CHICHESTER OF BELFAST, ARTHUR CHICH ESTER, BARON (1563-1625), lord-deputy of Ireland, sec ond son of Sir John Chichester of Raleigh, Devonshire, was edu cated at Exeter college, Oxford. He commanded a ship against the Spanish Armada in 1588, and is said to have served under Drake in his expedition of 1595. Having seen further service abroad, he was sent to Ireland at the end of 1598 and was appointed by the earl of Essex to the governorship of Carrickfergus. When Essex returned to England Chichester served under Mountjoy in the war against the rebellious earl of Tyrone, and in 16oI Mountjoy rec ommended him to Cecil as the fittest person to be entrusted with the government of Ulster. On Oct. 15, 1604, Chichester was ap pointed lord-deputy of Ireland. He announced his policy in a proclamation wherein he abolished the semi-feudal rights of the native Irish chieftains, substituting for them fixed dues, while their tenants were to become dependent "wholly and immediately upon his majesty." Tyrone and other Irish clan chieftains resented this summary interference with their ancient social organization, and their resistance was strengthened by the ill-advised measures against the Roman Catholics which Chichester was compelled to take by the orders of the English ministers. He himself was moderate and enlightened in his views on this matter, and it was through his influence that the harshness of the anti-Catholic policy was relaxed in 1607. Meantime his difficulties with the Irish tribal leaders remained unsolved. But in 1607, by "the flight of the Earls," he was relieved of the presence of the two formidable Ulster chieftains, the earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell. Chichester's policy for dealing with the situation thus created was to divide the lands of the fugitive earls among Irishmen of standing and character; but the plantation of Ulster as actually carried out was much less favourable and just to the native population than the lord-deputy desired. In 1613 Chichester was raised to the peerage as Baron Chichester of Belfast, and in the following year he went to England to give an account of the state of Ireland. On his re turn to Ireland he again attempted to moderate the persecuting policy against the Irish Catholics which he was instructed to en force; and although he was to some extent successful, it was prob ably owing to his opposition to this policy that he was recalled in Nov. 1614. The king, however, told him, "You may rest assured that you do leave that place with our very good grace and accepta tion of your services" ; and he was given the post of lord-treas urer of Ireland. After living in retirement for some years, Chichester was employed abroad in 1622; in the following year he became a member of the Privy Council. He died on Feb. 19, 1625, and was buried at Carrickfergus.
See Fynes Moryson, History of Ireland, (Dublin, S. R. Gardiner in Dic. Nat. Biog. and History of England, 1603-1642 (1883).