Deposition of Marmaduke Clapham

fol. 162r

85
Marmaduke Clapham vicar of Synrone in the Kings County within the Diocesse of Killaloe being duely sworne deposeth that he Lost in money, houshold stuffe provision Goods Cattells &c. [ ] at his farme of Garrymore beside & ouer & aboue the [ ] yeerly proffits of the same together <A> with his Church meanes in Synrone amounting to the sume of 200li. per annum [ ] aboue the sum of 1000 li. In manner & forme following viz.
About December Last past, [ ] One Donell Mc Mlaughlin McCoughlan of Leodane gentleman to his other confederates as yet vnknown seized vpon the Deponents cattell at his farme his cattell to the number of 120 of English breed, 20, or <24> Horse & mares, & 160 or 200 sheep broak vp his house & pillaged all his stuffe to the damage of about 600 li.
<I> About the same time the Deponent feareing u pon the rumour of the Rebellion caused his servants with his Garrans to draw away his houshould stuff from Synrone vnto to [tomane] one ffrancis Medhope esquire his house which when Owen og mcKillafoill of Synrone gentleman saw <T> he desired the Deponents, that he wold be pleased to Come to his Castle with his goods protesting that rather then the Deponent or his should suffer any hurt he wold spend his harts blood but assoone as he had got the same vnto his Castle his wife told the Deponents wife that her husband & she durst not keepe the Deponent & his son in law because they wer ministers, whervpon the same night the Deponent his 2 sons & Daughter departed intending for Waterford, & into England at Castletowne 4 miles from Synrone in one Mathew Kellanes house wer assaulted in their beds Robbed & stripped of money plate apparell & 6 horses & saddles to the value of 200 li. by three cozen germans of the said mcKillafoile sons of one Donnah o Kello Ca Carroll gentleman with others of their company to the number of 30 men armed with pieces skaines & swords drawen; & wounded som the [ ] deponent in eleuen seuerall places of his body vpon which [ ] [ ] the deponent & his children returned to the said mcKillafoile who had the custody of the rest of the said deponents goods who that night receiued them Howbeit the next day the said mcKillafoile by force & armes thrust out of his Castle & towne the said Deponent his wife & children & assoon as they departed the said McKillafoile broak vp the Locks of the Deponents chests & trunks & took away all in them & cast out the empty casks & Likewise the houshold stuff & other prouision Likewise he & his tennants of Synrone killed 34 oxen & cowes of the Deponents & brake vp & pilladged all his houses barnes & corne to the value of 300 li. he lost in debts 100li. also Wherevpon John o Carroll of Clonlisk Esquire sent for the Deponent his wife & Children & promised that for his old acquaintance & good neighbourhood he wold keep them one year avarring the same with many [asseuerracions] for which the Deponent was to give him 4 ricks of corne which he had yet remaining & to remitt to the said John Carroll 20 li. of money which was due debt but within one weeke the said John o Carroll told the Deponent that he would keep him no longer for fear that the Country would tak rob him of his Cattell for hatred of the Deponent yet he vndertooke to the Deponent that if he wold assigne ouer vnto him his estate wheresoeuer he could gett it; vpon that condicion & no other he wold send a convoy to see him & his wife & children safe conduct to Dublin Otherwise he said it was impossible for them to escape killing wherfore to saue their liues the deponent made ouer his estate to the said John o Carroll in writing [ ] but the Convoy ran away & forsaked the Deponent [ ] after ten miles travell whervpon imediately after [ ] the Deponent & his wife & children wer stripped naked & had foorthwith perished but that out of Christian Charity they were relieued by Sir Robert Piggot Sir William Gilbert & { }
Jurat 13 April 1642
Roger Puttocke
Joh Sterne
1101

fol. 162v

<Exw> Marmaduke Clapham before sworne & examined By vertue of the same oath he saith further that they the Rebells threatened that if he & his wife & Children stayed one night any longer in his a tennants house of his where they were [sheltered] they should haue their throats cutt or the house house should be burnt vpon their heads. They threatened also to hang his servants when they came to vs neither wo ld suffer them to guard vs in our travell for though we were stripped naked in terrible winter weather & in that pitifull plight & perrill of lyfe misery fright & daunger, yet we could not travell aboue 3 miles in a day so constantly did euery company run vpon & assault vs being armed with skaynes & swords drawen darts pikes & pieces shaking having & pulling & beating vs somtimes as if we had been dogs with such ignominious tearmes, not fitt to be related calling vs puritans rogues English dogges rascals & the like they said that they wold hang Mr William Parsons & Capten William Peisley in their <*> own gates; & they detested the ground whereon the English & Protestants did treade & whatsoeuer in any sort might haue relacion to them & thervpon they haue haue made such massacre Havocke of our cattell & sheep killing the leane & yong bre e d well as the fatt & <B> hogs in such multitud s that for want of salt much were corrupted & stank & the very dogs that were english breed they killed so transported they were with an infestiue & inveterate malice to extirpate the very memory of our nation, that their men & women which formerly vsed the English habitt as bands ruffes hats cloaks gowns brieches &c now weres kearchers mantles trousses & all Irish habit & insomuch that forty years improuement of peace is destroyed by these miscreants in one half yeare; further they said that they did resolue to banish or kill all the English & so it was resolued amongst them to haue the kingdom clear to themselues & that it should neuer containe the 2 religions of Romane Catholiks & Protestants any longer heerafter & that we should either vtterly quitt the kingdome or they & that this was the resolution concluded vpon by their grand=ones &c that a million men was vp in Armes & 900 priests titulary Bishops fryers & Jesuits in Oneals Army who wer richly attyred adorned with trinckets bulles pardons Agnus Dei’s crucifixes &c. that were cheife incendiaries complotters & actuaries for effecting this designe & when about Easter last albeit thousands of goods & honest families of the English men women & children who had liued formerly in commendable fashion keeping good hospitality to strangers their neighbours & the poor, haue perished & dyed in this deluge of destruction first being called robbed & stripped & [ ] turned out of their estates houses & garments in frost snow hayle & raine in depth of winter & so killed with grief hunger & cold: yet because it pleased God that some of vs by his providence had escaped; the Rebels said that they were sory that when they stripped they did not kill vs & but that they thought cold & famine would have dispatched with all they would have d [one ] [ ] for was not for any [ ] pit t y but of malice to put the English to more paine by a lingering languishing Death that they spared that time their Liues, wold haue dispatched vs all; & how those that surviued wold discouer their qualities & wickednes & be guids against them to the new come English [ ] <And one> George Lee told the [ ] this who he was prisoner with them a litle afore Easter last And they willed Catherine Gibson who was prisoner with them about Candlemas last was willed by some frend of hers that was amongst them to deny that she was an english mans Daughter or had any english blood running in her vaines for yf they should know it they wold kill her. <B> And further saith that liueing in the Queens county almost half a yeer he hard that florence fitzpattrick & his wife by fair perswasions having drawen to them 100 or 7score of english kept their goods & murthered or caused them to be murthered
<enter this side>
hand 1102

<1 Kings C: 13
Mr Stanly
Marmaduke Clapham
59
Intr Cert fact
For Mr Clapham only>