The
Plantation Scheme 1610 – 1630

The
rebellion by Sir Cahir O’Dogherty on 19 April 1608 led to
the sacking of Londonderry and the use of Scottish levies
from Ayr to take Carrickfergus – the first use of Scottish
troops by the English for conquest abroad. The troops
remained and became a further source of tenants. When
Derry was granted to the City of London in 1610 among the
South Western Scots who were compensated were Boyd,
Patterson and Wray. In January 1609 proposals were made
for the plantation of Tyrone which became the plan for the
division of the escheated lands in the six Counties. The
Proclamation of the Plantation on 8 March 1609  by
the Scottish Council opened the doors for the settlement
of thousands of Scots in Ulster under the Plantation
Scheme.

Applicants
for land tended to come from within 25 miles of Edinburgh.
They were generally persons of substance and position and
the applications were by way of family ventures with
mutual action as cautioners’ (guarantors). It was the
urban middle class and petty gentry who were most
enthusiastic. In all the Scottish undertakers received
some 81,000 acres . 

The nine baronies set aside for the Scots were mainly
around the periphery of the escheated lands The Scottish
Baronies  were Boylagh , Banagh and Portlough in
Donegal ; Strabane and Mountjoy in Tyrone; Knockninny,
Magherabov in Fermanagh; Clankee and Tullyhunco in Cavan ;
and, the northern half of The Fews in Armagh.

The
Scottish origin of the undertakers influenced migration
and to a large degree the family location of many Scots.
As a very broad indication the families dispersed –

Donegal –
Cunningham, Campbell

Fermanagh –
Home, Johnston, Armstrong, Elliot, Little, Irving, Beaty –
all Border names.

Tyrone –
Stewart, Hamilton, Elliott, Armstrong, Johnson, Graham,
Scot, and Irving.

Antrim –
Stewart, Boyd, Hamilton.

Down – In
the1630 muster: 53 Montgomery’s, 44 Hamiltons then
Campbells (Ayrshire – Hamilton estates) Johnston, Kennedy,
Scot, Bell, Maxwell, Gibson, Dixon, McKee – mainly from
the vicinity of Ayr, Renfrew, Wigtown and Lanark.

The Muster
Rolls of 1630 provide a basis for analysing the extent of
Scottish migration. The extant Rolls provide a total of
13,147 adult males which suggests a total population in
excess of 30,000,  of which about 60% were Scottish.

Orr in the
Plantation

The
earliest Orr found in Ireland is that of  Richard Orr
of Clontarf who died ca 1563. Whether he was of Scots
origin or otherwise can only be conjecture, however there
are no doubts about  James Orr and Margaret McClement,
from Ayrshire, who settled in Co Down in 1607 as part of
the Montgomery settlement.

It is
highly probable that there were a number of Scottish Orrs from a variety of counties
in the early influx of new settlers
although documentation is quite another thing. There is
one Orr listed in the early `denizens` (a form of
naturalisation so that they could legally hold title to
the lands granted to them ) this being James Orr, of Raphoe in County Donegal who was granted denization 20
November 1617. It is probable that this Orr originated
from either Ayrshire or Galloway. It was from these
regions that the Scots settlers in the County Donegal
baronies of Boylagh and Banagh, and Portlough, originated. 
There was a Thomas Orr in East Inishowen and a Donnell Orr
in Raphoe in the 1630 Muster. By the time of the Hearth
Tax Rolls in 1665 there were quite a few Orr families –
William Orr in Conleigh; John and William  Orr in
Letterkenny; John Orr in Castlefin; Alexander Orr in
Beltany and Joseph Orr in Drumay .

Robert Bell
in his “Book of Ulster Surnames” says that there were
settler families in Co Tyrone in 1655. The Hearth Money
Rolls and Poll Tax Returns for Co Antrim 1660 – 1669 show
a reasonably well off William Orr in Antrim Town with 2
hearth taxes ( ie he probably had a house with two fire
places) in 1666 and 1669. In the Parish of Raloo in 1669
there was a Robert Orr (townland of Ballyrickard More) and
a Widow Orr (townland of Ballywillin) .In the Parish of
Ballymoney there was a Pat Ore ( townland of Ballymoney)
in both 1666 and 1669 Hearth Money Rolls. In the Parish of
Dunluce a John Orr (townland of Ballybogy) in 1669. In the
Parish of Larne John Oure (townland of Larne Parish &
Town) in 1669. In the Parish of Ballinderry John Orr (
townland of The New Park) in 1669.

But we can
go forward from James Orr and Janet McClement thanks to
the work of Gawain Orr of Castlereagh who spent a great
deal of his life researching his family history and
creating his ” Ulster
Pedigree “. This work provides information on about
2,800 individuals although the births, marriage and deaths
information is rather lacking.