Deposition of Suzan Steele
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1641 Deposition Item Type Metadata
fol. 213r
(77.)
Suzan Steele the relict of William steele of the Callough in the County of Longford gent sworne and examined deposeth and saith that in the begining of the present Rebellion that is to say about the first of November 1641 her said husband (whoe was then alive) and shee, were forceibly deprived and dispoiled at Callough aforesaid of their meanes goods and chattells consisting of Cattle Corne howsholdstuff one Mare and a Colt and other thinges worth about xxxv li. <A.> sterling by the Rebells John mc Knogher ô ffarrell of Callough afore{said} gent, walter ffitzgarrett of the same gent & others that she knoweth not, And shee this deponent and her husband fled for safety of their Lives to the Castle of Ballylege belonging to Mr Barnwell of Turvy in the County of Roscomon where they staid vntill about the last of March then next following And then this deponent with her said husband and divers others English the servants to Sir Robert Newten Knight Newcomen Baronet and other neighbors thereabouts to the number of twenty seven in all were forcibly gathered together assaulted & carried away twoe myles off <B.> to a place called Boggenaveele, by the Rebells Morrogh mc Carbry fferrall of of Ballanah in the said County of Longford gent and others the the souldjers of Lishagh mc Gillernew ô ffarrell of ffurfell in the same County a Comander of Rebells and of Oliver ffitz garrett of the Callough aforesaid Esquire another Rebellious Comander but the names of those Rebells she doth not know, Which said Morrogh Mc Carbry & the other souldjers haveing brought them to the bogg aforesaid they then and there mett with the said Lyshagh mc Gillernew & Oliver ffitzgarrett the Comanders whoe haveing consulted amongst themselues what to doe, & resolving that this deponent and the rest of the English should be putt to death yet would not doe it themselues becawse as they said they should be too plainly discouered and their fact would come to Dublin: but [ ] sent for for some other Rebells to the number of ffifty that lived bye the bogg and suddenly came to them to performe the cruelties Howbeit it soe pleased god that by the earnest intreaty & mediacion of the wife of Mr Silvester Browne then of the Callough Esquire & now Barronett, those Rebells suffered them to goe vpp and dow{ne} a begging amongst the meere Irish in which state they contynued for about five weeks And then the said Mr Browne tooke this {deponent}
1)
fol. 213v
78.
& her said husband and one Daniell Stibbs home to his howse, where they were kept and releeved for about a weeke together, And then one Phelim <A.> Mc ffargus ô ffarrell of Racleene in the County of Longford gent Donnell oge Mc Award of the same gent John mc Knogher o Farrell of Cashelbegg in the same County gentleman John Mc Cullroe of the parrish of Racleene husbandman and his brother whose Crissen name she Knoweth not assisted by divers other Rebells vnknown vnto her came with force and Armes to fformoile in the same County being the howse of the said Mr Browne in the month of May 1642 & forceibly tooke and carried away from thence the persons of this deponents said husband and of the said Daniell stibbs to a wyndmyll about half a myle off and there hanged them both on that wyndmille, And by credible report they then and there cutt downe the said Daniell Stibbs before his he was dead and dashed his braines out against: the Stayes of the mill, and then they buried them both in a ditch in a hole out of which (as she hath heard) some Rebells after tooke her husband & stripped him out of his shirt wherein he was buried <B.> And further saith that the Rebells afore and murtherers last named & their said Assistants did the very day next before they hanged her said husband, hang vpon the said mill Agnes the wife of Henry Mead of the Callough aforesaid and att that tyme those Rebells standing in a Rownd ring placed in the middle thereof him the said Henry Mead & sporting themselues with his distruction drew their swords & skeanes, and first one stabbed with his sword or weapen at the said Henry Mead, & he flying from him Another stabbed him on another side and another hi after him did the Lyke, & neuer desisted vntill one that one bloody villaine named Patrick somtyme servant <C.> to the said Mr Browne came with his billhooke & said to the rest of the murtherers yow have had sport enough with the English dogg & therewith cleft the said Henry Mead downe the shoulder & breast & alsoe almost cutt of his neck and gave him many other wounds whereof he then and there died, And then alsoe those bloodie Rebells with their swords skeanes & other weapons hac Kild hackt & cutt in peeces one John Bizell closse by the said wyndmill And this deponent further saith that before the murthers aforesaid comitted vizt about Sct Stephens day 1641
