Deposition of John Cliffe

fol. 107r

903.
John Cliffe Late of Courtowne in the County of wexford gent sworne saith. That about fower yeeres since this deponent tooke a Lease of his ffarme of Courtowne aforesaid for Liij yeeres then to Come & in beeinge, & paid for it the ffine or incombe of seven hundred pownds, & was for to pay for the same 40 li. Rente per Annum, for which Lease he would not haue taken before the Rebellion 1000 li. ster: But saith that <1000 li.> about the Latter ende of November Laste, when as the deponent & his wife & Children, for feare of the Rebells were fledd from theire howse to the Castle of the Prospecte (belonginge to Edward Chichester Esquire) the Rebells within the County of wexford, the principall man whereof was Walter Peppard younger Brother <A> to Patrick Peppard Late of Peppards Castle in the same County Esquire & his Company beeinge very Rogues & Rebells in shew, whose names he knowes not in forcible & Rebellious manner broke in & entred into this deponent said howse, & from thence & his grounds Rebelliously & forcibly tooke & carryed away, howsehold stuffe, Plate, Bookes, & other necessaryes there, Corne, haye Cattle horses, hoggs & other provision of the vallue of 1300 li. ster: And this deponent is not only affraid, but is verily perswaded in his Conscience, the Rebells haue since burned, wasted & demolished & spoyled (or will burne & spoyle, not only his Cheefe howse, but all the howses of his tennants, & his & theire out howses, whereby he either is or may be dempnified 400 li. more. And further saith that the other Cheefe principall partyes that he knoweth to be actors in this present Rebellion are these that followe vizt <B> Sir Morgan Cavenagh knight Dermot mc Dowlin Cave{nagh Anthony} Cavenagh Th{omas Masterson Esquire}
<300 li.
100 li.
2300 li.
In all
2700 li.>

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<C> & Alexander Redmond gent, with diuers others of the said County of wexford, And further saith, that he was diuers tymes tould by those that Robbed this Ex deponent & others of the Rebells, That the deponent must be Contented for they had good warrant for what they did both from the Kinge & Queene, And that they were sure of the kinges favour, for he went to Masse with the Queene That he would send over noe Souldyers or ayde into this Kingdome. That they should be assisted by those by the Reddshanks Scotts, & the other Scotts should not Contribute any helpe to this kingdome. That the Scotts were reterned to Newcastle, & had taken it. That the Earle of Arrundell & his Sonn were in the feild with two Armyes of Catholiques, that the Protestants would ioyne with them to assiste the Kinge against the Puritants. That greate supplyes should be sente into England out of ffrance in favour of the Queene, & the Like out of Spaine to assiste them the Rebells here. That they had begun in Ireland, but they would ende in England & Scotland to make greate the Kinges prerogitiue Royall, & Roote out the Heretique Protestant Religion, & haue the true Roman Catholique Religion restored in all the kinges dominions, with other like trayterous discourses. He further saith that he was often perswaded to be a Roman Catholique <D> & a Preeste one Synott sought to perswade him by Arguments, but beeinge vnable he offered to send to wexford for a ffryer of his Name, the head of the ffryers there, a man bredd beyond the seas that should Convince this deponent, And saith that he was offerred Lands, & to be restored to his goods if he would Liue with them {& g}oe to Masse, But this de{ponen}t refu{seing}

