Examination of Edmond Realy

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<symbol> The Examinacion of Edmond Realy comonly called the Viccar Generall taken the viijth day of September 1652 before vs Sir Gerrard Lowther knight Sir Edward Bolton knight and Thomas Dongan Esquire Commissioner for Administracion of Justice Oyer and Terminer & Gaole delivery &c and Willia{m}Basill Esquire Atturney Generall for the Comon wealth and on{e} of the Justices of Peace for the Province of Leinster as followeth
Who beinge sworn & Examined saieth that in or about August or September <A> 1651 Collonell Luke Toole vppon a holy day came to Glandelagh or the Seaven Churches in the County of Wickloe where this Examinant and most of the neighbours then were; and that some of the said Luke Tooles Soldiers did then bringe thither Cahell Cullen as a prisoner and that the sayd Luke there meetinge this Examinant tould him he had the said Cahell prisoner, and had brought him thither to bee tryed by a Counsell of warr or a Marshalls Court and asked this Examinant if he had any thinge to say against the said Cahell Cullen, And that he this Examinant answeared therevnto I haue nothinge to say against him wherevpon the said Luke Replyed what have yow nothinge to say concerninge the takeinge away of William Walshes of Shanganagh’s horse to which he answeared I haue not anie thinge against the said Cullen and saieth that he this Examinant then prayed the said Luke Toole to doe the prisoner noe wronge he beinge his kinsman and Neighbour and that then the said Luke Toole said he would putt the said Cahell Cullen vpon a Councell of warr and therevpon called his Sonns Livetenant Collonell Donogh Toole and Maior Christopher Toole and some pettie officers in all to the number of about seaven and saieth that Maior Barnard Talbott was there, but not of the Councell sworne And this Examinant <B> further saieth that he knew soe much of the said Barnards mynde that he verely beleeveth that he would not have beene of the Councell of warr if hee had beene called therevnto. And saieth that Hugh mc Phelim Birne Livetenant Generall of the Irish Army and his brother Bryan mc Phelim Birne were not then present nor were of the Councell of warr, his cause of knowledge of theire absence is that this Examinant was present when the Councell of warr was called and that they were not then there & doth beleeve if they had beene there they would have saluted this Examinant or he should some way have heard of theire beinge there And further sayth that after the said Councell of warr had sate, hee this Examinant Callinge to the said Donogh o Toole asked him what they had concluded on or done with Cahell Cullen who answeared that they freed him and saieth that he this Examinant allsoe asked of Christopher Toole the said Lukes other sonne what they had done with the said Cahell Cullen and that the said Christopher allsoe Answeared that they freed the said Cahell Cullen and further saieth that he the said Christopher advised his ffather the said Luke to take <C> an oath of the said Cullen to bee true vnto him and to doe noe further hurt vnto him or his Children, and soe to lett him goe as the said Christopher then tould this Examinant wherevpon the Examinant & all others that heard of it (as hee conceives) were fully satisfied that the said Cullen would have noe further hurt done vnto him; and further saieth that some foure daies after he this Examinant heard that the said Luke Toole had hanged the said Cahell Cullen not farre from Castlekevin And this Examinant further

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further saieth that about a quarter of a yeare after heareinge that the said Luke Toole had hanged one Anne Birne of in Clankree abhorringe the said act he this Examinant wrote a letter vnto the said Luke Toole <E> therein sharpely blameinge and reprehendinge the sayd Luke Toole for puttinge the said Cahell Cullen and Anne Birne to death soe inconsiderately and that the said Luke Toole shortly after returned an Answeare vnto the said letter which Answeare followeth in these wordes that is to saye. ffor his Reverend ffather Fa: Edmond Reyly these deliver at Sankeane. Reverend ffather I received your invective letter wherein I am accused by your Reverence for the death of Nan Byrne and Cahell Cullen to give your Reverence satisfaccion I found out by severall Intelligences that the said Nan Byrne directed the way for Walshon whereby hee tooke away Edmond mc Teiges Cowes the way that the said Walshon came with a party in night tyme vnto Tirlagh Vltaghs quarter where William Walsh was killed Hugh mc Brackes wife was wounded, and found out that shee was betrayeinge my lodgeinge vnto the Enemy and whereas you accuse mee of belonge hanging Cahell Cullen inconsideratly I tell you I hanged him by a verdict of a Counsell of warr and vpon his owne Confession wherein he confessed before my face that as longe as he lived I will doe my vttermost endeavours for to destroy me [ ] and my Children and therefore <ff> I pray that your Reverence may bee pleased not to blame mee for cuttinge of such branches that would tend to our destrucion and that would deliver vs vnto the hands of our Enemy, A Captaine of horse of our partie lately in night tyme had a privat conference with Maior Arnob, which Conference most likely will fall out not for our good If I hange that Captaine yow will say somethinge else I have other thinges at this tyme that I will not trust to paper And in the meane tyme farewell Your humble servant Luke Toole Glancree this 7th of March 1651 And this Examinant further saieth that Barnaby Toole the said Luke Tooles Eldest sonne livinge at Harrold grange neare Rafarnam som short tyme befor the said Cullen was questioned as aforesaid and havinge about that tyme some beastes taken from some of the said Barnabies tenantes by the said Cahell Cullen as this <G> Examinant hath heard and that Complainte beinge (by some of the said tenantes and others) made thereof against the said Cahell, This Examinant conceives that the offence taken against the said Cullen for troublinge the said Barnabies tenantes neare Rafarnam was the ground & first occation that caused the said Cahell Cullen to be questioned and prosecuted by the said Luke Toole as aforesaid, And this Examinant further saieth that he hath heard that the said Luke Toole did offer vnto the said Cahell Cullen to save his

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his life and not to hange him if he would take his oath to bee true vnto him, and never after to doe hurt vnto him or his Children nor to bringe any Enemy vpon him, and that he the said Cahell <H> refuseinge to take the said oath except he might have restitucion of what Cattle, had beene taken from him, the said Cahell was afterward hanged vpon a bush in the high way by the said Luke Tooles order and direccions as this Examinant hath heard, And this Examinant further saieth concerninge the said Luke Tooles hangeinge of one Anne Byrne that a servant of this Examinants called Tirlagh Reyly was at Glancree when the said Anne was vnder a tree with a withe about her neck ready to be hanged, and askeinge his said servant what was the cause she was hanged answeared that Luke Toole said she was one Wilson a butchers whore and was a spye and gave Intelligence to the said Butcher. And this Examinant further saieth that after this havinge occasion of Conferrence with the said Luke touchinge the death of the said Cullen and blameinge of him for the same the said Luke stood vppon his iustificacion and sayd that the said Cahell Cullen, and Ann Byrne did both deserve death, and seemed nothinge sorry for the same. And further deposeth not.
Edmunde Relly
Gerrard Lowther
Edw: Bolton
Tho: Dongan
William Basil

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2
The Examinacion of Edmond
Reyly comonly called
the Viccar Generall
Concerneinge Luke Tooles
hangeinge of Cahell Cullen &
Ann Birne &c