Examination of Barnaby Dunn

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The Examynation of Barnaby Dunn Esquire of the Queenes County Esquire, taken the 14th day of febr 1652, before vs who haue heerunto subscrybed.
The sayd Examinant beeing duly sworne & Examyned sayth, That hee this examinant was in the Castle (or house) at the Dysert in the Queenes County afforesaid in or about the month of October 1646, at the tyme that maior Jo. Pigott, his sonn, & Mr Robert Brerton a minister & many others weare murthered & hee this e xaminant sayth That the Rebells (when thay first Came neer the Castle afforesaid) weare kept off by the shooinge of the men that weare within it, vntill towards Eveninge & then the Rebbells sett fyer on the barnes out houses & stacks of Corne that weare neer vnto & about the said Castle, & did thurust in at the windowes sheaues of strawe (& Corne) on fyer on pykes & thearby & by theyr Great numbers did much distress the said maior & those that weare within the Castle in soe much that the said maior Caused a parlye to bee beaten which was done accordingly & with much dificualtye, the beatinge of the parly was taken notiss off, & thear vpon thay desisted shootinge both without & within the Castle, & the said maior (in this examinants heereinge, did bid the men that weare within the Castle to Leaue off shootinge, and this Examinant did heer one Coll Newgent (whom this examinant did know & was firmly aquaynted with all) and alsoe severall others which sayd thay were officers & seemed to haue Commaund with the {Re}bells) say & promyse that all the pople that weare within the Castle should haue Quarter of

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Of lyfe, and this examinant sayth that hee this examinant sayth that hee Came downe from the Batlements of the Castle to the Grate at the doore thear off, to speake vnto the afforsaid Coll Newgent, & as this examinant was at the Grate Arthur Piggott a brother of the said maior, came to this examinant, & tould him that the maior desyred him (this examinant) to goe out & to Confer with some of the officers of the Rebbells, & thear vpon this examinant (& the sayd Arthur) went out at the Grate (which was opened but a litle way in soe much that this examinant had much a doe to Gett out & as soone as thay wear out the Grate was shutt drawen & shutt againe, & this examinant intendinge to Goe to the Cheife Commander of the Irish or to some of theyr officers, was voyolently holed away & his Clothes Rent off his back & led through an orchard & soe pulld & abusd that hee was in feare & Great danger of his lyfe, & after wards this examinant was brought in to a house wheare Coll farell was and this examinant saith that at his beinge <C> out of the Castle hee sawe Coll ffarell (about ten yards off the doore of the said Castle) & as hee this examinant was hurryed with the Rebbells hee this examinant did take notiss of the said Coll farell standinge with one Capt ai n Nagle (the said Nagle ffarell & one Hugh Buy mcmahon McManus a Lieutenant Collonell (as this examinant thinketh hee was) stood neer to Gether, within about ten yards of the Castle but this examinant sayth that as hee first sawe them hee did not know any of the three men afforesaid, but the same night beeinge brought in to the a smale Churche house afforesaid hee <which was about a Colyver shott off the Castle afforsaid, whear unto (after this examinant had been brought & kept about an hower, or more, the sayd Coll farell Came together with the said Capt Nagle & others, & theire this Examinant.
Bar: Dunne> heard them all Caled by theyr names, & did did take more notiss of them then before, and this Examinant sayth that as, hee was passinge bye the said Coll ffarell & the the other Captain Nagle & Hugh Buy afforesaid this examinant beeinge in the handss of

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of Certaine of the Rebbells souldiers, hee this examinant did indevor to haue spoken to the said Coll farell & did Cale to him, sayinge my Brother (meaninge the said maior Pigott) expects quarter, or depends <D> on the Quarter promysed, or words to that effect (as this examinant Remembreth) but this examinant was holed a way as afforesaid, & as this examinant thinketh it was by the Command of the said Coll ffarell & this examinant saith the Cessation from shootinge was for the space of about an hower, before this examinant went out at the Grate, and this examinant saith hee did & doth veryly beleiue that the Cessation was made by the Command or Consent of the said Coll farall & of the Rest of the officers afforsaid and that the Quarter afforsaid was promysed by the said Newgent & the other officers, by the dyrections or Consent of the said Coll farell &c.,
This examinant further saith that hee did see & take notiss that all the men within the Castle did Ceass shootinge which hee beleeueth thay did not would not haue done if thay had not been promised & Quarter as is afforsaid, & that the Number that weare murthered wear about 40 men, & one woman n womann, the names of the men kiled, this examinant doth not now Remember particularly, but sayth that, Rich: Smith an English farmer, and James Conran & Will: Conran his brother, who (& all the Rest) weare protestants, & had famellyes of wyves & children (for the most parte) & this examinant further saith that all the Gentle weomen, & the farmers wyves, weare all stript naked (for the most parte) & weare abused & Greevyously Greevyously affrighted, And this examinant further saith that the next day after the murther affore <E> said was done, hee was brought to Stradbally wheare Owen Roe (Generall of the Rebells) was, & the

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The sayd Owen Roe did thene threaten to hang this examinant, & a preist (or fryer) that was with Owen Roe swore that this examinant should bee hanged, but this examinant was afterwards tould that Coll farall afforesaid did medyate for this examinant, & sayd that hee would bee hanged himselfe for this examinant Rather then this examinant should suffer or words to that purpose,
Alsoe this Examinant saith that, hee durst not vse any words to Giue offence to Coll ffarell or to any other of the officers, but hee saith that hee was senceible that the Quarter afforesaid was broken, & if hee durst, this examinant saith that hee would haue spoken, & taxt them for breach of Quarter and for murderinge the people afforsaid And more ouer this examinant saith that at the tyme that the said murther was done, this examinant doth beleiue that the Supreame Councell at killkeny was against the sayd Owen Roes actings, & that hee (& his partie) did act without any of theyr Comissyons, alsoe at that tyme, the sayd maior Pigott was not in Listed or in pay, & that their thear was not any souldiers in l isted or in pay in the said Castle at the tyme of the murther afforsaid & this examinant sayth that hee beeinge kept as a prisoner with the Rebbells, did heer that all the afforesaid 40 men & the woman afforsaid, with the said maior weare killed, & that the Rebbels abused (& denyed to suffer to be buryed) the Corps of the said maior, & did ma gle mangle & leaue vnburyed the Corps of all the men afforesaid that weare murthered & further this examinant sayth not
Bar: Dunne
Taken by
Dl: Huchinson
Rd: Tighe