Deposition of Thomas Syson

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Thomas Syson of the Shingles in the Countie of Westmeath farmer sworne and examined deposeth and sayth That on the first day of November 1641 when the Rebellion was begun in that County Certeine Irish Rebells whose names hee knoweth not did at Shingles aforesaid forceibly take and carry away with them of the goods of this deponent thirtie one head of Cows one faire Bull & yong Cattle of English race worth fowrscore Pownds or thereabouts & brought them into the County of Longford. And saith that about a fortnight afterwards one Richard Dalton of Drawlinstowne in the same Countie <A.> of Westmeath Esquire fetched those cattell out of the said Countie of Longford vnto his owne lands of Drawlinstonn, and there kept them for some tyme, & deliuered viijt of them back againe to him this deponent & kept and disposed of the residue to his owne vse And on the said first of November 1641 the same vnknowne Rebells robbed this deponent howse att Shingles aforesaid of howsholdgoods wollencloth frize stockinges, a great quantety of butter cheese provision & other thinges worth above xx li., but whither they carried them he cannot tell, And about the xxth of November aforesaid this deponent carryed those viijt of his cattell to the towne of Athlone, but there he was robbed of them and they taken from him by other Rebells whome he knew not. And this deponent was then expelled driven and deprived of and from the possession Rents and proffitts of his howse at shingles which hee newly built) & his farme & improvements there, which he accounteth now to have quite lost which whereby he is dampnified about 20 li. And this deponent at seuerall tymes after the said first of November was robbed of 3 horses & 3 saddles worth viij li. x s., And by reason of this Rebellion this Deponent is deprived of due debts due by Rebells Amounting to xxix li. or thereabouts: Soe that a And this Deponent <B> left in trust with one Morrogh ffynn of ffinglasse Shingles aforesaid farmer (a meere Irish man) soe much of his Corne bedds bedding chests 4 chests 3 hutches one fatt hogg & 3 or 4 barrells of Potatoes one frying pan 3 or 4 slanes or turf spades and other goods as were worth at least five Pownds vpon the said ffynns promisse to keepe them in safety, and to deliuer them to this deponent vpon demand: Howbeit
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although this deponent afterwards demanded them: yet the said ffynn did not redeliver but still detaineth them: soe as the deponent is afraid he shall loose them: And saith that his whole losses and damages by meanes of this Rebellion amounteth as he conceiveth vnto the summ of One hundred fifty three sixty twoe Powndes ten shillings And further saith that he this deponent for safety of his life fleeing from Singles aforesaid to the towne of Athlone with his wife and Children: hee there tooke vpp Armes & lived as a souldjer for his Maiesty against the Rebells for the space of about 2 yeres vnder the Comand of Captaine Sct John: And that about a month about after his comeing thither to his now Remembrance, divers Rebells of the Septs of the Dalies & <A.> Magowlyes whose Chrissen [ ] names he cannott expresse came seuerall tymes to Athlone aforesaid and attempted to take pillage & robb the same, and to surprize the kinges Castle there (if they could) but were from tyme to tyme repulsed by the English souldjers then engarrisoned there, And afterwards That is to say in or about ffebr 1641 Sir James Dillon of Killenfaghney in the Countie of <B> Westmeath knight a Rebellious Colonell with a Regiment consistinge of about nere about one thowsand horse and foote advanced and came to the towne of Athlone aforesaid, and surprized and tooke that east part part thereof which lyeth on the east part of the water, and planted hims and themselues there, & robbed and pillaged many howses, and divers tymes made assaults and attempts against his Maiesties Castle then held and defended by the Right honorable the lord Viscount Ranelaghe, and endeavored to haue surprized the same But were prevented & repulsed from time to tyme by the said principally by the said Captain StJohn and his souldjers & Sir Henry Edw Povy knight and his souldjers: And afterwards that is to say about Ester 1642 (after the attempts and assaults aforesaid made) And th after that those Rebells had layen still & desisted their further attempting the Castle for some tyme, the said Captain Sct John tooke this deponent and about fowrscore more of his souldjers about 3 or 4 a clock before breake of day and intending to fall vpon the Rebells in the towne on the sudden did for that purpose advance vnto & Martch ouer vnto the bridg there with such secrecy and clossnes that noe aduersary as hee thincketh is confident perceived them: Howbeit whenas they were Martching over the bridge & least suspected any treachery signall or discouery of their designe <C> from the said Castle, a peece of Ordinance was discharged from off
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his Maiesties said Castle by the Comand of the said Lord Ranelagh: vpon report whereof the Centry and watch ran away from the end of the bridge & the Rebells apprehending some suddaine danger gott to their Armes, & shott att this deponent and the rest of the English souldjers out of howses & then and there shott divers of them whereof five of them died of which five one Rychard Syson this deponents sonn was one, And before such tyme as the said Captain Sct John & Captain Povie & their souldjers could doe any considerable execution vpon the Rebells) the said Lord <A> Ranolagh suddenly sent after them, and Comanded them to retreate and come back to the Castle: which they in obedience, (yet much contrary to their mynds) did, where otherwise if they had pursued and prosecuted their designe and enterprise begun and that the ordinance (which (as he thincketh) was but discharged as a warning peece to the Rebells) had not bin shott <B> of, those 2 Captaines and English souldjers had then and there had the slaughtering of a great number of the Rebells, and had rowted and driven the rest out of the towne: And soe much this deponent hath bin also credibly told by divers of the Rebells party: Some of them saying in open and plaine tearmes. That the discharging of that peece of ordinance spojled all the English att that time, and save the Irish prevented their plott, and saved the Irishe or to that effect: And the deponent heard heard many of the English souldjers then and at other tymes say that they wondered much that the lord Ranelagh would suffer that peece of ordinance to be soe discharged soe much to the preiudice of the English in awakeing and giveing warning to the Irish in the towne of the English designe,And this deponent further sayth That about Midsomer 1641 before the Rebellion brake out, one Garrett Dalton kinsman <C> & steward to Ow Andrew Dalton the popish vicar generall that Lived at Killenbooy in the County of Westmeath, came vnto this deponent to Shingles aforesaid, & perceiveing that this deponent had there built a new howse, he then and there (vpon view of the same) said vnto this deponent theis words That yow (meaneing this deponent) hadd better have sett vpp your howse in the fyer, And this deponent demanding his reason for these words he Answ Replied yow shall know hereafter or to that effect,: which words have since given this deponent occasion to beleeve, that the said Garret Dalton when he spoake those words ment that the then <D> intended & after succeding Rebellion would & did was shortly after happen, and then the deponents howse would be burned or spoiled (as this deponent hath since heard, it is,: And further sayth that the said
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<A.> Richard Dalton of Drawlinstowne aforesaid (after he (as this deponent hath credibly heard, vpon promisse of Lojalty and to raise forces for his Maiesty) gott some Armes and Amunition out of his maiesties store att Dublin. And this deponent is assuredce & welknoweth that after the said Richard Dalton was said to have those Armes, he raised forces of Rebells and went into open Action of Rebellion, and he & his Rebellious souldjers Robbed & pillaged the English, and often attempted & assaulted the said Castle of Athlone
Signum predicti Tho: Syson
[mark]
<Dr J: W A>
Jur xxxo October 1645
Hen: Clogher
Will: Aldrich

Westmeath o
Tho: Sizon Jur 30o
October 1645
Cf
Intw 1 no

+

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