Deposition of William Potter

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William Potter late of Castletowne meloughe nere Trim in the Countie of Meath Late servant to Mr John Ware Late of Castletown{e} Meloughe Esquire d ec now deceased sworne & examined before his Maiesties Commissioners by force of his highnes Comission to them directed vnder the great seale of Ireland deposeth and sayth That about the begining of Lent 1641 (which was after the Rebellion begun) <A> One Christopher Hollywood (eldest sonne of Mr Holliwood of Artain in the County of Dublin Esquire), came with one Andrew White Late servant and Cleark to Sir James Ware knighte & with about tenn souldjers more musketeers and pykemen & one fyrelock, (all Rebells & actors in that wicked rebellion) to Castletown melowgh aforesaid And then and there the said Rebell Christopher Holliwood & the rest of his Rebellious crew being armed & vizt the said Christopher with a sword Sword & a pistoll & the rest with swords musketts & pykes & some with a fyrelock or with some or 2 of them the said John Ware being on the topp of the Castle, & seeing them comen to the gate, came downe & cawsed the gate to be opened & them to be lett in & then & there fearing noe evill (as this deponent is perswaded) entertained them with all alacrity & cheerfulnes & gave them beare, & strong water & dranck with them reioyceing much they would come to see him, & expressed soe much in words & withall invited them to stay supper & Comanded the deponent <B> to make it ready for them: Howbeit the said Holliwood & his crew refused to sitt downe, But some of them (especially the said Andrew White) began to pick quarrells concerning twoe wolf doggs which the said John Ware had bredd from whelpes & were in his howses The said White saying they were none of the said Mr Wares but another mans: & hee the said White & the said Hollywood & the rest then looking with stormy & angry lookes Thereby betraying some <C> mallice or discontent, whereat the said Mr Wares wife called the said Mr Wares privately twice into a chamber, & earnestly desired him to shun & leave their company, for shee feared they wuld doe him some mischeif. But he (as it seemeth) suspecting noe such thing) answered her in this deponents hearing in theis words or to the effect following: Goe goe you talk lyke a foole, My Brother Christy Holliwood
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Holliwood will doe me noe harme: He will sooner doe himself mischeef then mee any: & of that being confident, went amongst them againe dranck to them and made them very freely welcome Then the said Mr Hollywood said to John Ware come I heare you haue a Couple of brave horses Lett us goe out to the stable & see them: which they all did & the deponent for company went to the stable dore: Then the said Cristopher Holloywood said: Well John Ware I am comen for your twoe horses, and I will have them: Whereunto the said John Ware answered you shall not haue them (if that be your intent) w vpon which the said Holliwood with both his hands pushed off from him the said John Ware and then speaking to him with the fyrelock one of the Musketeeres sayd <D> Now you Roague hitt your mark there it is w vp Noe sooner were those words spoken but that souldjer (soe comanded by the said Holliwood discharged his peese (which was laden with a brase of bulletts) at the said John Ware & with one bullett shott him into the brest & with thother shott him quite through the shoulder soe as the bullett stuck in the wall And the said John Ware falling downe with the shott rose againe with much difficulty, & the foulding his hands over his wounds staggared into his howse, & there fell dead downe dead: And that done those bould and cruell Rebells forceibly tooke away those twoe horses & soe departed the Castle But before they went away the said Hollywood cockt his pistoll & gave fyre to it seuerall tymes against the said Mris Ware as she stood crying & bewayleing over the body of her said murthered husband; But by gods providence the pistoll would not goe off, otherwise in all probability she had bin then and there mur murthered alsoe: And this deponent was tould by the most of the people in that towne, That the said Hollywood (after the murther comitted) publiquely said to those people that if they cryed out or sayd any thing, he would come back & serve them as he had done the fellow at the Castle (meaneing the said Mr Ware) And this deponent further saith That when the said John Ware was (by the shott aforesaid) fallen on the ground, the said Andrew White <E> (standing with the other Rebells all guarded & in a posture of doeing execucion) published divulged and expressed theis words
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wordes vizt Well John Ware now thou wilt never piss in the skabbard of my sword any more And further saith That the said Christopher Holliwood Andrew White & the rest of their said Crewe contynued in Rebellion against the kings Maiesty & his Lojall subjects of the kingdome of Ireland: And this alsoe deponent further saith That about five weekes before <A> Christmas 1641 he this deponent (amongst was att Castletowne melough aforesaid forceibly depriued robbed & dispoiled of ready money apparell & other things worth about Lx li., by meanes of the same Rebellion he was deprived of & lost the benefite of his service which was worth unto him vj li. per annum: But whoe those Rebells were that soe robbed and dispojled him he cannott tell for they were all strangers unto him but they & suddenly surpriseing him pulled him downe by the haire of his head to a block: and threatened to cutt his his head off his shoulders if he would not confesse where all his mony was, (which in deed they hadd fownd, and taken from him before) Howbeit by godes great providence he escaped with his Liffe
Signum predicti [mark] Willelmi Potter
Jur quinto die Augusti 1644
Hen: Jones
Hen: Brereton

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{Meath}
William Potter Jur 5o
Augusti 1644
Intc
Exr
16 Nov:
C

w +