Deposition of Joseph Joice

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Joseph Joice of Kisnebrasney in the kings County gentleman sworne and examined deposeth and saith That after the Rebellion was begun in the County aforesaid vizt about the xxth of November 1641 This deponent for saffty fled to the Castle of knocknamease in the same County then belonging to Lieutenant Peisley where he was imployed to gouerne and looke to the kinges Armes and that howse where he and other souldjers manteined that Castle for ten months together though they were often sharply and strongly beseeged by the Rebells And in deed the defenders and other people in the Castle being many were soe bestraited and driven to such extreame want and misery that they were inforced and very glad to eate the flesh of horses doggs and Catts But haveing not enowgh of that nor any thing elce; about sevenscore men women and children were quite famished to death And such was the misery and want amongst the rest in the Castle <symbol> that one whoe was a Scochman pinched with extreame hunger privately in the night tyme opened the grave of a man that was buried within the liberties of the Castle and fed vpon the dead and buried mans flesh & one of the souldjers of the Castle partly espyring him tooke ayme & thincking him an enemy shott him through soe that he dyed, And that <symbol> Scochmans wife afterwards hanged to death her owne child and eate her flesh for want of meate: And yet god gaue such Liffe & incorragement to this deponent and the other souldjers that they killed many of the Assaylants whoe lay intrenched closse within musket shott of the Castle: Howbeit many women and children (that hungar forced out of the Castle to seeke for grasse and weedes to eate for want of food were taken and hanged or otherwise murthered by the Rebells. And further <A> sayth That about 4 dayes after he came first to the said Castle vizt vpon or about the 24th of November 1641 divers Rebells vizt those of the names and septs of the Carrolls, the Magheryes the McGillfoiles Coghlans & Moloyes and their souldjers and complices robbed all the brittish in the Cuntry thereabouts of their goods and amongst others they or some of them deprived Robbed or otherwise & dispoyled him this deponent of his howsholdstuff apparell Cattle horses sheepe Corne hay swyne and other goods and chattells worth six hundred pownds and expelled him
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expelled from from his howse and farme & burned his said howse & dispoyled him of both to his damage and losse of CC li. more besid es his future losse of xx li. per annum And the said <800 li.> Rebells alsoe then and there stript this deponents wiffe and att the same tyme depriued and dispoyled Richard Beard gent this deponents son in lawe at Ballendowne in the Kings County gent of all his howshold goods Corne Cattle Cowes sheepe horses and other goods and burned his howses all downe to the ground to his losse of six hundred pownds and aboue besids 20 li . per annum by his farme in future 3 yeres proffits being lo st [ come ing] to 60 li. And the said Richard Beard being since dead his wife with three poore children is left a distressed widow without meanes of subsistence And the said Rebells at the same tyme alsoe robbed and dispoyled ffrancis domvill Inkeeper at Raghary in the Kings County of Cattle howsholdstuff & other goods worth 100 li. ster and burned all his howses to the ground, And left him with his wife and <symbol> 3 small Children are stript naked without meanes of livelihood, And further saith That Jane Moore of Dublin heretofore widow and now the wife of him this deponent since the Rebellion began hath bin at seuerall times Robbed and pillaged by the Rebells of her goods and chattells with 100 li. And alsoe saith That the Rebells in the Kings County aforesaid vpon or about the said 24th of day of November 1641 did at Tomah in the Kings County by force and Armes deprive Robb and <s> dispojle one ffrancis Medop of Tomah aforesaid Esquire of howsehold stuffe Corne Cattle horses Mares sheepe horses provision plate money debts apparell and other his goodes and chattells and burned his Markett towne and howses of Kisnebrasney Consistinge of about 20 howses of his owne building and of a number of other howses built by his tennants to his losse of fiue thowsand pownds at least And expelled him and his wiff child and family from their habitacion lands and meanes worth 400 li. per annum whereof the deponent accompteth hee hath Lost already 3 yeres proffitts comeing to 1200 li., and he is Like to loose the future proffits vntill a peace be established. And further saith that the said Mris Medop and her Child [ ] with her husbands brother and all their family being about 20 persons were stript of their clothes and turned naked away in frost and snow naked soe as they were forced themse to wind or to wynd and cover themselues with ropes of straw to shelter & keepe them from starveing & in that posture went 30 myles on foote to Limrick:
<Dr J: H B>
Joseph Joyce
Jur vijo Jan: 1643
Hen: Jones
Hen: Brerton
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