The boroughs were subjected to the absolute authority of the Crown.

Towns in which almost every householder was an English Protestant were placed under the government of Irish Roman Catholics.
Many of the new Aldermen had never even seen the places over which they were appointed to bear rule.

At the same time the Sheriffs, to whom belonged the execution of writs and the nomination of juries, were selected in almost every instance from the caste which had till very recently been excluded from all public trust.

It was affirmed that some of these important functionaries had been burned in the hand for theft.
Others had been servants to Protestants; and the Protestants added, with bitter scorn, that it was fortunate for the country when this was the case; for that a menial who had cleaned the plate and rubbed down the horse of an English gentleman might pass for a civilised being, when compared with many of the native aristocracy whose lives had been spent in coshering or marauding.

To such Sheriffs no colonist, even if he had been so strangely fortunate as to obtain a judgment, dared to intrust an execution, [119] Thus the civil power had, in the space of a few months, been transferred from the Saxon to the Celtic population.