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both theire prefermente, & further Conferrence, the Exa Deponent was for his obstinacy (but especially for diuers bookes & pictures found in his study reputed by them for a damned Puritan, vnworthy of any thinge to Liue: And after that, neither Preest nor ffryer would remaine or Lodge vnder one roof with this Ex deponent: And he was then thrust forth of his owne howse (where he was formerly allowed & invited to Liue vntill his wyves deliuery, beeinge then bigg with Child) & [ ] inforced to shelter themselues in this deponents heards Cabbin for a fortnight, vntill by two villaines (bringinge a Rope with them threatning to hange this deponent) he was in Conclusion Robbed & stripte againe of all they had Lefte, they takinge the very Lynennge newly washed, & Lefte the deponents wife not a smocke to her backe, nor her Child vnborne a ragge to Cover him, when he should Come into the world; And againe threatned them all to hange them if they Contynued there but the nexte daye <E> B ut Howbeit by the favour of one Thomas Masterson a Capt amongst them, the deponent & the rest were againe receiued into his dwellinge howse, where they Contynued vntill the deponents wife was deliuered of her Child, And had obteyned Sir Morgan Cavenaghe & Luke Birne two of theire Collonells passes to repaire to Dublin, And my the honorable Lo: Parsons havinge at that tyme written to one Mr John Doyle to Convey the deponent & his Company in safety to Dublin, the said Mr Doyle accordingly hired a boate at Arklo for that purpose, in which they sayl{ed as high as} the head of Bray but were info{rced by a furious storme to anchor there twoe nights and a day}

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906
the winde Comminge Northerly they were forced back into Arklo wickl o; where the deponent & all his Company were taken prisoners, & there deteyned by Luke Toole, whoe signed a warrante (as I the deponent was tould <ff.> by a gent one Mr Job ward that said he sawe it) to hange the deponent his wife, Sister, Children, & one Mris ffisher of the Companye. But in the very instante it pleased God to preserue the deponent & the rest by an vnlooked for Accidente: for the Rebells beeinge beaten at the Grange neere Dublin, one Edmond <G> Walsh was there taken prisoner, & carryed aliue to Dublin, & so kepte, though all the rest taken were presently hanged: which the Rebells vnderstandinge propounded to the deponent, to be sett at Liberty & all his, if he Could procure the said Walshe his life & Liberty, which after 16: weeks imprisonment was at Length assented vnto by the Lords Justices & Councell by a declaracion vnder theire handes, in which they stiled them Rebells that kepte the deponent & his Company prisoners. wherevppon the said Luke Toole sett the deponent & his Company at Liberty, & gaue him a passe in these words vizt whereas I (his Maiesties Loyall Subiecte) haue receiued full assurance in writinge <H> vnder the hands of the Trayterous Lords Justices & Councell, declaringe that if John Cliffe, Henry Cliffe his Son, Maudlin ffisher wife to Capt ffisher & Jane Harison the said Cliffs wifes sister now in restraint with me, be released & sett at Liberty sente to Dublin <H I> That Edmond walsh, son to Edward walsh of Clonmanin should be Released out of Prison & permitted freely to departe without any inte{rruption Theis}

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907.
are therefore in his Maiesties name to will & require the Catholique Army, & all other havinge any Relation to the same to permitt & suffer the forenamed John Cliffe Henry Cliffe Maudlin ffisher & Jane Harison quiettly to & peaceably to passe & goe alonge the high way to Dublin without the Least interruption either in body or goods vppon paine of death, Given vnder my hande this thirde of June 1642.
Signed Luke Toole.
And further Lastly this deponent saith that he hath heard & knowen both men & weomen to say, That they had don well at firste to take to haue taken that Course with the English, as that they should haue heard, of noe Complaintes of theires at Dublin of there vsage in the Cuntrey.
Jo: Cliffe
Jur xxvijo Junij
1642
Joh Watson:
John Sterne:

And this deponent saith further by vertue of his oath that he I was certainly tould at Arklo, by diuers persons that I he gives credytt vnto, That on the 5th day of Marche Laste, diuers Preests & ffryers mett at Ramsford neere Nuborrowe, to burne the Library of Bishopp Ram, Late Bishopp of ffernes & Leighlin; And whilst the books were in burninge a swarme of Bees came in at the window of the Roome where they were & {fri}ghted the Preests & ffryers out of the R{oome}
Jo: Cli{ffe}
<Jurat: 28 Junij 1642 Joh Watson
Hen: Brereton Will: Aldr{ich}>

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