Deposition of Elizabeth Danuers
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1641 Deposition Item Type Metadata
fol. 316r
Ex Hen: clogher
Will Aldrich
<Exw Elizabeth> the wife of Thomas Danuers of Mowgeeley in the County of Corke gent and Elizabeth his wife sworne & examined deposeth and saith That when the present Rebellion first began in those parts That is to say about three daies before All hollantide 1641 Th [ ] is deponent & her said husband were removed from a farme in the parrish of Ballibrassell in the County of Kilkenny which they held by lease from Mr Richard Strange of Dunkitt in the same County to the howse of Ballybrassell and seeing the Crueltie of the Irish and the generall Robbing & stripping of all the English thereabouts that coulde possibly be light vpon them They the deponents suddenly removed themselues, their six children and family from Ballibrassell howse aforesaid vnto the Citty of waterford whither they brought with them soe much provision of Corne beefe Bacon oatmeale and other thinges as would have fed & kept them a twelve month: And they then brought to waterford alsoe soe much plate howshold stuff apparell & other thinges, as with their provision aforesaid was worth at least 200 li.: And they were inforced to leave vpon their said farme first mencconed & stock of cattle horses plowes Carts swine <500 li.> vtensills of husbandry and other goods worth 300 li. more at the least which the Rebells tooke away And further saith that they all staid at Waterford vntill about the xvijth of December 1641 And then the said deponent Thomas Danvers returned from thence to Mowgeely aforesaid But the other deponent his wife with her children still remained there vntill about the viijth of March 1641 where she had bin seuerall times imprisoned but that she was still defended and saved from it by her honourable freind Richard Butler of Kilcash in the County of Tipperary Esquire Howbeit the said Mr Butler could not soe defend her, but that she then and there lost and was constrained to lea{ve}
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to leave behind her at waterford aforesaid her and her childrens apparrell money provision howshold goods and other thinges and privately to escape away to Mowgeely aforesaid And this Deponent Elizabeth Danvers further saith That euer since the begining of the said Rebellion, shee hath bin deprived of and lost the possession rents and proffitts of the lands she held in Jointure by a assignment of William Towes Esquire her late husband and which lay nere Mowgeeley aforesaid worth about 20 li. per Annum whereof shee accompteth that fowre yeres proffits is already lost and her husband and shee are like to be deprived of & loose the future proffitts thereof vntill a peace bee established: And both the deponente further sayth That they have susteined the losses aforesaid by meanes of the said Rebellion <In toto 710 li.> and they alsoe are thereby deprived and dispojled of due debts owing vnto them Amounting vnto Cxxx li.: And they further sayth that from the time that shee this deponent Eliz & her children came from waterford aforesaid to Mowgeeley they there continued at Mowgeely, being a Castle belonging to her brother Mr Nicholas Pine, vntill about 6 weekes since that the Erle of Castlehaven came with an Army of horse and foote, being in number (as was conceived and reported) about seven thowsand, and beseeged the said Castle of Mowgeeley & mounted 4 peecs of ordinance against it Discharging twelve shott of those his Ordinance against it, together with almost infinite numbers of small shott: Manteineing the seege soe hott and sharpe that after 30 howres sharpe seige both theis deponent & her husband and the rest of those assailed (wanting strength and meanes of resistance) were inforced to surrender vp & yeild the same Castle, & yet vpon quarter tearmes and Condiccons vnder the hand of the said Erle first obteined That thys deponente & her husband and all the rest of the Inhabitants and souldjers then in the said Castle should freely depart & goe away from thence to youghall with all their Armes apparell & the ladeing of twelue horses, and should haue a good convoy for bringing them a long to youghall aforesaid Howbeit noe sooner were they comen out of the gates of the said Castle; but some of the Rebellious souldiers of the said Erle began in part to pilldg some of them: But whenas they had gone through the Army (Conducted or rather driven like cattell) about half
fol. 317r
