Letter to Privy Council by Parsons et al.

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May it please your most honorable Lordships,
Since our last dispatche to the Lo: Lievtenant dated the 25th of October, concerning the present rebellion begun heere, the rebells have with great multitudes proceeded in their outrages even to great cruelty against the English and protestants in all places where they came,
They have seised the howses and estates of almost all the English in the Counties of Monoghan, Cavan, fermanagh, Armagh, Tirone Donegall Letrim, Longford and a great parte of the County of Doune some of which are howses of good strength and dispossessed the English of their Armes and some of the English Gentlemen whose howses they seised even without any resistance in regard of the suddenes of their surprise, the Rebells most barbarously not only murdered, but (as wee are informed) hewed some of them to peeces, They surprised the greatest part of a horsetroope of his Majesties Armie comanded by the Lord Grandison in the County of Armagh, and possessed themselues of their Armes, They apprehended the Lord Caulfeild, Sir Edward Trevor a member of this Boarde, and Sir Charles Poyntes and Mr Branthwait Agent to the Earle of Essex, And a greate number of other Gentlemen of good quallitie of the English, in seuerall partes, whom they still keepe Prisoners; as allsoe the Lo: Blaney{s} Ladie and Chrilden, and divers other Ladies and Gentlewome{n} they haue wasted, destroyed, and spoyled, Whersoeuer they Came, And now theire fury begins to threaten the English Plantacions in the Qeenes Countie and Kings Countie,
And by theire Example the Sherriffe of the Countie of Longford, a Natiue and papist is likewise risen in Armes, and followed by the Irish there, where they robb spoyle and destroy the English, with greate Crueltie.
In theise theire assaults of assaults of the English they haue slaine many, robbed and spoyled Thousands, reduced Men of good estates in lands, who liued plentifully and well to such a Condicon as they left them not soe mu{ch}as shirtes to Cover theire Nakedness, They turned out of theire estates many of Considerable fortunes, in goods and left them in greate want and miserie, and even the Irish servants and Tennants of the English, who liued vnder them, rise against them with greate Mallignitie,
and

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And Joyne with the Rebbells, They defaced the chargeable buildings and proffittable Improvements of the English to their vttermost Power, They threaten all the English to bee gon by a time, or they will destroy them vtterly, And indeede they giue out publicquely that their purpose is totally to extirp the English and Protestants, and not to lay downe Armes, vntill by an Act of Parliament here the Romish Relligion bee established, And that the Government bee settled in the hands of the Natiues, and all the ould Irish restored to the lands of their supposed Ancestors,
Theise and other miseries and Callamities the English and Prottestants of all Conditions heere doe suffer, which wee cannot mencion without horror and Greife of hart, Besides in theise high disturbances and generall mischeifs, the Irish Inhabitinge on the Borders of the Counties of Meath and Lowth, adjoyninge to the Counties of Cavan and Monaghan, doe make daily Incursions in all the English neere them, and robb and spoyle them of all they haue, whereby many are vtterly vndon and ruined their estates,
The Rebbells findinge their numbers to increase with wee are informed to bee verie many; and in many places in soe much as it Conceived that they are not less then thirty Thousand allready declared, assemble themselves in greate parties, whome notwithstandinge wee dare meete with farr feuer numbers as wee hope to bee Armed and horsed they (for the most parte) beinge as yett meanely provided of any Armes or Munition, but such, onely as they gott from the English, whome they robbed and the Kings Magazens which they surprised,
They haue sent a party of their Men to the Towne of Dundalke, an Antient Corporacion which held firme to the Crowne in all the times of the late Rebellions in this Kingdome When they approached the Towne on satturday last it was rendred vpp to them without a blow strucken in the defence of it,
They are now advancinge immediatly to Drogheda, a walled Towne vppon the Sea Coast, with twentie Miles of Dublin, and if they can prevaile there, It is conceived they will march imediatly hither to besiege this Cittye and Castle,
In theise streights and therein our extreame want of Money and Armes aswell as Men, addinge to our greife wee conceived it became of absolute necessitie to finde Meanes to Imploy some streingth aswell to deterr the Rebbells and their Adherents, as to Countenance and if it bee possible to preserue the good Subjects, especiallie
in

