Leonard, lord Grey, the lord deputy of Ireland, having, about this time, received instructions from the king to oblige the Irish by indenture, to acknowledge his supremacy, and renounce the Pope,m departed trom Dublin on the 17th of June, 1537, with an army, for the purpose of enforcing obedience to these orders, and on the 11th of July arrived in Galway. The corporation treated him and his soldiers gratis for seven days; and the mayor and aldermen, according to Sir Richard Cox, in his history, following the example of Limerick, took the oath of supremacy, and renounced the authority of the Pope. While his lordship remained in town, O Flaherty, O'Madden and Mac Yeoris, (or Bermingham), came in, and made their submissions; but when the king received an account of what had taken place, he wrote to the lord deputy, that "their oaths, submissions and indentures were not worth a farthing, since they did not give hostages."n About the same time, Finglas, chief baron of the Exchequer, recommended that half the fee-farm of Galway should be paid to the lord deputy for the time being, and that the other half should be applied for repairing the walls, and providing for its security. The town was accordingly put into a state of defence; the south quay, or new-tower gate, was built, and the walls were repaired and provided with guns: which latter circumstances gave rise to one of the articles of impeachment against the unfortunate lord Grey; for, having brought the artillery in a small vessel to Galway, he made the town pay 34l. for the carriage.o The hospital of St. Bridget, in the east suburbs, was founded for the poor of the town, and each burgess was obliged, in his turn, to send a maid servant to collect alms every sabbath day for its support; a custom which was long afterwards observed. This charitable institution was fortunately completed in the year 1543, when the sweating sickness broke out, and raged with great violence, destroying multitudes of the natives, and particularly the tradesmen of the town.
Next: Charter of Henry VIII and Mercantile bye-laws