Deposition of Arthur Ahgmoty and Martin Johnston

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Arthur Aghmoty of Castleforbes in the parrish of Clongisse in the County of Longford gent Lieutenant to the Company of Brittish in Castle Forbes against the Rebells, and Martin Johnston of Sorne P in the same Countie gent sworne and examined depose and say And first the said Arthur Ahmoty for and by himself sayth That since the begining of the present Rebellion vizt about the xxvth of october Last 1641 Hee was deprived robbed or otherwise <A> dispoyled of the possession Rents & proffits of a pole of land called the garracheill to his losse of xxij xxj li. of Cowes and oxen worth xvij li. Horses & Mares worth vij li. sheepe xxv s. Corne xxxv li. [ ] one peice and a sword one paire of bootes and a saddle and brydle worth xlviij s. and in debts amounting to fforty one pounds vj s. In all amounting to fowrscore Pownds thirteene shillings and of the yerely anuity of iij li. xij s. viij d. one yeres rent & a half in arrere, and all of the future rent vntill a peace be setled
By theis Rebells following vizt Mahoune Mc Shane ffarrell of Ballaghe in the County of Longford Teige Mc Granell of Clowncarny. Garrald Mc Granell of Cloneaghe of the County of Leitrim <B> rel & diuers others which he knoweth not And the Deponent Martin Johnston for and by himselfe saith that since the begining of the present Rebellion vizt about the xxvth day of october now last past 1641 this deponent, was att Sorne aforesaid deprived Robbed & dispoyled of his meanes goodes & Chattells of the values following vizt, of Cattle of all sorts worth Cxiiij li. xiiij s., Corne worth xij li., Wolle & yarne worth iij li. vj s. viij d. howsholdgoods and provition viij li. vj s., a debt owing to him by Laughlin Mc James fferrall whoe is in Rebellion xxx s., of five pownds for one yere <C:> past for anuity due to him for xxj yeres to come, which 5 li. for one yere is already lost and he is like to loose the like Rent of v li. per annum vntill a peace be setled & of ready mony xl s. A sword worth xx s. Apparell and bedcloths worth v li. vj s. viij d., a bible worth xiij s. iiij d. of debts due by the Rebells following vizt by Tho: Mc Maister of Sorne aforesaid yeoman xxiiij s. by Connogh mc Ross ffarell Clonlaughe xxx s. by Morrogh Farrell of Reine in the same Countie gentleman xl s. by Edmund Mc Brian iiij li. & of rents amounting to xiiij li. x s. Soe
<80 li.- 13 s.
5 li.- 9 s.
iij li. xij s. viij d.
per annum>

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Soe that his whole present losses by meanes of the Rebellion besides his future losses of v li. per annum come vnto the summe of one hundreth seventie seven pownds & viij d. sterling And further saith that the parties Rebells that soe deprived robbed and dispoyled him of his said meanes goodes & Chattells <A> are theis that follow vizt Garratt Mc Rory ffarrell of Esteraghe Call ffarrell of Caven in the County of Longford Patrick Mc Carnan of Carnedrunge in the County of [Cavin] Edmund Dow ffarrell of Gortinwhell and Donnell Boy ffarrell of Corttinboy Edmund ffarrell of Gortinwhell and Edmund mc Brian of the same all of the County of gentlemen and their rebellious & lewd followers whose names he cannott now remember, And both the deponents Arthur Ahmotie & Martin Jonston further say and depose That in the begining of the Rebellion the Lady Forbes of Castleforbes aforesaid feareing the dangers which ensued did endevor to furnish <B> her said Castle with arm s amunition & victualls: & alsoe with strength of men for resisting of the Rebells & saveing her & their liues meanes and goodes: And therevpon she gathered together to her said Castle all her brittish tennants that dwelt within the said Countie of Longford and kept as strong watch and ward in the howse as she co and they could: Howbeit many of the Rebells of the Countie of leitrim bordering vpon those parts: forceibly afterwards came & Robbed all the English & Scottish tenants of the Lady Forbes. & of the Lady of Longford next adioyneing to or bordering vpon Castleforbes aforesaid wherevpon the whole brittish of that Parrish rise vp in Armes & pursueing rescowed some of their Cattle & slew <C.> three of their leaders or gentlemen: And then the English fortifyed the Castle of longford, which the Rebells of that County strongly beleaguered: and the rest of the brittish belonging to Sir John Seaton knighte Joined with them and assisted the said howse of longford. wherevpon the Rebells writt to the said Sir John Seaton that they were not to meddle with him att all nor any of his: Howbeit the said Sir John told them that hee did

