Thanks to C. A. Allen, Homer G. Benton, Kathleen K. Hale and Alan R. Rockwell Jr. for answering my questions about the English legal system and the sending of prisoners to America for punishment. The following is a compilation of these answers: "Court of Oyer and Terminer" A commission authorizing a judge to hear and pass sentence in a criminal case. The court or assize was established to have jurisdiction over a particular region. "Dorset, Somerset and Devon" Counties in the Southwest corner of England "sentence enrolled" The date when the sentence was carried out. There is less consensus on what "war" these men were engaged in against the King. The Irish "Great Rebellion" had been put down in 1652 by Cromwell who rewarded his soldiers with land taken from the Irish. Because of the savagery with which this rebellion had been put down, the English authorities thought that they had stopped Irish rebellions for good. They were soon proved wrong when new trouble started after the death of Charles II King of England in 1685. He was succeeded by James II. The native Irish supported James because they thought that he would restore their lands to them. Their support for James got them into trouble again when William of Orange was installed as King by powerful English nobles and went to war to dethrone James. In 1688 William defeated James who fled to France and began plans to regain the throne. He was later defeated again in Ireland by William at the battle of the Boyne in 1690. This is all very interesting but how do these events fit in with the hapless prisoners who arrived in America in 1691? If anyone wants to read the account that this was taken from, it can be seen at: http://home.eznet.net/~kinsella/history/hist17.htm Ken Walter