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In theise parts, And therefore haueing sent what supplyes, of Armes and Municion wee could to Drogheda Wee raised heere a Thousand foote consistinge of as many English as Wee could possibly gather, yett a great parte of them are Irish whome Wee are necessitated to Trust and haue armed them And they are now marched with two Troopes of Horse towards Drogheda,
But if through the Defection of theise Irish in that Regiment or anie other accident it should soe happen as God forbidd, that the Rebbells should prevaile against them, then Consideringe the present State and Condicion of this Cittie, Wee must vtterly despaire of beinge able to keepe it against the Rebbells, vnless wee bee releeved with all possible speede releeved from thence, with Men, money and Armes And on the other side not to send forth those Troopes would bee extrearmely dangerous, as Giueinge not onely too much hart to the Rebbells, when they should see themselves able to come soe farr without resistance, but allsoe greate discouragement and Terror to the wellaffected when they should see vs vnable to shew any Streingth for their Defence,
Wee should it [ ] our Duties thus to acquaint your Lordships with the lamentable state wherein this Kingdom stands, that soe his Maiestie and the Parliament there may vnderstand it, the and then Wee hope they will provide for releeuinge vs imediatlie, with tenn thousand foote and one Thousand hundred horse, for the present, well armed and further provisions of Armes to furnish the stores, as allsoe some able Comanders, and one hundred thousand pound in Money, to pay them and answeare other occassions heere which beinge now speedily sent vs, may prevent the effusion of verie much English blood, and the vast expence of Treasure heerafter, which must of necessitie bee spent if wee bee not presentlie thus releeved
Wee must allsoe make knowne to you Lordships that vppon this occasion many of the Noble men and Gentrie of the Pale, coming to vs for Armes, as allsoe many in this Cittie and other Townes, Wee held it the safest way to avoyde their suspicion of our Jealosie of them, and soe wee yeelded to lett some prime Men, and some Counties allsoe to haue Armes and Munition for their Defence against the Rebbells, vppon deepe professions of their Loyaltie to the Crowne, who wee hope willbee a streingth to vs Butt howeuer there was noe safety to lett them lodge any thoughts of Jealousie in vs against them, and our issueinge of armes in that maner hath very much lessened our stores
Sir

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Sir ffaithfull ffortescue, comeinge lately from Drogheda shewed vs a paper which hee tould vs was dropped vnder a Stall at Drogheda, and soe was brought to him It seemes to bee a declaration of Some of the reasons pretended by the Rebbells for takeinge vpp of Armes which Paper wee humblie offer to your Lordships heere inclosed as allsoe two Proclamations published by vs by occasion of this Rebellion Since our last dispatch to the Lord Liuetennant,
The Lord Magwire and mc Mahowne the two principall Prisoners wee haue, Wee should thinke fitt to send into England for their more safety, And to take away from the Rebbells all hope of deliueringe them from Prison by their Coming hether to beseige this Place, Wherein therefore wee humbly Crave a speedy signification of his Maiesties or your Lordships good Pleasure to bee hastened vnto vs, To quicken our supplies from thence, without which, and that with all possible speede Wee cannot expect to leave live to giue his Maiestie an Accompt of this place, Wee haue now written our letres to the Lords and Commons howse of Parliament there, and haue for the particulers referred to theise our letres to your Lordships Humbly beseechinge your Lordships to Comunicate them to both houses, yett soe wee hope as those partes thereof which your Lordships may easily Judge are fitt to bee kept stores secrett and beinge published, may discover our disabilitie to make defence, and our apprehensions of greate and eminent danger may not Come to Common view,
Wee haue allsoe (soe extreamely necessarie it is) sent this bearer Richard ffitz=Gerrald esquire as an express agent or sollicitor from this State, to attend his Maiestie and your Lordships, that soe by his Maiesties gratious Interposition, and your Lordships mediation for vs to the Parliament there the succors, Wee expect may be sent us which if they come not Imediatly wee crave leaue to repeat it againe, and againe the Kingdome wilbee vtterly lost, and all the English and Protestants in Ireland destroyed, and soe England in stead of Subiects will haue enemies heere, who will Continuallie disturbe the Peace of that Kingdome, aswell from hence as from forraigne Powers, for noe way willbee left vnattempted by them wherby the Peace of the Kingdome, may bee disturbed, and then of necessitie England must bee forced to vndertake a new Conquest of this Kingdome, for a polliticke reformacion will then become impossible, and to make a new conquest
will

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Wilbee now more difficult and chargeable then in any former times in regard the Portes and Inland Townes and the principall streingth wilbee imediatly lost as some of them allready are, which are now more in numbers by much then were here in former times, and the People better disciplin’d in the rules of Warr, besides many other advantages they haue as well by the returne hether of Comaunders of the Irish, who served in forreine Nations as otherwise, which the Wanted in the tymes of former Rebellions heere, and besides all the Meere Irish now in the service of the Kinge of Spayne, Will vndoubtedly returne hether to Joyne with the Rebbells, And soe Wee humbly take leaue and remaine from his Maiesties Castle of Dublin 5o Nouember 1641
To the right honorable the Lords
of his Maiesties most honorable
Priuie Councell,
Your most honorable Lordships
humbly at Comandment
William Parsons: Jo Borlase
R: Dillon: Ant: Midensis: Jo: Raphoe:
Cha Lambart: Ad Loftus: J: Temple,
Cha: Coote: P: Crosbie: Tho: Rotherham
Ja: Ware: Rob: Meredith.
Concordat cum originali
Ex pro Paul: Davys:

exr

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5 No: 1641
Letre to the [lords] of the
Councell

the Castle at Longfoorde yealded vpon
Quarter, the .2. of 9ber 1641. Ruth Mar
tins Examination. Lib. C. pag. 193.
The Sheriffe of Longford & others of
the O ffarralls permitted by the Lords
Justices & Councell to Returne from
Dublin; though they were informed
that they had ioyned in the pillaging of the
Protestants. the Answere to the false &
Scandalous Remonstrance of the
Rebels. pag. 71. et. 79.
The Examination of Ruth Martyn
the Relict of Henry Martin of Long
ford Merchant. Lib. C. pag: 193
The Exam. of Isabell Allen Lib.
C. pag: 61. 62. 63.

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