Deposition of Thomas Watson

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Thomas Watson late of the towne & parish of Hacketstowne in the Barony of Rathvilla in the County of Catherlogh sworne & examined Deposeth That on or about the 18th day of December last 1641 hee was duly possessed of the towne & Lands of Clanmore and of part of the Towne & land of Ballycleah, and of the Towne land of Killnecortan and of the Towne land of Tombeigh which hee held by lease with a certaine stocke to the value of sixe hundred and nynety pounds at the yearlie rate of two hundred and Threescore pounds rent per Annum payable to Captaine Abraham Rickeseys of Dublin (& the milke yearly of twenty English Cowes kept at the Deponents charge [ ] paiable to Phillip Watson of Dublin Alderman, And likewise the Deponent was possessed at the day and time aforesaid of one house and certaine lands in the Towne of hacketstowne aforesaid held at an easy rate, All which lands were part and portion of the Mannor of Clanmore and Barony of Rathvilla aforesaid and were by the Deponent imployed & occupied vnder Tillage sheepe & cattle vntill on or about the day aforesaid the Deponent vnderstandinge That a great nomber of the rebells against our soveraigne Lord the King vnder the Comand of Luke Birne of and Luke Toole of Castlekevan both in the said County of Wicklow, Wherevpon the premisses by this Deponent as aforesaid possessed did abutt & bound were vpp in Armes and had not onely dispoiled the English & protestantes in that County his neighbours & acquaintances, but also had beaten robbed & terrified certaine people of Hacketstowne aforesaid the place of this deponents aboad, and had sent word that they would veryly shortly fall into the County of Catherlogh & by name into hacketstowne & Clanmore And that this Deponent finding noe provision made by the County of Catherlogh for theire resistance and being vnprovided of strength for theire opposall was inforced by for safety of his life (by some of the rebells threatned) to escape with <hand> what speed hee could to the Towne of Castle Dermott with what goods & cattle in such sudden hast hee could whither hee brought houshold stuffe worth 14 li. which hee left in the keeping of Thomas Deane of Castledermott aforesaid Inkeeper And when this deponentes wife came to the said Thomas Deanes house about ten dayes after with intention according to this Deponents direction to bring away with her to Dublin the said goods, they were (as this Deponent is credibly informed) taken while this Deponentes wife was in the said Deanes house by one Peirs fitz Gerald of Ballysonan in the County of Kildare, Captaine of certaine souldiers there were who are since in open Rebellion this deponent further sayth that his said wiffe comeing towardes dublin from Castledermett aforesaid, was (as this deponent was credibly informed by some then present) stripped by Rebells asyet vnknowne to this deponent her horse taken from her and she by her guide carrjed back to Castle Dermott about a quarter of a yere agoe, And this deponent doth not know whether she be slaine by the Rebells or perished by their cruell vsage And this deponent further saith That he brought to Castle Dermott as many Cowes and horses & oxen as were worth Cx li. which fearing he could not bring saffly to Dublin he sent them to Waterford but could never since heare what is become of them onely that hee heard and beleeveth they are seized vpon by some rebells in the Countie of Wexford. This Deponent further saith That hee was inforced in his flight to leave
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leave behinde him in the charge of his wife & in the hands of his servants (which servantes hee credibly heareth to bee in rebellion) all his whole stocke of sheepe oxen cowes young beastes horses and swine worth in all 712 li. 13 s. 8 d.
<B> And this Deponent is credibly informed that Peter Wickham of Talbottstowne in the Countie of Wicklow Esquire high sherrife of the said Countie Arthure mc Cahir Birne of Ballyconnell in the said County gent and Edmond Birne of Portrushin in the County of Catherlogh gent being all his neare neighbours had part of this Deponentes goods This deponent further saith That hee left behinde him Corne in haggard vizt wheat and Rye worth nynetie pounds, and oates worth an hundred and twentye pounds, Corne in ground worth seaventy pounds mault worth twenty pounds & tenn shillings hay at Clanmore growing vpon 140 acres of land worth an hundred and five pounds. Iron and furniture for husbandry worth twenty and one pounds. Turfe wood hey and houshould stuffe at Hacketstowne worth twentie and sixe pounds, but which of the said rebells have seized vpon the said corne & goods this deponent cannot as yett learne onely hee hath heard That Luke Birne aforesaid carr yed charged the vnder rebells not to meddle with this Deponentes corne for that hee the said Luke would reserve it for himselfe. And further this deponent saith That by reason of this rebellion hee hath lost the somme of one hundred and one pounds eight shillings two pence due from severall persons some whereof are now in rebellion and the rest dispoiled by the rebells that they are not vtterly vnable to make this Deponent any satisfaction. This Deponent further saith That by reason of this rebellion hee is expelled from and hath lost the benefitt of the lease and certaine lands in Hacketstowne worth before this rebellion sixtie pounds and of the leases of the other lands abovesaid worth before this rebellion fower hundred pounds This Deponent further saith That hee had at the begining of this rebellion one lease of parte of the Towne land of Killelongford in the parish of Clonmore and barony of Rathvilla aforesaid for fortie & one yeares theire to come & vnexpired worth sixtie pounds [so ] Soe that this Deponent hath lost and beene dampnified by this rebellion <1810 li.> to the some of one Thousand eight hundred & tenn pounds, one shilling & ten pence
This deponent further saith That to this Deponentes certaine knowladge the abovesaid Phillip Watson had sett to Thomas James & ffardinando James sonn to the said Thomas the Towne and Land of [ ] Dromgnoine in the Mannor abovesaid togeather with fortie Cowes and other goods to the to the value of one hundred poundes (this Deponent being one of the appraisors of the said Cattle & goods) And the said Phillip Watson had demised to Jonathan Lynne of Coolemannah in the said Mannor of Clanmore part of the said Towne land of Coolmannah with 12 Cowes and a Bull worth as this Deponent beleiveth thirtie pounds of which goods this Deponent is by severall of his neighbours credibly informed the said persons were by the said rebells robbed & dispoiled about the same time that this Deponent was robbed. And this Deponent feareth (for that neither the said persons their wives and nor children are come to this Citty) that they are slaine by the rebells
Thomas Watson
Jurat Martii 5to 1641 coram nobis
John Sterne William Aldrich

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131

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A

{11}
Tho: Watson
Com Kildare Catherlogh
Tho: Watson 5o Marcy 1641
5
Intw
[ Cert f ]
18 dec
Cert fact

23
+

132