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not know what they ment; but wold assist the kings good subiects, then that howse being not able to make resistance tooke quarter and yet were whear Cruelly martired & the people [ ] with Si r John to Castleforbes wherevpon the Rebells robbed all the rest of his Sir John tennants: whoe alsoe fledd to Castleforbus for releefe: wh And then those Companys with them in the Castle formerly fortefying that howse as well as they could, & hearing that the Rebells resolued presently to lay hard seige vnto them salljed out one Night and burned all the Rebells howses and Corne within 2 or 3 myles: & brought in all the provition they cold: And then the Rebells being fowre or fiue hundreth strong layd fresh seige to Castleforbes aforesaid & built vpp Cabins & howses within Muskett shott thereof round about them and tooke their Cattle, but theis deponents & the rest in the howse sallyed out rescowed some of their goods and killd some of the Rebells bett them rest from their howses holds and Cabins which they burned & spoyled: & soe retired into the Castle, and the Rebells gathering new strength & Renuing their seige, thejs deponents, and the rest in the Castle salljed out againe & discharged against the enemyes but they being too strong enforced them to retire with the losse of one man: Then presently after the Rebells freshly assaulted the Castle but 3 of them being Killd & others hurt, the rest were repulsed but they then tooke away all the Cattle belonging to the Castle: Then presently after the Rebells beleaguered the Castle a new within pistoll shott, made many trenches shott in all the windowes and killd some there in the howse & some on the walls, And on the other syde those of the Castle discharged out of the Castle against the Rebells and killd many of them: soe as some of the rest Confessed that some ffowrscore of them were slaine & hurt. Then the Rebells surprised and tooke from the Castle the well and all the water belonging to it And a scottishman that endeavored to come to the Castle and

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they Rebells hanged him and ripping vp his belly threw him into the well where he lay vntill the doggs devowred him Then those of the Castle being almost starued & spoyled for want of water: digged a hole 40 foote deepe in the bawne of the Castle & recouered water which refreshed them much: & whenas any went out privately to seeke releef the Rebells did from tyme to tyme murther them and leave them to be devowred by doggs or fowle And the Rebells often called the protestants of the Castle puritant doggs and hereticks, traytors to god & the King: saying that for Sir John Seaton and others which were papists in the Castle they shold haue quarter but the heretikes man wiffe and child: shold be cutt of And afterwards when the Rebells heard that the english army was comen within 10 or 12 myles of them then the Castle Rebells burnd vp all all the howses & holds of protestants that they could: & had themselues ready to burne their owne: if the army had comen that way & had carrjed all their goodes to the woodes and boggs: But whenas the Army returned to Dublin & came not to releeve the Castle & that the lady forbes had given gaue all her great horse to the poore to eate: soe as at length they of the Castle were forced to eate the stincking Cowe hydes which had lyen on stincking Dunghills vnsalted in the bawnes from christmas or Alhallontyde last & were inforced to dry & grynd vpon querns all the old sowre graynes of Malt they could gett & those bake for bread and eate and the poorer sort cutt and pulled all the weeds from stincking dunghills they cold gett & did eate them Insoemuch as these of the Castle were putt to the strang misery and want And when the lady ffobes and the lady Seaton by letters earnestly desyred the Rebells to permitt the poore distressed people of the Castle to goe into the garden or before the Castle gate to eat the grasse that was then growing there but the Rebells denying it sayd that they would keepe them till the <symbol> Ravens did eat their gutts: And twoe children goeing forth to eate weeds or grasse the one was shott dead and the other wounded, And further saith that a poore woman whose husband was apprehended by the Rebells went to them with 2 children at her feete and one at her brest hopeing to begg her husbands liff, was herself by the Rebells had & her sucking chyld slaine and her an other of her children hadd his back ne ck broken: & the third hardly escaped. And further saith that twoe men of the Rebells vizt William mc Kenna one of their lieutenants and

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Cormack ô Manchein often releeved the beseiged in the Castle in the dark nights for viij weekes together which being after knowne the Rebells hanged And further sajth that whenas long the beseiged were driven to that exigent of want that they hadd <A> nothing at all to eat, but were all like & very neare to famish then with much difficultie they gott quarter, to Martch away {with} their wearing clothes and armes to Trim: & then and there the Rebells to have all the armes and amunition of the beseeged tenn musketts only excepted And soe the said lady fforbes Sir John seaton & his lady & all the rest in the Castle to the number of CCxx persons all manteined at the costs of the said lady fforbes came away vpon the termes aforesaid this deponent putting & hydeing all the powder they had left into a deepe r{ } & soe from thence through many dangers & miseryes they came to Trim and from thence hither to the Citty of dublin, And further say that Oliver ffzgarrald of in the <B.> County of longford Esquire a Justice of the peace was and is a most notorious and wicked Rebell, and was one of the beseegers of the Castleforbes aforesaid And that another of the Rebells vizt Roger Nangle Capten publiquely sayd at dinner in Sir John Seatons howse the about before christmas last sayd That before Ester next there shold not be a protestant left in Ireland except those that were in strong holdes & could not be gotten
Art: Ahmoty
Martin Johnston
Jurat septemb. 13. 1642
Joh Watson:
John Sterne:
Will: Aldrich

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