ABSTRACT
The war as much as the political scene changed complexion whilst Cromwell was in the process of being promoted. Against the background of fear engendered by the possibility of a treaty in Ireland, which would free large numbers of soldiers for the king’s forces, John Pym had negotiated a treaty with Scotland over the summer of 1643. For the Scots, a treaty in Ireland posed the threat of Irish forces landing on the southwest coast. Their attempts to mediate between the king and parliament had also been rebuffed in Oxford. In September 1643 the fears of parliament and the Scottish government came to fruition; the king’s representative in Ireland, James Butler, Marquis of Ormond concluded a cessation with the Catholic Confederation of Kilkenny. Although this was a prelude to negotiations rather than a full-scale treaty, it did allow the return to England and Wales of a large number of soldiers sent to Ireland in 1642. The king was able to monopolise this army and despite personal political loyalties the returnees were ‘dragooned’ into the royalist cause.
