Deposition of James Shawe

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James Shawe minister and preacher of the word of god at the Cathedrall Church of old Leighlin in the County of Catherlagh aged 50 yeres or thereabouts & sworne and examined before his Maiesties Commissioners by virtue of a Commission to them directed vnder the great seale of Ireland, deposeth and sayth That nere the begining of the present Rebellion vizt about the begining of December 1641 & since he this deponent was at Leighlin aforesaid deprived & dispojled of his Cattle horses hoggs Corne hay hoggs howshold stuffe books debts & other meanes goodes and chattells of the value & to his losse of Twoe hundred and thirty powndes ster. And that he this deponent is like to be deprived of and loose his Church liveings <+> worth 40 li. per annum vntill a peace be setled And this deponentes wiffe & 2 children were at the first taken and after restrained as prisoners amongst the Rebells for a yere and a half together & were thrice carried to the gallowes to be hanged, but god almighty still from tyme to time deliuered them And this deponent for his part disguised him selfe & by night fled away to save his liffe to the Castle and garrison of Catherlagh where he was entertained by Captaine Thomas Harman & contynued a preacher to that garrison for about twoe yeres vntill the Cessation of Armes happened; And saith that the parties that robbed & dispojled him of his goodes were John Mullolly of Old Leighlin aforesaid gent Owin Birne late Coroner of the County of Catherlagh & divers others whom he cannot name <A> And further saith That about the later end of January 1641 the grand Rebell Walter Bagnall of Dunleckny Esquire gathered together at Leighlin bridge the number of sixteene English protestantes and above, And not only offered but out of a seemeing tender care of their saffty and to protect them from the Rebells cruelties) promissed to Convey and send
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them to the towne of new Rosse, which promisse and offer they both beleeveing & thanckfully imbraceing: he forthwith sent them all away by a Convoy of villanous bloudy Rebells whoe hanged them all by the way to death: And Richard Lake a protestant being forcd to Masse was after asked by the said Bagnall and or his people how he liked the Masse he answered that it might be compared for the action there, to a puppy play: for which answere the said Bagnall and his rebellious souldjers forthwith hanged him him vpp at Leighlin bridge to death, And the poore mans wiffe & child vpon sight thereof fled into the River of the Barrow & there were drowned
About whitsontide 1642 one Hugh Everard & Edward How twoe protestantes, were within muskett shott of Catherlaghe Castle both murthered mangled & cutt in peecs most barbarously by one Harpoole of the Queens County A bloudy Captain of Rebells and his souldjers.
In or about September 1642 one John Dearmon of Catherlagh a protestant souldjer goeing out from the Castle of Catherlagh to get some Corne wherewith to feed him self his poore wiffe & children was within a Quarter of a myle of that Castle most cruelly butchered and murthered and had very many mortall woundes <B> given him by the vallanous souldjers of one Captain Butler of Tully. And about the same tyme the wiffe of one Jonathan Lynn & her daughter were surprised by the Rebells as they were gathering Corne for their releefe aboue half a myle from Catherlagh, from their halled & carried to Staplestown Wood, and then and there hanged vpp vpon a tree by the haire of their heads all night, And being alive the next morning they were cutt downe & killed by the said Captain Butlers bloudy souldjers And
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And further saith That whilest this deponent was a souldier & preacher in the said Castle of Catherlagh he was not only an ey witnesse of the Rebells murthering of 5 poore women & children protestantes nere the same Castle but this Deponent buried them the next day
And alsoe saith That after the Cessation of Armes proclaimed, divers of the Rebellious souldjers at Catherlaghe protested and confessed that they hadd received the sacrament from a preist Romish preist with direccon that they should spare neither man woman nor child that was a protestant but kill them all: And he heard divers of those Rebells publiquely bragg and boast that it had done them a great deale of good to wash their handes in the bloud of the protestantes which they had slaine
Jur viijo Jan: 1643
Hen: Jones
Hen: Brereton

[Laids]

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Catherlagh (224
James Shaw Jur 8
Jan: 1643
Intw 1. dec
Hand
Exw

118

and testament I constitute ordaine and make the said Thomas Humfrey and Executor