half a mile from the Castle a contrary way, towards Lismore One Colon{ell} Purcelle whose chrissen name or place of aboad tsheey cannott mention & his rebellious Regiment and many others to the number of three or fowre thowsand (as shee beleeveth) sett vpon this deponente, and her husband & the rest of them that came out of the said Castle, And then and there (contrary to the quarter termes, and Conditions aforesaid forceibly robbed and deprived them of all their Armes, their said 12 horses loads of goodes & the most part of their Apparrell Insomuch as few escaped stripping stark naked: For the most of them had their very hatts bandes Cloaks Cotes boots shooes & other thinges, then and there taken from them: And from thence this deponent & the rest were in that despicable & poore state forced & driven to Lismore, being distant from Mowgeeley about 4 or 5 miles that very day, being vpon or about the xxvth day of June last 1645: When and where the said Erle with his Rebellious Army summoned and laid seige against the said Castle of Lismore But then this deponent Elizabeth being with much adooe, admitted to speake with the said Erle, she then and there acquainted him with the breach of Quarter & cruell vsage of her & the rest, humbly desireing that shee and the other deponent her husband & her children might haue a Convoy to Kilcash: Which his Lordship affording vnto them they were brought thither accordingly where they were most freely nobly & kindly welcomed, releeued and succored by that honourable lady ffrances the wife of the said Richard Butler for 2 daies and nights whoe did not suffer them to goe away, vntill she had gotten them a safe lodging place at Carrick about 3 myles from kilcash: where they stayd about a fortnight vntill their most worthy and kinde frend Mr Richard Butler aforenamed that had soe formerly as aforesaid defended & releeved them, came home: And then the said Richard Butler (out of his wonted noblenes & goodnes) gave them monies for defraying their charges & furnished them with one man & horses, and safely sent them to the towne of Catherloghe from whence they are with much difficulty gotten to Dublin where they are & remaine in a great distresse deale of distresse want & misery And theis
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And theis deponente further sayth that the said Erle of Castlehaven and his Army did surprize, pillidge and take from the ownors & holders thereof, not only the said said Castles of Mowgeely; & alsoe of lismore before named which belongeth to the right honourable the Erle of Corke, & was a most sumptuous brave place, and haue quite spoiled & wasted the same (as theis deponente hath credibly heard, & doth verely beleeve, But alsoe another Castle called Castle Lions being the dwelling place of the right honourable the Erle of Barrymore & the Castle of Raherne belonging to the Erle of Cork, the Castle of Bally Roberts belonging to the Erle of Barrymore, Caimow Castle belonging to the Erle of Cork, The Castle of Kilmacoow belonging to the said Erle of Corke The Castle of Lisfinny alsoe belonging to the said Erle of Corke The Castles of Baliduff Macollop and Balligarrron all belonging to the said Erle of Cork the Castle of Strongkally belonging to John Reeves Esquire, The Castle of Bullenetregh belonging to Sir Percy Smith Corneveagh Castle belonging to one Mr Babington And another Castle that theis deponents cannott name, which standeth nere Cornevagh aforesaid, All which Castles were soe surprized subdued & taken by the said Erle of Castlehaven and his Army within fowrteene daies or there abouts after that they had taken the said Castle Lions which was vpon or about the xxiijth day of the month of June now last past 1645
And theis deponente further sayth That betwixt the feast day of Ester now last past, and the said xxiijth day of June last the said Erle of Castlehaven and his said Rebellious Army did (as theis deponente hath credibly heard & verely beleeveth forceibly alsoe surprize subdue pillidg and take from the right owners & possessors of the same theis Castles or townes herein hereafter named vizt the Castle and towne of Capperquin belonging to the said Erle of Corke in the County of waterford; the dwelling howse & towne of Michaelstoune belonging to Sir William ffenton knight which they have quite demolished and burned, together with the church thereof, and hanged to death one Mr Horssey (a minister of the Church together
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together with one James Benham that was Porter of the said Sir William ffentons howse; Ballyhoole Castle belonging to the heire of Sir Richard Aldworth knighte, the Castle of Mallowe belonging to Captain Jepson The faire & sumptuous howse of Dunnaraile belonging to the said late Lord Sentleger Late lord President of Mounster, The Castle of Liscarroll belonging to Mr John oge Barry, The Castle of Ballymullen & another castle which stood nere the same: The which becawse the possessers and holders thereof stood out in defence of the same, the said Erle of Castlehaven and his army after they had subdued, putt to death and most miserably slewe all the holders & men Inhabiters thereof, which (as theis deponente thincketh) could not be losse then thirty or forty men besides divers other Castles & fayre dwelling howses & Townes all in the province of Mounster that theis deponente are is not able particularly to name And that the said Rebells have forceibly surprized, wasted spoiled & pillidged
