Deposition of Donatus Conner

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Donnoghe Donatus Conner late of Artcramen in the Countie of wexford Clarke sworne and examined deposeth and saith That since the begining of the present Rebellion and by meanes thereof vizt a weeke or thereabouts after Alhallantyde la 1641 hee this deponent was by the Rebells in the said Countie att Artramen and Castlebridge in the said Countie deprived robbed, or otherwise dispoyled of his meanes goodes and chattells of the value & to his presente losse of Cxx li. And this deponent by meanes of the Rebellion was & still is deprived and stripped also of the Rents arreres and proffitts of his Church liveinges worth CC li. ster: & is like to loose the future proffits of his said Church liveinges worth (before the Rebellion) one hundreth Powndes per annum vntill a peace be established And further sayth that by But whoe whoe the persons Rebells were that soe Robbed & dispoyled him hee cannott tell for that at that tyme hee was gone (for safftie of his life) to the towne of wexford: where he stayd for twoe days vntill his wiffe children & family came to him and after he and they staid there vntill about the first of March subsisting principally by the meanes they hadd from frends in the Cuntrie thereabouts and then the <A.> by or by the meanes of Nicholas ffrench: and other preists & ffryers there hee this deponent becawse he was a protestant Mynister was putt in prison in a most odious darke & Lothsome dungeon too much & exceedingly fraight with the stincking ordiure of prisoners & others most lothsome vnto him & which indeed had poisoned & killd him as he thincketh: but that god gaue him strength and power to survive & overcome that lo thsome heavie calamity: and yet there this deponent miserably endured restrainte vntill about the first of March July following att which tyme: The great god his sure deliverer gave him a way to escape to goe from thence by a warrant from the lord Mountgarrett and Coun se the

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<A> Lord of Gormanston & other of the Rebellious Counsell at Kilkenny vnto them vnto to & appeare before the said Counsell of Kilkenny aforesaid where he stayd for three months Longer vizt July August & September & part of this present month of october where the Rebellious party often attempted to seduce & drawe him from his the protestant Relegion to Masse & the popish Religion But he this deponent (by faith from god, contynuing Constant in the his former true Religion of a Protestant: endured his misery restrainte and want which was very much, with the fitting patienc{e} of a true Christian: And within that tyme was was much great{e} greatly taxed with mallice and plotting against the them the said Rebells especia{lly} <B> by one Mr Hore late of Kilsoghlan in the County of dublin Esquire one of their gran Counsell: & especially for writing a letter with his owne blowd to his father in England (which indeed they intercepted) (penn and Inck being denyed him) & for other acts against them And whilest this deponent was soe in restraint at Kilkenny this he th{is} deponent observed by and sa w by generall report that 7 s heads of the protestants whereof one was the head of one Mr Bingham minister <neare> at Ballinekill in the Queenes County were cutt of & brought by the Rebells into Kilkenny aforesaid: where a gentlewoman of the Rebells (in expression of her mallice: drew out a skeane & stabbd itt through the Cheekes of that decollated head of the said Mr Bingham: And further sayth that whilest this deponent was at Kilkenny the great Counsell or men that sate in Counsell with, for and amongst the Rebells there were firs{t} the lord Mountgarrett The lord of Gormanston The lord Nettervile: Sir Edward Butler of knighte Sir Richard Butler knighte Peirce Butler of Monihore in the County of wexford Esquire & the said Phillip Hore: Richard Bealing sonn in law to the Lord Mountgarrett Examinator & speaker there: David Rowth titulary Bishop of ossery The titulary Bishop of Downpatrick whose christen name he Knows not, & divers other titulary Bishops

