Information of William Fitzgerrald

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The Examination of William ffitzGerrald Clerke taken the iiiith day of June 1642 Before mee Chancellour of his Maiesties Court of Exchequer by direction of the right honnorable the Lordes Justices & Councell

Whoe beeing sworne & Examined saith that vpon the xxiiith of October 1641 the ffort of Charlemont together with the ffort of Montioy & the Castle of Dungannon were traiterouslie surprised & seized vpon by Sir Phelim ô Neale <A> & his fellow Rebells wherevpon they fell immediatelie to robb & spoile his Majesties Subiects & leidge people in & through the Counties of Ardmagh & Tirone And saith that vpon thursdaie next ensuing the xxiiith of October aforesaid hee the said Sir Phelim approached in hostile manner with multitudes of men to the Towne of Ardmagh besetting the same round about on all sides threatning with ffire & sword to destroy both Towne & inhabitants if they did not surrender the same with all theire Armes vnto him And vpon the same daie the said Sir Phelim sent for him this Examinant to come vnto him to Ardmagh
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who haueing noe meanes of flight or escape, (all waies & passages of the Countrie beeing stopped & watched by the Rebells daie & night that none might escape out of the Countrie hee this Examinant repaired vnto him Vnto whom the said Sir Phelim <B> ô Neale told & did declare with many oathes and protestations that what hee did and was to doe was by authoritie from his Majestie out of England & by direction & consent of the prime Nobillitie & Gentrie of Ireland, & that what hee had done there was likewise done & Executed in Dublin & in all other his Majesties fforts & Townes throughout this Kingdome as beeing a course resolued vpon amongst the Lordes & Gentrie of this kingdome for the preservation of his Majesties prerogatiue theire owne Religion & liberties against the Puritane ffaction in England Scotland & Ireland, who intended (as the said <C> Sir Phelim averred) to enact such Lawes whereby the Inhabitants of Ireland should conforme in Religion to the Church of England, or otherwis{e} to bee deprived of life libertie & Estates And for that intent that there was an Army of 40000 to bee sent out of England & Scotland to see such lawes speedilie Executed against all Catholiques in the kingdome of Ireland An{d} further saith that hee this Examinant disswadeing him the said Sir Phelim ô Neale from such
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Enterprises as hee had begun & with all declareing vnto him the dangers & evills of Rebellion & takeing vpp Armes against theire Prince & the ill successe which likewise happned to his <D> name & all others in this Kingdome who had formerlie run such courses Hee the said Sir Phelim replied that what now was done by him or any others in this Kingdome was done vpon verie good groundes, of the certainety whereof there would bee proclamations out of England from his Majestie within ten daies or a fortnight throughout the kingdome And that now his partie the Catholiques of Ireland haueing got possession of the Castle & Towne of Dublin & all other his Majesties ffortes of Ireland they would obtaine the secureing of theire Religion & Estates in as ample manner as the Scotts had obtained theires in Scotland <E> And vntill the said Proclamations & directions came out of England none of his Majesties Protestant Subiects should bee deprived of theire Estates in the North partes where hee the said Sir Phelim ô Neale was Commander But should freelie enioy & exercise theire Religion in theire Churches according to theire lawes & manners in all places Of all which premisses there was not anie performanc{e}
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After that hee the said Sir Phelim had got & taken all theire Armes from them But cruell robbing murthers & robbing of his Maiesties leige people the Protestants ensued in all places in the <f> North where the said Sir Phelim ô Neale (vnder the name of Gennerall of the Catholique Armie in the Province of Vlster commaunded Insoemuch that when att Augher Lisnegarvie or any other place the Rebells receiued any Losse of men those who escaped exercised theire crueltie & malice vpon the Protestants euerie where in theire returne And this Examinant alsoe saith that hee the said Sir Phelim ô Neale & his fellow Rebells (heareing that an Armie was landed att Carrickfergus vnder the command of the Lord Conwaie & Collonell Mountroe) vowed to destroie (as this Examinant heard) all provision & places of habitation & dwelling in <G> the Countrie Soe as noe English should haue where to lodge or keepe in Guarrisons in the North of Ireland which was put in Execution accordinglie by fireing all houses & Provisions in the Counties of Ardmagh & Tirone on the sixt daie of Maie last past. And this Examinant further saith that when the Rebells were beaten & chased from Drogheda & afterwards from Dundalke, the Inhabitants of the Countie of
