Examinations of Ellinor Farrell and Morgan Murrey

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Examinacions taken this 7th day of November 1653 before Thomas Richardson Esquire one of the members of the high Court of Justice &c.
Ellinor fferrall the wife of Roberte fferrall late of the Abby of Shrewle, in the County of Longford, aged thirty fyve yeares or thereabouts being duely sworne and examined, sayth that shee knoweth Capt Marcus Cruise now of living within thee miles of Molingar in the County of westmeath, and hath knowne him theise foure yeares or vpwards, and <A> further sayth that about two yeares since of the last m artilmas (of this begining of November) the said Marcus Cruise being putt out of the ffort of Ballileague in the County of longford by Captaine ffergus mc Lisagh fferrall, shee the said Examinant (being then in Rathcline about a little mile from Ballileague) saw the said Captaine Marcus Cruise and his soldiers in the said towne of Rathcline, and heard himselfe and some of his Soldiers (in raging manner) threaten and give out, that they wold kill man woman & child of the Irish in the Callow as well as they wold kill the English the cause of his fury was (as shee conceiveth) for that for that hee was put out of the said ffort of Ballyleague, And further sayth that the same day the said Captaine Cruise <B> did cutt of the Nose of one James mc Conocke fferrall, ffoster brother to the said ffergus, her

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her cause of knowledge is, that shee saw the said James mc Conocke after his nose was cutt off as aforesaid, and <C> heard both from himselfe and divers others that it was the said Captaine Cruise that cutt of his nose, And further sayth that about a fortnight after shee saw the said Captaine Marcus Cruise having neere a thousand Officers and Soldiers which hee brought into the Callow, and saw him and s his said company robbing and <D> spoyling all the Countrey, and killing their Goats and other Cattle, pretending it was for his pay before hee due to him before hee was putt out of the said ffortt, And further sayth that (in pursuance of his said wicked designe) the said Marcus Cruise being in the Callow aforesaid, demanded one shilling of one Hugh mcBryan fferrall which hee pretended was due to him from the said Hugh, whereuppon the said Hugh mcBryan replyeing you shold doe well to giue mee my spade againe I s lent you when you were in the ffort to mend it, therevppon the <symbol> <E> said Captaine Cruise and two of his brothers vizt Richard Cruise, and luke Cruise, all drew their swords vppon the said Hugh mc Bryan, who defending himselfe with a pitchfork hee had then in his hand, either the said Captaine, or one of his brothers shott the sayd Hugh mcBryan fferrall with a brace of bulletts out of a pistoll, whereof the said Hugh

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dyed, her cause of knowledge is that shee was told what shee hath deposed by fifty or threescore persons who had bin at masse neere Murrogh ô Murrey his house, and th and saw the said murther committed assoone as Masse where was ended, at wt which Masse the said Captaine Marcus Cruise had bin himselfe present, And being demanded the names of some of those persons that soe informed her shee sayth that the said Murrogh ô Murrey now living in the parish of Oxmentowne neere dublin, and the wife of Con Connor of Castletowne Moylagh in the County of longford now of Bally Meath (where mr John ware was slayne), John fferrall of derrygownagh, and donogh o fferrall of the same all living in the Callow were some of the persons by whom shee heard of the said murther And being demanded whether the said brothers of the said Marcus Cruise or either of them be living, and where, shee sayth shee beleiveth one of them (at least) is living, and with the said Marcus, and hath heard that his brother luke was since Killed, and further sayth not
Ellinor fferrall
her [mark] marke

2 Morgan Murrey late of the Calloe in the County of longford, and now of Oxmonton greene neere Dublin yeoman, aged Sixtye yeares or thereabouts being duely sworne and examined sayth that hee knoweth Captaine

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Marcus Cruise, somtyme a Captaine in the Earle of <G> westmeath his Regiment, in the late Rebellion of the Irish, and sayth that it was about this tyme two yeare that hee first saw him to the best of his knowledge, The occasion was that the said Captain{e} being putt with his Company by the Earle of westmeath into the Castle of ffort of Ballileague (whereof Cap{t} ffergus mc Lisagh fferrall was then Governor) to helpe to strengthen the same against the Englis{h} hee this Examinant hath seuerall tymes seene the said Captaine Cruise about in the Countrey getting vppon his Contribucion for the pay of himselfe & his Company, vntill the said Captaine was putt out of the said ffort with his Company by the said Captaine ffergus fferrall (by a wyle) the said ffergus intending when the English came neere to make Condicions for himselfe, as was then commonly reported (though privatly) amongst the inhabitants of the Calloe themselues, whereof the Examinant was then one, And further sayth that about a fortnight after the said Captaine <h> Cruise was putt out of the ffort as aforesaid there being a Masse at a publicque meeting place for that purpose, amongst a few trees, neere this Examinants house in the Clogher, in the