And theis deponente alsoe further sayth that they she hath bin very credibly told both by Mr Browne the lawyere, whoe is a great Agent and prime Councell for the Rebells & by one Mr Harpoole a Captain or Comander of Rebells, and by divers others, that about a month since (when the seige was begun by the Erle of Castlehaven and his Army against yowghall, That there were slaine about the key or fort of youghall by a great shott from the Rebells Ordinance, theis English Comanders hereafter named vizt Lieutenant Colonell Walter Loftus and Lieutenant Colonell Tho: Badinge besides a man that was servant to the said Lieutenant Colonell Loftus, And that one Thomas Ilwell a tanner had by the same shott his shoulder broken And another that was a Butcher had his thigh broken & all by the same shott
And as concerning murthers & Cruelties done and Comitted by the Rebells since the Rebellion began Theis deponente there vnto sayeth That
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That about the later end of Aprill 1642 John Condon of Ballynepatrick in the Countie of Cork a Captain of Rebells together with a great number of others of that name sept & alljance & many of their souldjers came suddenly in hostill manner to the towne of Coole in the Countie of Cork: where there were quartered about sixteen of the Erle of Barrimores troope, And where alsoe were a great number of inhabitants men women and children that were tenants to the Erle of Cork: And then and there those wicked rebells being Armed, surprised the said towne And setting vpon a stone howse where the said troops & other men were, those troops and men cried for fair Quarter, which those Rebells promissed to give into them of they would yeild the howse, which being done those merciless & perfidious Rebells contrary <#> to their promisse and tearmes of quarter) sett vpon and murthered them all (being about thirty) vseing such torture & execrable cruelty that they cutt some of the mens tongues out of their heades, ripped and slitt vpp the womens bellies, Cutt and slitt the noses of others, and cutt slashed & mangled others to peeces, spareing neither age nor sex, but miserably slaughtering them all: About June 1643 as this deponent hath very credibly heard, Certeine Rebells whose names shee cannott expresse meeting with one Mr Bysse a minister (whoe had been imployed as one of the Commissioners for the enquiry of the losses and sufferings of his Maiesties lojall subjects within the province of Mounster) nere Corr Abbey betweene Cork and youghall, did then and there very cruelly wound him the said Mr Bisse, and that done they hanged him to death there leaving his body vnburied exposed to Ravenous creatures
A Little before the first Cessation of Armes proclaimed some of the name and sept of the Condons with other Rebell souldjers came forceibly in the night to a village in the said County of Corke called Ballinscuerloge in the parrish of Ballinoe, And then & there sett a howse on fire, Out of which seven persons of English protestants (some of which were Thomas Gardner and his wife) fleeing to avoid the same flame were by those Rebells surprized & then & there murthered
fol. 319r
murthered and the howse quite burned And theis deponente further sayth (as shee hath bin credibly informed and verely beleeveth that vpon or about the xxjth of June aforesaid 1645, the Erle of Castlehaven aforenamed and his rebellious Army meeting at Rostillean Castle within the County of Cork with one Mr Deane and with one Mr Henry Brian brother to the lord of Inshiquin, Mr ffrancis Courtney, Captain Harden & Captain Baker, They carried them all to Castle Lions & the next day they there hanged to death the said Deane and sent the other gentlemen that were taken with him, prisoners to Kilkenny
Theis deponente heard it credibly reported that the said Deane a Little before he was putt to death asked the Rebells why he must suffer death, they answered becawse he was a puritant and a Round head he replied I take it vpon my death I know not what those words meane But I am of that Religion that both the kings Maiesty & the Lord Lieutenant generall of Ireland professe, which is the true protestant Religion, And if I suffer, I know not what I die for, or to that effect
And theis deponente further sayth That although the parties Rebells that assisted the Erle of Castlehaven in his Rebellious acts aforesaid were very numerous & many: yet shee knew not, nor can name any of them, that shee they sawe there with him but only Lieutenant generall Collonell Purcell of or nere Killmallock & Collonell Purcell before named and Edmund ffitzgarald of Ballymarter vncle to the lord of Inchequin: Neither doe they thinck that any one of the gentry that is a Recusant & that staieth in those parts hath absented himself & beene clere from those Rebellious & vnlawfull Actions (the said Mr Richard Butler of Kilcash only excepted)
Jur xiiijo Augusti 1645 Coram Hen Clogher & Hen
Brereton
Ex Hen: Clogher
Will: Aldrich
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