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Bishops and Abbotts whose christen names he Knoweth not, and divers other Jesuits and fryers, and amongst the rest, there was one <D> that called himself Sir Nicholas [ ] Shea: whoe lately (as was generally there reported ‘came from Rome’ & brought with him a great deale of amunition & powder to Wexford & another Rebell that called himself himself the Parson of Callen (by the Jurisdiccion of Rome): And another ffranciscan Frier by name (as he styled himself) Sir Richard Synnott: whoe was a Rebell privy Counsellor <E> there: And one Nicholas ffrench a seminary Preist whoe being a formerly at wexford (whilest this deponent was a prisoner there) sayd That if Charles vpon Controuersy controuersie concerning the kings Jurisdiccion as over the Church of Ireland: That if Charles we (meaneing the Kings maiesty) were there himself, he would not giue him an Inch of the Right over of the Church: ffor that he (meaneing the King) had nothing to doe with it, nor any power over it or to that effect: And saith that the said ffrench and Synnott <ff> being at wexford in the begining of the Rebellion when the state of Dublin had sent gun powder & other provision thither for to be transported or to Duncannon They vndertooke to Convey it thither with their assistants: but they being the cheefe guids they carried it to the Rebells: There being about 2 or three barrells of powder with some shott & Match And further sayth that the Rebells from tyme to time divulged that the cawse of their insurrection was ffor that ten thowsand at least of puritants in England and Ireland, had putt their handes to a note to putt all hang all the papists att their owne dores vnles they came to their church with them before or att Ester Last within a short tyme after: and soe the Rebells wold excuse their said Rebellion and their bloudie acts therein comitted

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And therefore they Rebells alledged it was time for them to rise to prevent the danger the puritants intended them And further sayth That this deponent was told by an Irish Captain that came lately out of ffrance That the Romish Preists sent over from dublin, by the state, as banished men not long after the begining of the Rebellion hadd publish their arivall beyond sea falsely & publiquely divulged or caused to be di vulged over over ffrance & spaine That the English hadd Committed divers outrages and Cruelties in Ireland vpon the Romish Catholiques & namely by ripping vpp women great with chyld & putting the children into the fyre & other supposed barbarous actes, be which this deponent is credibl y informed & assured, the Rebell jrish in this Kingdome, were guiltie of & had manually exercised against the protestants: And further sayth that the Rebells frequently [ ] protested the lords Justices and Counsell here & all that tooke their parts to be Rebells & or the parts of the parliament of England to bee all notorious Rebells And saith alsoe that the Rebells have often in this deponents hearing averre d comonly averred that they would not (if they might be pardoned) & euery one called home to his owne liveing submitt submitt vnles that all the Church land & liveings of Ireland were restored to the Churchmen of the Romish Religion & that they might enioy that Religion freely: & that the protestant Religion might be quite rooted out of this Kingdome & that the Church of Rome might be restored to its ancient Jurisdiccion power & priviledge within their said Kingdome of Ireland [ ] : And the Rebells alsoe haue publiquely & as much frequently depraved & villifyed the protestant Religion & all protestants: And sayth that the Preists soe formerly banished out of Ireland: are since (as is generally reported) in killkenny retorned to Ireland: And this deponent hath beene credibly & secretly tould that he had been putt to death by the Rebells if he they hadd a Competent number of preists their Bishops

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together which might haue degraded him first: But becawse they hadde not, he escaped with his liffe as they tould him: Hee this deponent haveing beene formerly a Romish preist, but by the light of gods truth become a protestant And this deponent did still observe that the Romish Preists di and fryers: did frequently in their sermons & otherwise perswade the rest of the Romish faction to extirpate & roote out all the protestants of this Religion Kingdome: And this deponent further sayth that it was generally reported by and amongst the Rebells in Kilkenny that the Pope of Rome was had ingaged himself to giue ffifty thowsand Pownds per annum for the manteynance of the warrs in Ireland against the Protestants soe Long as the said warr should Contynue and that the Rebells here expected 60 thousand pounds more from certayne Colledges and religious houses to that end. And this deponent contynued a Prisoner at Kilkenny vntill within this presente month: But then the great god in whom hee trusted offered him a way by which he escaped.
Donnatus Connor
Jur 28 October 1642
Joh Watson:
Will: Aldrich
Hen: Brereton.

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A

8 Wexford o
Donatus Conner
28 oct: 1642
[ ] Dawson
Intw
hand 8 Nov

+

Samon: and being demanded the reason shee sayd
she never would eate any fish that came