Examination of Captain John Sweet

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The Testimony of Captain John Sweet taken vpon his oath before vs September 9o 1652
I doe hereby Testifie That at the begining of the troubles here in Ireland in ffebruarie 1641 one donnogh mc daniell Cartie then of Ballingarrah did seize vpon all my Goods & Chatles And I intreating him for parte thereof againe, to releive me in that sade condition he told me that he would doe soe by waie of stealth but any otherwaies he durst not for ffeare of McCarty Reagh who had (as he affirmed) given out an order, that whoever should restore to any of the English, any goods that had bin taken from them; & which they had posest themselves of, should for soe doeing fforfeit their owne goods, and forfeit theire lives also.
<A> And ffurther the said donnogh said that himselfe & one ffynnen mc Cormack Carty & seuerall others told me That Mc Carty had given out an order to seize on all English mens goods within his Jurisdiction And that in Case any one of all those English did offer to resist that then his order was to kill him As Concerneinge Willyam Goosham this I can say by & from the relation of his wife, that he was taken out of Mr Marshes house by some of McCarties men & thence caryed to the Castle of Kilbrittan to which place (being an Irishwoman) she made bold to ffollow him, & there became an earnest suiter to McCartie for the spareing of her husbands life: alleadging he was a poor labouring man & had never done them any kinde of iniurie And prest to know the reason, why they would take away her husbands life, but no other answer was made therein to her but that hee was an Englishman or English dog, & therefore he would hang him. And one No Nora the late wife of Reinolds mintern, being an Irish woman, & vpon that account at that tyme within the Castle there, told me the same that Gosshanes wife had said, to the same purpose & allmost word for word, the 2 women are since dead.
ffurther shortly after the princes left Kinsale mc Cartie afforesaid Came vnto Kilbrittan (which at that tyme was in the hands of Thomas ffitz Maurrice mc Carties ffather in law) And by fforce (haveing A company of men) did posesse himselfe of that Castle And being demaunded by the said ffitz Maurice what the reason was hee should in that mannor so wrongfully & suddenly disposesse him, of that which was his right (he being husband to McCarties mother, & Kilbrittan Castle being parte of her Jointure) his Answer to ffitz Maurice was, that he did it for his owne security & safeguard, because that hee had spilt much English blood, And more he did intend to spile. All this was was tolld me voluntarily by the said Thomas ffitz Maurrice

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And I further testify that about some two yeares, and a halfe since I was at Timoleague, where was mc Carty Reagh present, and John Burrowghes, the which Burrowghes did in my hearing question the said mc <B> Carty Reagh for hanging his father & mother in the first yeare of the Rebellion; McCarty replied that he did not doe it, But mac ne Crimin did it, Wherevpon the said Burroughs Answered that it was by his order; for that he had seene a writing under mc Cartyes hand which mc ne Crimin shewed him, to wherein he owned the fact, & Cleared mc ne Crimin; To which mc Carty said, that all that was done, was when he went as farre as Timoleague Bridge to Releeue Kilbritten Castle, which vpon his Coming thither he hear d the English had taken, and mc ne Crimin being there, he asked what he should doe with Burrowes & the rest; to whom Mac Carty, (as he then said in my hearing) replied that he might doe with him & the rest, what the said mc ne Crimin would, hang them if he would, And the said McCarty said that he was then much troubld for the losse of his Castle, and some what moued, & mc ne Crimen Coming then to him; he said those words wherevpon the said persons were hang’d; as touching the writing mc ne Crimin had mc Carty said that mc ne Crimin being afraid to be questioned for the hanging of Burroughs &c. & being in quarter, & he the said mc Carty, abroad with the enemy mc ne Crimen desired his mac Cartyes wife; to get something vnder his hand to saue him harmelesse, which vpon his wifes Importunity mc Caarty granted! And I doe testify that I saw the writing vnder mc Cartys hand shewed me by mc ne Crimin, which was was were in words to this purpose (vizt) that, fforasmuch as mc ne Crimin is like to be questioned for John Burroughs death &c, I doe acquitt the said mc ne Crimin, and owne the same to be my Act! the summe of this testimony for matter & substance, I John Sweet doe

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Affirme me vpon my oath & vnder my hand this 9o of September 1652
And further I testify, that in the yeare first cessation, Collonell Searle Gouernor of BandonBridge, taxed the said mc ne Crimin in my presence & hearing, for the murder of the Aforesaid Burroughs &c. and mc ne Crimin Answered that twas not his, but mcCarties Act, And that he would make it further appeare to be so; but upon Colonell Searles further search & enquring into the thing he gaue me the order to seize vpon mc ne Crimen, where but I could not find him for some months after; & ere I saw him, he came to the gouernor of Bandon Bridge, & shewed him the said mc Cartys writing & after came downe to me & shewed him me the same at Timoleague, vpon which the said mc ne Crimin, was not farther questioned, & As I vnderstand Captain Gooking hath sene the same writing.

John Sweete
Coram nobis
John Clerke
ff: Wheeller
Peter Wallis

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Captain Sweets examinaction
touching mc Carty & the mc ne Crimins
murder of Burroughe
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