2)
fol. 214r
(79)
<D.> the Rebell Oliver fitzgarrett & lishagh ffarrell aforenamed and their souldjers within the parrish of Racleene aforesaid did by with force and Armes robb & stripp of their clothes John Stibbs gent & his wife and fowre children William Barton Joseph Adgor, the said Henry Mea{d} and his wife and daughter Thomas Crogin, his wife & and five children Lancelett williamson, his wife, and 5 children & generally all the English thereabouts exposeing them to the coldnes of the weather Insoemuch that if they saw any English person have on any clothes worth takeing those Rebells wold say Oh this speakes English this shall goe with mee, And their little boys of 7 or 8 yeres old wold frequently present their skeanes against the English bidding them sturr if they durst, for that their skeane shold goe into them Whenas those distressed English durst neither make resistan{ce} nor gyve them a word to displease them
And this deponent further saith that about June 1642 div{ers} Rebells, whose names shee cannott expresse did at Ballenecor <D.> in the County of Longford murther and putt to death one Georg ffoster and his wife & child and the wife of John Byzell before murthered, And about the same tyme theldest daughter of Tho: Crogen of the Callough was drowned, & fowre twoe more nere starved for want of meat and clothes & 2 more went a begging as their owne mother told this deponent, And with all she told her that shee herself was to have bin murthered but escaped & that her husband had bin in the like danger, & that she then was inquireing and seeking after him wh & knew not whether he was murthered or not: And this deponent further saith that she hath beene divers tymes told both by the Irish themselues and some of the English that some of the children of the said George ffoster were buried quick att or neare Ballynecorr aforesaid And as the cruell Rebells did tread vpon their bodies & threw earth vpon them they putt vpp their hands & strove to keepe the mouldes from their faces as long as they could vntill they were smothered & died, And one of those poore children that <D> then & there by gods providence escaped related the same to this deponent
3)
fol. 214v
80.
And this deponent further saith that about the xth of december 1641 one <E.> Hubert ffarrell a servant and tenant to the said Oliver ffitzgarrett did Committ a rape vpon the body of Adgor Sarah Adgor the daughter of Joseph Adgor the deponents nere neighbours, as the said Sarah afterwards confessed & told to her mother, And although that fowle offence was generally talked of & beleeved yet the offender escaped vnpunished
Mr John stibbs of Sct Albans Com longford having 2 children that did suck their nurses were Comanded to bring them to the said mr Stibbs his wife their mother when neither their father nor mother had either meate clothes money left, nor howse to dwell in, Which children being broughte accordingly to their poore parents half naked perished, & died there by want of clothes and food shortly after, And this deponent is verely perswaded and hath heard that the said Oliver ffitzgarrett & Lishagh Farrell were the principall men that Comanded the nurses soe to bring the said children to their robbed parents
And further saith that there was a warrant made se for sending & Comitting of the said Mr Silvester Browne to the gaole for releeveing this deponent and her husband, Mr stibbs, & the rest of the English, & for that cawse the Irish robbed him of his goods the Irish
And in Aprill last 1642, the lady Ann Dutton and her daughter Mris Elenor Browne, with her man her Mayd, Mris Stibbs, this deponent & the rest of the English were threatened to be putt to death by the <ff.> said Oliver ffitzgarrett, Lishagh Farrell and their confederates And a warrant was signed to that purpose by them and the rest that they called their Cabinett Councell and directed and sent to Captain ffergus ffarrell whoe was required to see them executed, Which said Captaine (after receipt there of) in a braving manner telling the lady Newcomen what a warrant he had & shewing it vnto her, That good Lady therevpon sent Sir James Dillon notice thereof, Whoe presently came and carried & tooke away the said lady Browne dutton & her daughter, Mris stibbs this deponent & some servants of the said lady Duttons & divers other poore English protestants from those parts to his owne howse, and from thence sent them all saffe to Athlone
<G.> About the xth of ffebr 1641 one William Burton of Clogher was murthered and cutt in peeces in Athlone by some of the Souldiers of the said Captain ffargus ffarrell, and twoe or 3 of his children were starved and died vnder a hedg twoe or a night or two after (as their
4)
fol. 215r
(81.)
