Deposition of Walter Dishcome

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April 11th 1642
Walter Dishcome a british protestant at Mountrath in the count <A> Queenes County sworne and exam ined saith That since the begin ing of the Rebellion he was robed of his goods by Teige McBaine Lallor vizt about the 11th of January 1641 videl i of his goods That is to say of linen Clothes & som other things to the valew of 5 li. or there abouts: & upon the sabaoth day after by Captaine Edmond Butler liueing neere to the Abie of Lease was robbed of some other linen Clothes who broke open two of the Chists tooke his wiues Coate of herr back tooke away 3 potts 2 blanckets from the bed; som mony & other things so that the deponent was robed in all of his losses of his worth 10 li. <A> The deponent further saith that he knoweth Mr John Nicolson & his wife were murthered upon the sabaoth day in the morneing about 9 of the clock at by the seruants & at the command of fflorence ffitz paterick to whom they betooke themselues for protection: the deponent heareing where & how they were murthered & finding the report true by finding the said parties murthered in a wood neere to Mount Rath, in such cruel & barbarous maner as is hardly to be expressed; and the deponent desireing to doe that neighbourly & Christian office to burie them in the best maner he was him selfe able: who he was pursu’d in all extreamitie for his life because he had laboured soe to burie them; & 3 of the rebels came to his house euery one with his drawen sword to haue dispatcht him askeing in Irish where was the English Churle that had buried Mr Nicolson & his wife; and that they sought all the next day in the neighbouring houses, & thrust their swords in to the heay to see could they find him; but it pleased god to offer an unexpected ocasion to draw him from his owne howse at the instant they sought foor him, & so his life was saued by the takeing himself to Mary burrow, for hearing they inquired whether the doggs & crowes, had yet devowred the said Nicolson & his wife, it was answered them they had not for Dishcome had made some shift to burie them; where upon they professed that he should as much <A> neede tomorrow one to burye him and further saith that this deponents wife being an Irish woman but bred a protestant was employed by some hin commaund to carrye up letters to the state to informe them of the affaires in the countrye; and to receiue information how they were to carrie themselues for their best defence which shee faithfully performed by her discreete carriage of the matter, & safely returneing home with her intelligence was employed in a second seruice by Sir William Gilbert (governour of Mary Burrow & the ffoort there to goe to Captaine Piggots wife at Burrige who he heard was so hard beset that shee was like to giue up the castle there; but upon Sir William Gilberts letter shee though much bestraited for victualls hath kept the Castle safe from the rebells; but the deponents wife in her returne home was taken by the rebels of fflorence fitzpatrick neere Mount Rath and there hanged for the space of halfe an houre <B> & upwards fflorence himselfe being by as is witnessed upon oath by John: Paue a prisoner then in the stocks by, and Honora: Dishcome herselfe whoe being thus long hanged (& a at the Comaund of fflorence an two friars standing by who much urged him to hang her) & after taken downe & layd there upon the earth; for about halfe an houre more her breath began to [ ] returne to her & so by litle & litle She began to expresse some life to be in her; & that so ling without sense for 2 days, at last recouered some strength by which shee was enabled to come towards Mary: Burrow againe but was againe taken by some of the said fflorences rebells who tooke her againe & tould her that now they would be sure to hang her & that shee should neuer ster out of the place till hanged dead; but fflorence being not then at home shee was reserued til his comeing home; but the English army comeing by that way in the interim they all ran away and left her t{here}

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and this present morneing came to us to be deposed of the truith of it the signe of the rope being still upon her neck as, shee showed us the commissioners and is likewise witnessed by her husband & the sayd John Paue who also deposeth the same to be true
Walter [mark] Dishcome his marke
Honora [mark] Dishcome her mark
John [mark] Paue his marke
Des fuerunt Jur 11 April 1642
Randall Adams
Roger Puttocke
<copied>

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[ ] Q. 29 Walter Dishcome

30 of Queens is in 91 of Kildare
31 is in 100 of Kildare
31. 32. 33. of Queens in 100 of Kildare
34 Q is in 114 of Kildare
11 Aprilis 1642
Exr
Intr
c opie d
hand
72