Deposition of John Winsmore

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John Winsmore of Mountmelick in the parrishe of Rossanollis & Barrony of Tynehinch, in the Queenes Countye aged 45 yeres or thereabouts, duely sworne saith, That on Monday the 29th day of Noumber 1641 at Night, came one John McWilliam <A> accompanied with one Laghlin oge, & one Patrick oge, and as I was I was crediblye informed there was in their company one Teig mcPatrick who sometyme had beene a serieant of a company at knockfergus, as allsoe John McBryen the sonne of Bryen McPatrick, and divers others whose names are too Long to relate, being but a rude company to the Number of at leaste (as I may guesse) an hundred, The said John McWilliam his said Company past throrrow the said Towne of Mountmelick & as some said puld vp divers plancks of the bridge, but sure I am they suddenly returnd and fell vpon robbing one Mr Nicholas opies house, and from thence to the house of Mr John Sterne, where in an outhouse of his the said Mr. Sternes, one Mr William Mylnes had some goods which they robbed & dispoiled, And then instantly they fell vpon the mansion house of the said Mr Sterne in Mountmelick hewing & breaking downe the back dores & fore dores, and the Multitude thronged in in the presence of the said John McWilliam and tooke there out goods and corne of seuerall kinds, but to what value this deponent cannot precisely depose, In this interrim came divers of those robbers of the said John McWilliams company all strangers to this deponent vnto this deponents house, & rifled a trunck and tooke most of the beste & lightest things aboute the house, as lynen pewter brasse wearing clothes & the like, it being Contrary to the said John McWilliams promise, who when this deponent complayned of he ran presently to this deponents house; but he suffred the other robbers to rush out by him, and then seemed to be angry promising redresse but this deponent could finde None, And indeede expected none, for that this deponent tooke notice of the said John McWilliams perfidious dealeing in the <B> like kinde with one Thomas Wilson not halfe an houre before The said John McWilliam tooke away all their swords & pieces which he could vnderstand were in the towne calling for them, & fearing that he wold not leave the towne till he had them, soe they were by this feare constrained to deliuer them vp: And when the said John McWilliam had expressed himselfe that he came to take possession, some of the English did desire to know what they should doe he gave some of them leave to stay 2 or 3 dayes, but if any of them wold turne Tenant vnto him & goe to Masse they should be welcome, for it was for their religion they did stand, as he alleadged,
The next day being the 30th of the same November this deponent remoued what he had lefte or put aside to the house of one

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Dauid Dempsie dwelling at the Iron work s who had beene Carpenter of the said Iron works & this deponent had allsoe beene clearke of the same, vnder the right honorable the Lord Viscount Loftus of Elye, Intending from thence, to [ ] take my Journey to Dublin, & to have brought some thing that I had packt vp with me, but that very d Night being in bed at the said Dauid Dempsie knockt at the dore aboute midnight one of the one that seemed a proper gentleman well accoutred but dasht in the bogs vp to the Mid=leg, who after he had walkt vp & downe the house & had had a a greate deale of sharpe discourse with the said David, as it should seeme to me by the vtterance; for vnderstand them I did not, he departed, And then I asked Dauid whether it was best for vs to rise & what it was the gentleman said, & who he was, who bade me not be afraid but lye still, & that he was one of the dempsies, & that he was very angry with him, & that it did vexe him to see my Truncks chests & desks there emptye, Soe then aboute an houre after came in to the said Dauid Dempsie, Mris Gilbert from an house that was hard by in the woods, where shee thought to have sheltred herselfe from the furye of the rebells, and told vs that one of the dempsies had beene at that Irish Mans cabbin & had cutt her purse with 12 or 13 shillings in it & had taken somuch of her goods & provision as was worth 30 li. sterling, & that they were stripping of one John Rice his wife & daughter & that whilst they were busye she slipt out at a back dore with 2 of her grandchildren the children of one Tho: Wagstaff & lefte 2 other in bed & came runing away as aforesaid to the said Dauid Dempsies for feare of being stript in that pittifull cold night, In the breake of the daye Dauid Dempsie went vp to the said Towne of Mountmelick, who being noe sooner gone but in comes a gentleman with a piece in his hand & after him a greate Number of one sorte or other with seuerall kinds of weapons this gentleman asked where Dauid Dempsie was & who I was, the said Dauid his wife answered that her husband was gone to towne, and that I was a poore gentleman that had all taken from me the night before, is he quoth this gentleman, and it were a good deede for me to take his head from his shoulders, God for bid answered the said Dauids wife, yes said he and it were a good deede to take his head from his shoulders, God forbid answered the said Dauids wife, yes said he and it were a goode deede to beate your husband & to hack or cutt him if he harbours the English & lett him take heede he be not serued soe, to this effect did the wife of one howell Jones interpret the discourse betweene the said gentleman & the said Dauid Dempsies wife, they said the said gentleman was allsoe one of the dempsies, Soe that this deponent was faine to leaue what was lefte him, & glad to come away with his life. Mris Gilberts life as shee said being likewise threatened if shee were found there the next day

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And if the said dauid Dempsie had not brought vs seauen Miles thorrow Glanmeleroe (where all the dempsies were said to be vp & had committed divers robberies that daye vizt Wednesday the first day of December) to the first ferrye at Monastereuen wee were likely to have beene robd twice on thrice on the said 7 miles going, Soe that the goods as houshold stuffe & wearing clothes the fruites of my his garden together with a Mare & a cow, cannot be by Estimacion lesse worth then between 40 & 50 pounds sterling, And in specialltyes as much more more soe that I account all to be aboute fourescore & <90 li.> Tenne pounds, besides that this deponent being a man that Liued by his quallitie could gett by his ymployment 50 li. per annum if this Rebellion had not happened, Allsoe he hath Lost his books of accounts for seuerall places where he hath been ymployed, as allsoe many receipts discharges, releases & Many other writeings of consequence as Instruccions for the casting of brasse & Iron ordnance &c.
John Winsmore
Jur xjo January 1641
John Sterne
Will: Hitchcock

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2 John Winsmore Com Regine
Jur xjo Jan 1641
2
Intr 29 no

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