greeved and distressed mother (with teares) afterwards told this <H> deponent:And about the same moneth one Edmund duffe ffarrell a noteable Rebell attempted to have ravished one Katherin Robinson, and as was conceived had done it had not be shee been rescowed from him by one Tho: Duffe, whoe for the same was wounded by the said Edmund duff ffarrellIn July In or B efore June 1642 this deponent being at Sir James Dillons howse heard some friers there con whereof Mr George Dillon brother to Sir James was cheefe) consulted and agreed together in the absence of the said Sir James) to assault & spoile the towne of Athloane and garrison there, saying amongst themselues it might well be done becawse the souldjers there were most of them sick: Whereof this deponent quickly after gave notice to Sir Robert Newcomen, whoe (as he said, and as she beleeveth) acquainted the then lord President Jones of Cannaght thereof But his Lordship (as the said Sir Robert Newcomen told this deponent afterwards said he did not beleeve it, for it was noe matter what women said Howbeit within a day or twoe after in pursuance of their Resolucon the said Rebell Oliver ffzgarrett and the most Lys h agh Farrell ffargy mc Lishagh ffarrell sonn of the said Lishagh ffarrell & many other of that sept and the said Georg Dillon the ffriere and divers other friers preists & Rebells privately about breake of day came over the River of Eny, and being nere 1000 in number drew nere to the place where Captain Barten & Captain Terringham were by the Lord president, quartered; with about 200 men vpon whom at vnawares the said Rebells fell, and then and there killed the said Captain Barten and a great number of his souldjers, And carried away their Armes
She alsoe saith That afterwards vizt about July 1642 the said <I> Oliver ffitzgarrett and the most of the most of the ffarrells and their souldjers in the night time secretly Martched againe to the said town of Athlone, and killd some few ould men women and children and some sick souldjers, and burned some a thatched howse & about 8 souldjers therein In which flame that Rebell that sett it on fyre being blynded or choaked first (as was conceived) with smoake, was likewise burned and Consumed, Howbeit before eight of the clock on the day ensueing, the Rebells were beaten out of the towne, and above One hundred of them slaine &
5)
fol. 215v
(82.)
& left behinde dead: And alsoe that very daie the Lord Willmotts troope & Captain O rmesbie with some other forces pursued and routed the rest, and had the slaughtering of them for 3 or 4 myles together, but three or 400 of the Rebell souldjers were that day slaine. And saith that the said Sir James Dillon and his souldjers alsoe assaulting the English in the towne that day was alsoe beaten away & retreated: And further saith that the said John Stibbs being one tyme Censured to be hanged was reprived becawse he faigned that he could make gunpowder, About which the Rebells imploying him hee tooke to his assistance, divers of thEnglish, And that occasion affording him & them some liberty more then other prisoners had They tooke that advantage thereof, that they escaped away, and left their promissed work vndone
And this deponent further saith that when she was robbed of her owne goodes, shee had in her custody one great trunck of Lynnen & apparrel of the goods of Ann the late wife of Mr William Symons & now the wife of Mr Robert Mills of Sct Patrickstreete Dublin: being of great value which trunck & all the lynnens and apparrell therein were forceibly taken from her this deponent and carried away by the Rebell Walter ffzgarrett (whoe now liveth in this Deponents howse within the Callough aforesaid, and by John mc Knogher Reoghe ô ffarrell of Cashelbegg, twoe notorious robbers, and such as were actors in and guilty of the murthers aforesaid:
Signum predictae Suzannæ
Steele [mark]
Jur 14o Julij 1645
Hen: Jones
Hen: Brereton
6)
fol. 216r
fol. 216v
(41
Longford
Suzan Steele Jur
11o Julij 1645
copied only Ex
hand
1 no.