Deposition of Captain Richard Steele

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Captaine Richard Steelle one of the gentlemen of his Maiesties privy chamber and Late an Inhabitant at Ballinekill in the Queens County sworne and examined deposeth and sayth Alsoe Frances the wiffe of the said Captain Steele Belljndia Frances, Mary and Ellenor his daughters Mary Covett spinster Thomas Shubridge John Vinten & Lambert Latt all inhabitants of Ballinekill aforesaid also sworne and examined depose and say: That since the begining of the present Rebellion and by meanes thereof Hee the said Captain Richard Steele was deprived robbed or otherwise Lost and was dampnified by the Rebells of & in his goodes chattells and estate the value of three thowsand powndes ster or therabouts
And this deponent Captain Richard Steele further seuerally sayth: That whilest hee soe suffered and was dispojled of his said meanes, and whylst the seidge & passages herein hereafter mencioned did happen Hee this deponent was in England But all the rest of the other deponents, and hee (by their Relacion) further say and depose: That the Rebellion in those parts of the kingdome of Ireland begining the xxvjth day of November 1641: was pursued and contynued by Richard Butler of Idoghe <A> Esquire, The Lord of Vpper Ossery The Lord Mountgarrett the Erle of Castle Havan, the Purcells, Brians, and other jnhabjtants of those parts, and of divers of the County of Kilkenny: Catherlaghe, the Kings County, the Queens County: As alsoe by the jnhabitants of Ossery and Leix & by Brian Dempsy Esquire and Charles his sonn The Lord Nettervile the Lord Ikerrin; Sir James Dillon, Comander of a Regiment of foote; Colonell Plunckett Comander of Regiment of kerne foote, And Colonell Butler Comander of another Regiment of foote
Others whoe prosecuted warr and manteined seidge seuerall and divers tymes at Ballinekill aforesaid from the said xxvjth day of November 1641 vntill the takeing in of the said Castle, and distruccion of the towne <symbol> & plantacion there, by them & generall Preston and his Army, the 5th day of May 1643: By which meanes not only the said Captain Steele, but a great number of others his Maiesties good subiects haue beene Ruyned and dispoyled of all their estats & many were deprived of their Liues some <B> by the sword some by hanginge starveing and famishing by closse seidges & want, and by other cruell torments and deaths. Insoe much as the the distresse force protestants hardly escaped with their Liues: But generally all of them were deprived of their estats & those few that escaped with their Liues were &

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are altogether exposed to great want & misery. There beinge 900 persons of men women and children: which fled & retired into the Castle of Ballinekill for saffty of their Liues, which place was first purchased from the irish Cosb es By the right honorable Thomas Erle of Londonderry And afterwards planted built and made <symbol> a towne Corporate by and at his charge, which cost by estimacion tenn thowsand pownds: All which noe Lyeth wast burned ruyned & distroyed by the Rebells aforenamed and their souldjers and partakers: The Castle park and part of the Landes being formerlie in mortgage to the Lady Lucie Daughter to the Erle of Castlehaven, whoe kept Masse and Masse preists there, which being redeemed from her by the said Captain Steele was the cawse shee Left the same place & repaired to Mounster Whereby Itt became cleered of her and the preists fryers and papists and was a more saffe and free receptacle & place of strength & defence for the protestants, there retireing thither for safftie, of men women and children protestants about Nyne hundred whoe received in the said towne and Castle and in defence thereof and of themselues endured a long seidge and much want and miserie; which said towne and Castle were, defended by the English against the rage and furious assaults of the irish a full yeare and a halfe, receiving very Little releef from the state and noe armes at all vntill generall <A> Preston reinforceing the seidges there with fowre thowsand foote and seven hundred horse the second day of Aprill 1643 being Ester daie came with cullors displayed, and approached the said towne and castle: He being seconded or assisted with the Erle of Castlehaven whoe appeared to bee comander of the troops of horse and others being in all a great Army furnished with feild peecs for battry engins Engineers, and other forcs of fyreworks: Which generall and Army entrenched themselues nere and about Muskett shott of the Castle and towne, and there began their battery the fowrth day of the said month of Aprill & contynued it vntill the viijth Att which tyme theordinance was removed to another part of the Castle, and there battered vntill the 12th day of that month. The Rebells still makeing theire approaches & vndermyneings drawing their works neerer and neerer: Whereby the beseeged were almost putt to dispaire: haveing their water cutt off & exposed to other wants All which contynued vntill the 21th of the said month of May Aprill the Castell being battered and ready to fall on the heads of the beseidged Att

