Deposition of John Brereton

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John Brereton late of Rathmore in Ossery in the Queens Countie gentleman sworne & examined deposeth and saith That about the 4th of November 1641 The Irish papists within the Queens County haveing gathered head and being gone into Rebellion some of them vizt the lord ffitzpatrick of Vpper Ossery & fflorence <A> ffitzpatrick of Castletowne gents by themselues or their Complicees tennants & souldiers imployed for them in great numbers flocked and resorted to Rathmore aforesaid as this deponent hath been credibly informed by Alice Lloyd his maid servant whom he left there, (himself with his wife and six children being (to shun their danger) a little before gone to the Castle of Burrowes in the same County) And then and there those Rebells in the deponents absence, forceibly came into his the deponents howse and seazed vpon all his howshold goodes there Left vizt cattle Corne, horses sheepe provition and other thinges. & deprived and dispojled him of the possession Rents and proffitts of his said howse and farme there By meanes whereof & of the same Rebellion this deponent lost and was dampnified in his goodes chattells & estate the summ or value of 500 {li.} sterling att the least And further sayth That after that this deponent a{nd} his wife and children together with as many more English protestants as mad{e} vpp the number of 180 persons (whereof the most part were women and children that thither fled for safety) had contynued there for about 4 or 5 {weekes} <B> The said Lord of Vpper Ossery fflorence ffitzpatrick, one Captain B{rian} Geffrey ffitzpatrick of Ballyowley in the same County gentleman, John {fitz}patrick of Tentore in the same County gentleman, and a great number {of} souldjers by them comanded, whose names he cannott expresse, came a{nd} Sumoned the said Castle and demanded possession thereof: Where vnto was answered by Mr Andrew Brereton the deponents kinsman Mr John B{askervile} Mr Robert Piggott, this deponent and others that kept the said Castle That {they} kept, and would keepe it for his Maiesty, vnles they would shew them {his} highnes Comission to the contrary Then those Rebells departed the{nce yet} divers tymes returned & made the like demands But withall {vsed many} threats That they would take it from the possessers of it by for{ce Whoe} should have noe mercy shewed vnto them but shold loose their {lives And} seuerall times those Rebells and others Layd sharpe seige to the said C{astle &} forceibly made themselves seuerall works nere the gates and walls {and putt the beseeged}

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to such extreame want of meat drinck fewell and other susteinance that they were often Like to starve which necessity working with the desire which that those men tha t were able to beare Armes had to be revenged on the Rebells (They being not of able fighting men within the Castle above 20 or thereabouts) soe prickt on & instigated them: That seuerall tymes some of the fighting men beseeged, (whereof the deponent was still one) desparately sallied out vpon the Rebells and would often beate them from their works and ambushes: & by gods great providence would still returne with very little or noe hurt: Howbeit the Rebells had seuerall men of their party slaine by this deponent & those of the Castle that assisted him, And although this deponent and his partakers were somtymes not above 6 at other tymes tenn or 12: & when all sallied out vpon them were not to this deponents Remembrance above twenty: yet such was gods great mercy & power shewed vnto them from time to tyme, That they would still vanguish & repell the Irish, and often when those Irish have bin somtymes 200: 300: 400 & somtymes 500 souldjers in number; Insoemuch as this deponent & those of his small party haue seyerall tymes tymes in those sallies [out ] ta k forceibly taken surprised & brought in from the Irish divers preys of their beasts and Cattle & other thinges wherewith they haue often releeved all those in the Castle, Howbeit often such haue bin their wants That they have bin inforced to feed vpon the flesh of horses doggs Catts & Crowes & to drinck water all the tyme, but therein alsoe were often scanted, and for about 8 weeks or above were forced to feed vpon the very leaves of beanes potatoes and weedes & when extreame want inforced them desperately to adventure out & fall trees in the orchard for fewell, numerous bulletts have from tyme to tyme come from the Rebells about theire eares: yet in all the seige they had not aboue 3 or 4 men slaine and very few others hurt, Att lenth Length the Rebells both increaseing exceedingly in number Armes and Amunition & the beseiged being almost starued & the deponent & the rest of the men beseeged being wearied & overcomen with the cryes of old men women and their children, were inforce d to hee this deponent with his wife & children & d iu seuerall others that had wives & children departed that Castle & went thence to Ballinekill with a strong party that came thither to releeve them Att which Castle of Ballinekill they endured another Long & miserable seige, but were at length for want of victualls fewell water & other necessaries inforced to leave that Castle vpon Quarter to Colonell Preston {& o}thers: from thence the deponent with his wife & 6 children before mencioned came to {Dub}lin & euer since have lived in great misery he the deponent being still a souldjer {among}st the Rebells
John: Brereton
{9o} Januarij 1642
{Hen} Jones
{Hen: Brereton}