Deposition of John Walcockson

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703
John Wilcockson minister of gods word & preacher at the Church of ffontestowne in the Queens County aged 50 yeres & above sworne & examined before his Maiesties Commissioners deposeth and sayth That since the begining of the present Rebellion in Ireland That is to say the last day <A> of December 1641 or thereabouts oneRobinson sonne to Robert Robinson of Ballymadock in the same County assisted and accompanied with divers other barbarous & cruell Rebells (whose names he cannott expresse but as he was credibly informed & beleeveth they were the inhabitants of Stradbally: and Ballykilcavan in the same County & the places thereabouts) came in rebellious and forceibly manner to his this deponents dwelling howse at ffontstowne aforesayd and broke & forced open the dores thereof & soe entered & layd vyolent hands then and there vpon this deponents wiffe & children and vpon William Buck her brother and his wiffe and children: And then and there deprived robbed and dispojled him this deponent of howshold goods books and mony worth 20 li. and at another tymes deprived & dispoyled him of Cattle or the values thereof & other goodes worth 40 li. more, And forceibly expelled him from his Church Liveing meanes worth 10 li. per annum Whereof he accompteth 3 yeres proffits to be lost amounting to 30 li., And the deponent is like to loose the future proffits thereof vntill a peace be established his now present losses amounting to 90 li. ster And the Rebells alsoe stript his wiffe & children of the most of their clothes an together with his said brother in law and his wiffe & children & turned them out in the extreamity of cold weather to begg vpp and downe the Cuntry But the deponent for his owne part, was fled away to saue his Liffe to Ballylenan the Castle of Captain Grehams whither vnto his wiffe and children with much difficulty came But that Castle being greatly thronged the deponent & many others Lived in the Church out of the Castle where this deponent read prayers & preached, But on a suddaine vizt the xxjth of January 1641 The Rebell Barnaby Dempsy of Knockardagurr in the same County Esquire & Colonell of Rebells, and Captain Dempsy <B> his sonn together with about 3000 of other Rebells forceibly & rebelliously came and besett the said Castle & Church and [ ] tooke and surprised the Church only and this deponent and the rest of the protestants there and forceibly

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forceibly then and from thence halled dragged and carried all the men them away prisoners along with them: & pynioned and tyed fast their armes behynd them: but haveing stript the women and children of their clothes they lett them goe, And such was the mallice of those Rebells to this deponent becawse he was a minister, that they stript him stark naked & soe he contynued about an howre in snowy frosty & windy weather & then at length they returned vnto him a poore short wascote only which they had taken from him which did hardly couer his privy parts And in those that posture carried him away through & over hedgs bushes & ditches which tore & galled his skin and flesh exceedingly And when as he could not (for want of the vse of his pynnyoned hands armes helpe himself ouer hedges and ditches those barbarous Rebells would & did dragg & halle him through and ouer the same: which raked and tore his skin and flesh soe much that he Lost many some blowd & the same R [ ] Rebells carrying him this deponent and the other prisoners towards Knockardagurr: did very often tell & threaten them that they should all be hanged, Howbeit in the way one Mr George Bowen sonn of Sir John Bowen knight did by much mediacion & intreaties vsed to the other Rebells prevaile for this deponents Releas and yet vpon promisse to be forth comeing when he should be called vpon, And this deponent is verely perswaded in his Conscience That he and the rest of their protestant prisoners had bin hanged or otherwise murthered presently But that the said Captain Grymes sent those Rebells absolute word that if they shed but one dropp of their blowd, he would hang ouer the walls of his Castle three of those Rebells principall frendes that he indeed had taken prisoners, and were then in his Custody:
J Willcockson
Jur viijo Jan: 1643
Hen: Jones
Hen: Brereton

Q. County
John Wilcockson Jur
viijo Jan 1643
Intw