July 1580

July 1580

July 1580

Spenser appointed secretary to Arthur, fourteenth Lord Grey de Wilton, upon his departure from England to become Lord Deputy of Ireland. (Maley, 12) "Spenser was probably made an offer he could not refuse [as Grey’s secretary], and, although it may not have been quite what he wanted, Ireland was a land in which fortunes large and small could be made, high standards of living could be enjoyed, and there was access to property for those without any obvious means of obtaining it in England. Spenser’s Irish career illustrates these possibilities as well as any, given his ultimate acquisition of the Kilcolman estate and marriage into the phenomenally wealthy Boyle family. His own writings suggest that he was preparing himself for such a career and using his access to print to advertise his range of skills and availability." (Hadfield, 155)
Spenser received £20 yearly salary and £15 per year as an allowance for paper, ink, and parchment. (Hadfield, 154-55)