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parish of Cassell, and Bawny of Rathcline in the <I> said Countye the said Captaine a Marcus Cruise and his two brothers Richard Cruise and luke Cruise and divers of the said Captaines Company were present at the said masse, where the Examinant was alsoe present and saw them there, and after Masse divers of the gentlemen of the Countrey went to the Examinants house to drinke beere & Aquavite, whether the Examinant went alsoe, And within halfe an hower after their goeing into the house, a pistoll was heard to goe off neere the said house, and a Cry was made, whereuppon many gentlemen then in the house and this Examinant ran out to see what was the matter, and about a stones cast from the house this Examinant and the rest fa found one Hugh mc Bryan fferrall (a gentleman living neere the place) fallen vppon his knees, vnto whom this Examinant ran & tooke him vppe, demanding what was the matter, whereunto the said Hugh mc Bryan answeared, ô the Rogue Richard Cruise hath killed mee, and thereuppon diuers of the fferralls being of the said Hugh mc Bryan his kindred gathered about the said Captaine Cruise and his said Brothers, and the said Captaine see Cruise seeing himselfe in danger ran to Captaine lewis fferrall

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brot then vppon the place, vsing theise words in English viz that (to witt) my life vppon your life <K> and soe deliuered his sword to the said Captaine lewis fferrall, in this Examinants sight & hearing, whereuppon the said Captaine lewis fferrall received the said sword, and alsoe the said Captaine Marcus Cruise into his custody, and sent the said Captaine Marcus Cruise the same day into the ffort of Ballilegue, till they shold see what shold become of the said Hugh mc Bryan fferrall, who was carried into this Examinants house, where hee died the fourth night, being shott into the belly with a brace of bulletts And further sayth that the said Captaine Cruise (being in the ffort as committed to the ffort as <L> aforesaid) about two days after his committall sent about thirteene or foureteene shillings to the said Hugh my mc Bryans wife, then in the Examinants house, which money was brought by Giles fferrall sister to the said Hugh, and deliuered to his wife in this Examinants presence, And further sayth (that about a weeke after the said Hugh mc Bryan died of his said wound) the said Captaine Marcus Cruse was lett out of the said ffort, vppon his paroly (as this Examinant then credibly heard and beleiveth to be true) to find good suretyes by landed men of his kinred, to give satisfaccion to

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the relict or widow of the said Hugh mcBryan fferrall for the death of her husband, And being demanded what hee heard was the occasion of the falling out betweene the said <M> Captaine Cruse and his brothers, and the said Hugh mc Bryan fferall, and what became of the said brothers, the said Examinant sayth that hee then heard that the falling out was about a shilling, demanded as contribucion by the said Richard Cruise of the said Hugh mcBryan, And further sayth that hee heard the said Richard Cruise then shifted himselfe away amongst the Soldiers of their owne party then neere the place, and what is since become of any of them or any of them hee knoweth not, nor ever heard of any of them since, And being demanded if he know the names of any that were present when the said shott was made which killed the said Hugh mc Bryan, hee sayth there were very many (who had bin imediatly before at the masse) present, but the names of any of them in particuler hee cannot now remember, and further sayth not.
Morgan Morey
Taken before mee the day
& yeare first aboue written
Tho: Richardson

predicti Morgan r; 50 li. comperend
et vlterius tessificand &c. TR

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1
Examinacions touching the
murther of Hugh mc
Bryan fferrall in the
Callow Com longford.
by Marcus Cruise prisoner.
witnesses examined
Morgan Murrey of Oxmant
Greene neere Dublin,
Ellinor fferrall lodging at
the said Morgans house.

Edw: Nugent of drumshanboe
in Com Kildare
witnesses to be sent for
James dillon of Bagganaveele
Con Connor his wife
John fferrall of derrigawna
Donogh fferrall of the same
Giles fferrall sister of Hugh
that was slaine.
+ Morgan Murreys wife &
[ ] where is Hughs widow
Owen ô Kennedy of Irishtowne
Edm: mcwilliam ffitsgerld
of Ballicannan Kildare