the city of armagh, county armagh, was the episcopal seat of the primate of all ireland, the archbishop of armagh. the sovereign of armagh corporation was the primate's land agent, or the seneschal of the manor. the other burgesses were clergymen, "who seem to have held on an express or implied stipulation to resign on quitting the diocese, or in case of their becoming unwilling to act under the archbishop's direction." as these clergymen naturally looked to the archbishop for preferment, it is improbable that there were many resignations under the last clause of the agreement; and a corporation so managed must have been as easy to control as through tenants who had taken an oath, and against whom, moreover, the agent had the additional lever of the "hanging gale" (rent arrears).