,
this county became famous by the gallant stand made
by its inhabitants, under the name of the Enniskillen
men, in favour of King William, during which period
they not only maintained themselves in the town of
Enniskillen, thus preserving this important pass between
Ulster and Connaught, in spite of all the attempts made
to obtain possession of it, but made incursions into the
neighbouring counties, from which they carried off many
prisoners and much booty, and paralysed the operations
of a large portion of the Irish army before Derry, from
an apprehension of an attack from this quarter. After
the relief of this city, they joined the army of William
in Ulster, and from their gallant demeanour and know-
ledge of the country rendered him good service, and
made the name of the Enniskilleners respected among
their English friends and dreaded by the Irish enemy.
The military spirit thus drawn forth has been maintained
ever since, so that not only do the sons of the native
farmers frequently prefer a soldier’s life abroad to that
of an agriculturist at home, but young men from other
counties anxious to enlist travel thither to the recruiting
parties which are always ready to receive them.
According to the Ecclesiastical arrangements the
county is partly in the diocese of Kilmore, but chiefly
in that of Clogher, For the purposes of civil jurisdic-
tion it is divided into the baronies of Clonkelly, Coole,
Glenawly, Knockninny, Lurg, Magheraboy, Maghera-
stephana, and Tyrkennedy; it contains the borough,
market and county town of Enniskillen, the market
and post-towns of Irvinestown (formerly Lowthers-
town), Lisnaskea, and Brookborough; the market-
town of Maguires-bridge (which has a penny post);
and the post-towns of Florence-Court, Kesh, Tempo,
Church Hill, Newtown-Butler, Belleek, and Lisbel-
law, together with the villages of Ballinamallard,
Ederney, and Holywell. Prior to the Union it sent
four members to the Irish parliament, viz., two
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knights of the shire, and two burgesses for the borough
of Enniskillen; and since that period it Has returned
three representatives to the Imperial parliament, the
number for the borough having been then reduced to
one, and so continued under the Reform act. The
elections take place in the county town. The county
constituency, as registered at the close of the January
sessions, 1836, consists of 220 freeholders of £50, 246 of
£20, and 1120 of £10; one leaseholder, of £50, 24 of
£20, and 36 of £10; two rent-chargers of £50, and 11
of £20; making a total of 1660 registered electors.
The county is included in the North-west circuit. The
assizes and general quarter sessions of the peace are
held at Enniskillen, where the county gaol and court-
house are situated: quarter sessions are also holden at
Newtown-Butler, where there are a sessions-house and
bridewell. The number of persons charged with criminal
offences, and committed for trial in 1836, was 409.
The local government is vested in a lord-lieutenant,
14 deputy-lieutenants, and 64 other magistrates, toge-
ther with the usual county officers, including a coroner.
The constabulary police consists of an inspector, pay-
master, stipendiary magistrate, 4 officers, 21 constables,
90 sub-constables, and 5 horses, quartered in 20 sta-
tions; the expense of their maintenance is defrayed in
equal proportions by Grand Jury presentments and by
Government. The district lunatic asylum is at Armagh,
the county infirmary is at Enniskillen, and there are
dispensaries at Church Hill, Rosslea, Kesh, Brookbo-
rough, Maguires-bridge, Lisnaskea, Irvinestown, New-
town-Butler, Holywell, Ballinamallard, Belleek, and
Lisbellaw. The amount of Grand Jury presentments
for 1835 was £16,346. 8. 1¾., of which £3098. 19. 9½.
was for the roads, bridges, &c, of the county at large;
£4380.11. l½. for the roads, bridges, &c, being the ba-
ronial charge; £6566.11. 65½. for public buildings, chari-
ties, officers’ salaries, and incidents; and £2300. 5. 8½.
for the police. In the military arrangements the county
is included in the northern district, and contains barracks
for artillery and infantry at Enniskillen, affording ac-
commodation for 14 officers and 547 non-commissioned
officers and men, with 98 horses.
The surface is very uneven, and presents great
varieties both of soil and aspect. On the eastern verge
of the county the land is elevated and sterile, and on the
western still more so: indeed, with the exception of
small portions in the north and south, the county may
be said to consist of hills environed by mountains, and
having its centre depressed into a great natural basin or
reservoir, serving as a receptacle for the numerous rivers
and streams from the higher grounds, whose accumu-
lated waters form one of the noblest lakes in Ireland.
Of these mountains the most elevated is Cuilcagh, which,
though generally considered as belonging to Leitrim
and Cavan, has its lofty eastern extremity, 2188 feet
high, altogether in Fermanagh. The Slievebaught or
Slabby mountain, which forms the boundary towards
Monaghan and Tyrone, extends far westward into this
county, and, in like manner, that of Barnesmore in
Donegal penetrates southward into it. The most con-
spicuous of the mountains which are wholly within the
county is Belmore, 1312 feet high, between the Shannon
and the Erne. Tosset, or Topped mountain, of inferior
elevation, commands a range of prospects, which for
grandeur, variety, and extent is not surpassed by any
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