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<at> which tyme the said Generall Preston and Lord Mountgarret cawsed a parly to be made with the beseidged, and required them to deliver vpp the said Castle for his Maiesties vse, and that to be done by a certeine daie howre: & in soe doeing, quarter to bee given to save the Lives of men women and children, with other language & perswasions to that effect: The Rebells further alledging that noe force nor ayde could come, and that it was in vaine to hould out, and foolishnes to perrish; when they might saue their liues: Wherevpon and becawse in deed of the Castles totterings and the beames falling downe threatening the totall ruyn of soe many hundred men women and children as was [haue] affrighted with the sadd lementacions and cryes of may many cheefly by reason of the plying of the ordinance falls of Granadoes & other inevitable dangers, the 5th day of the said month of May last past the English souldjers and the rest there beseiged to their great greefe occasioned principally by vnavoidable danger issued out of the Castle & then & there being searched, & counted pole by pole by the Rebells The number of them which soe issued out was seven the Hundred fifty three men women and children: the rest being slaine and dead by sicknes And the greater cawse of that Surrender was for that the Rebells had drawne from Wexford a very great peece of Ordinance by 28 oxen, other 28 goeing by & takeing turnes Which peece carried xxv li. shott waight, being the only peece for battery and execucion And theis deponents ffrances Steele thelder Ballindia Frances Marie & Ellenor the daughters Tho: Shubridg John Vinten and Lambart Latt further say: That they and and the rest that were beseiged in the said Castle: were long in hopes of the said Captaine Steeles comeing from the parliament with succour, Whereof none appeared in all the time of this distresse And the deponent Captain Richard Steele for himself seuerally sayth That he was not backward but adressed his humble peticions to the Parliament of England for releefe: Thereby showing how much it concerned him in perticuler by haveing the Castle park Iron work & his wiffe, eight children and a very great family and charge in that danger & distresse And withall signifying that the state of Ireland being in much want could not afford much succour, or any armes at all for defence, And that the said towne and Castle was of great Consequence & had (as he hath heard say & beleeveth) in the tyme that they were soe besett by the Rebells) slaine, above thirteene hundred of them; and stood a frontire garrison within in tenn [ ] myles of Kilkenny: where the Rebells kept their Parliament and contynued their greatest force: Howbeit that solicitacion & affirmacion gott noe succour nor releefe att all But the said towne & Castle & those therein beseeged, of force stooping to want

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w ere constrained to yeild and surrender as aforesaid: & then to come away all bereft and dispoyled of their meanes & exposed to such wants that many thereby are since dead, & the rest must subsist by the Charitie & releefe of their frendes: Whoe formerly were rather helpfull then chargable to any: And Howbeit the Rebells to intice and draw the English to stay & ioyne with them in their designes and bee of their Religion made them large promisses to enioy their estats Landes & Liberties (if they would soe doe) But those resolute & stowt English scorned and rejected these offers preferring their loyalty duty and love to god & his Maiestie before all earthly riches
Ric Steele
Frances Steelle
Bellindia Steelle
Fracis Steelle
Elinor Steelle
Mary Steele
Mary Couet
Deposed aug: 22o 1643 before
Hen: Brereton
Edw: Pigott

Q: Countie
Capten Richard Steele et al Jur
22o Augusti 1643
Int c
Intw C.f.
M
26 nov
V

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