Examination of Mary Stepney

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<x 7> Mary Stepney of Kinsale widdowe aged 60 yeares or there abouts being sworne & examined saith that shee knew one William Gussam a seruant to <A> Mr Marsh at Oldcourt, whoe whoe was fetched thence by MacCarty Reas men & carryed to Kilbrittan Castle; & his wife went thither with the hazard of her life seuerall times; to see what would be done with him; and she told this deponent that after they kept him a while, they hang’d him at the Castle=gates & by the order of McCarty Rea. And further saith Mr. that Mr John Stepney her deceased husband goeing to his house in Coursyes country on the 13th of March 1641 & being there. eight Irish Rebells that belonged to MacCarty Came thither & Carryed him forceibly away, stript him naked & forct him & murthered him, one of the eight was <B> Cormucke o daly (MacCarty Reas owne seruant & talor) & William Danyes was the officer of the said party & another of them was called one Teige Roe Skannell which whoe was the party that murthered him as as he told him selfe told Rich: Whites wife told the & she told this deponent & this deponent further saith that, one of the said eight wore her the deponents <husbands> clothes & the said McCarty did for that cause would commonly call him Stepney and alsoe saith there her said husband had three rings taken of his fingers out of his pocketts by the said fellows Rebells fell as one was a great gold ring, another a Saphier & the third a Ruby which rings came to the hands of the said Mc<C> Cartyes wife whoe enioy’d & kept them, as this deponent was told by the old Lady Coursy, who e was in formed thereof donough ffason her priest liueing in Coursyes countrey told the said old lady C oursy in this deponents heareing wherevpon this deponent preuailed with the said Lady Coursy, to write to macCartys wife in her owne name for them) whoe did write saying in her letter that the rings were hers. & that shee had deliuered them to the deponents husband vpon a certain occat ion

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And the said Cartys wife writ backe againe that she knew the rings were none of the said old Lady Coursyes, but that they were the english womans <A> that was liued in the house with her, meaning Mr this deponent. And this deponent saith that her said husband when he was murthered as aforesaid he was three score & ten yeares of age or vpwards. And further saith, that about three weekes before the said McCarty Rea went forth out into Rebellion in the yeare 1641. he comeing to this deponents house vpon priuate discourse with her, and perswaided her to goe into his Castle for her safety & further said of he would neuer take vp armes against his Maiestie for he had seene in the <hands of> with the Lord Musgraue A Commission vnder the hand of the then King Charles, with the broad seale of England thereto. thereby Authorizing the Irish to take vp armes against the English, and added further (vppon her asking the reason) that it was to reduce the all to one religion. And further saith not.

Mary Stepney

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Mary Stepney

fol. 141v

846

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