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Lowth who fled into the Counties of Ardmagh & Tirone were great procurers & Councellours to destroy all the Protestants in those parts as namelie John Stanley of Drogheda Alderman <H> a Popish Preist named Sir Lawrence Mr Taaffe of Branganstowne & Mr Stephn Dowdall of Killalie (by the Rebells called Captaine Dowdall as this Examinant hath beene crediblie enformed by the very Irish.) And likewise saith that the said Stanley was imployed by the Rebells to goe to Gallway in the Province of Connaght to furnish Sir Phelim ô Neale & the Rebells in the North with Armes & Minution & carried with him great summes of mony for that purpose As this Examinant hath been enformed And alsoe saith that amongst others who fled into the <I> North hee this Examinant did see & speake with one Mr James Preston Sonn & heire to Mr Preston of Ballmadun in the Countie of Meath with his wife & children att Ardmagh as forward as this Examinant could learne in Rebellion Evill Councells & practises as any other of the Rebells there And this Examinant further saith that since this Rebellion brake forth hee hath att seuerall tymes heard Sir
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Phelim o Neale say & report in the presence of many that Owen Roe ô Neale and Collonell Preston would land in Ireland with <K> 8000 men together with Armes & Munition for 12000 men more for vpholding of the Quarrell that they had begun heere in Ireland & maintaineing the kings Prerogatiue & the Catholique Religion in this Kingdome And that what was begun by them heere in Ireland concerning the takeing vpp of Armes was by the aduice direction & consent of the said Owen Roe ô Neale & Collonell Preston And likewise saith that hee this Examinant beeing sent for to Ardmagh to Sir Phelim ô Neale one day did there see in Companie with him the said Sir Phelim one ffather Thomas ffleming a <L> ffrier elder brother to the now Lord Baron of Slane who discourseing together publiquely concerning the Seidge of Drogheda, Sir Phelim oNeale in ranting & boasting manner said hee <b> made noe accompt of beeing Master of Drogheda within a few daies if that his ffrendes of the Pale according to theire promises made vnto him did stick fast vnto him ffor hee said hee was certaine his owne Northerne men would neuer shrink from him whithersoeuer hee went Wherevpon the said ffrier replied vnto him that hee the said Sir Phelim might
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bee assured of them of the Pale for that itt was too late for them to recall what they had promised <M> & begun And the said ffrier att the same tyme wished damnation to all them or any of them who should first breake covenant or promise the one with the other And this Examinant further saith that att the same tyme there was present one ffather Oliver Darcie a Popish Preist or ffrier (But which of them this Examinant knoweth not) who as this Examinant was enformed by seuerall of the Rebells then & there present was sent in all haste from the Rebells that beseidged Drogheda to hasten Sir Phelim ô Neale with his Company of Rebells to the Seidge of Drogheda if euer hee meant to gaine the said Towne or expected that his rebellious Complices should staie any longer att the said Seidge Wherevpon hee <N> the said Sir Phelim commaunded his men awaie & the same day tooke horse himselfe & followed them to the seidge of Drogheda accompanied with the aforesaid ffather ffleming & Darcie. And this Examinant alsoe saith that hee hath beene enformed by seuerall of the Irish Rebells Sir Phelim ô Neale was elected & afterwardes created by the name of great ô Neale in the Countie of Tirone att a place
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(as this Examinant hath beene enformed) called Tullaghoge according to the manner reg Rites & Ceremonies of electing & creating the great ô Neale in former tymes All which was done <O> & accepted of by him in Januarie last past to the best of his this Examinants remembrance And this Examinant alsoe saith that vpon the ffift daie of May last past when Sir Phelim ô Neale lurking with his Rebells in the Mountaines betwixt Ardmagh & the Newrie had certaine notice giuen him that the Towne & Castle of Newrie was gained by his Majesties fforces sent thither, hee the said Sir Phelim retired that night in all hast to the Towne of Ardmagh & the next daie aswell the Towne of Ardmagh as all Villages & houses in the Countrie round about together with all Corne & provision was fired by the Rebells & many men women & Children murthered aswell in the Towne as in the Countrie round about The Cathedrall <P> Church of Ardmagh the very same daie beeing fired & burnt to the ground, all by the command of the said Sir Phelim ô Neale as this Examinant hath beene enformed who att his departure thence left Collonell Brian mc Hugh boy ô Neale att Ardmagh to see Execution done of such rebellious wicked designes, which said Brian (as this Examinant hath been enformed by seuerall of the Irish) within short tyme after
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fell sick of an Ague grew frantick, & in his raveing manner cried out allwaies to kill the English Churles & Scotts In which wofull case <Q> hee shortlie ended his miserable life. And lastlie this Examinant saith that since the begining of December last past as hee this Examinant hath beene enformed by seuerall of the Irish Rebells, many were imployed to make Gunpowder for Sir Phelim ô Neale & the Rebells ffirst att Charlemonte & afterwardes att Ardmagh which they could neuer compasse or bring to theire desired effect after much labour cost and paine <R> bestowed therein as this Examinant hath heard Theire cheife workmen in that work beeing one Hodges commonlie called in the Countrie Doctor Hodges for his practice of Phisick in the Northerne parts & one Pearson who liued att Tongree alias Ballymore in the County of Ardmagh, & one Worrall sent (as this Examinant hath heard) from the Realies in the Countie of Cavan to assist in that service for the makeing of Gunpowder for the Rebells vse.
Rob Meredith

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