Examination of Thomas Danvers
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1641 Deposition Item Type Metadata
fol. 296r
(Waring copy at MS 820 fols 316r-319v)
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<Elizabeth the wife of> Thomas Danvers of Mowgeely in the County of Cork gentleman [ ] and Elizabeth his wife sworne and examined deposeth and sayth That when the present Rebellion first began in those parts vizt about 3 daies after All hallontide 1641 thise deponente & her said husband then living at [ ] w ere removed from a farme in the parrish of Ballibrassell in the County of Kilkenny which they held by leas from Mr Richard Strange of Dunkitt in the same County to the howse of Ballibrassell and seeing the cruelty of the Irish, and the generall Robbing & stripping of all the English thereabouts that they could possibly bee light vpon They theis deponents suddenly removed themselues, their six Children and family from the said farme to Ballybrassell howse: But there not conceaving her sa aforesaid vnto the Citty of Waterford Whither they brought with them soe much provision of Corne beefe bacon oatmeale & other thinges as would have fed and kept them a twelve month, And they then brought to Waterford alsoe soe much plate howshold stuffe apparrell & other thinges as, with their provision aforesaid was worth at least 200 li., And they were inforced to leave vpon their said farme first mencioned a stock of Cattle horses plowes Carts swyne vtensills of husbandry & other goodes worth 300 li. more att the least which the Rebells tooke away. And further sayth that they stayd at Waterford vntill about the xvijth of december 1641, And then the f deponent said Thomas Danvers went returned from thence to Mowgeely aforesaid. But the this deponent his wife with her children still remained there vntill about about the viij t of March 1641: Where she had bin seuerall tymes imprisoned but that shee was still defended & saved from it by her honorable frend Richard Butler of kilcash in the County of Kilkenny Tipperary Esquire: Howbeit the said Mr Butler could not soe defend ed her but that she then and there lost & was contrained to leave, behinde her at Waterford stripped and deprived of by divers Irish Rebells of her and her childrens apparell money provision howsholdgoods & other thinges & privately to escape away to Mowgeely aforesaid And this deponent Elizabeth Danvers further saith That ever since the beginning of the said Rebellion she hath bin deprived of and Lost
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Lost the possession Rents and proffitts of the landes she held in Jointure by assignement of William Towes Esquire her late husband & which lay nere Mowgeely aforesaid worth 20 li. per Annum whereof shee accounteth that 4 yeres proffitts is already lost & her husband and she is are like to be deprived of and Loose the future proffitts thereof vntill a peace be established, And that both the deponents say that they they have susteined the losses aforesaid by meanes of the said Rebellion & they alsoe thereby are deprived & dispojled of due debts owing vnto them, Amounting vnto 130 li. And she further sayth that from the tyme that she this deponent Elizabeth and her children came from Mowgeely Waterford aforesaid to Mowgeely they there contynued at Mowgeely her brothers Castle Contynued (being a Castle belonging vnto her brother Mr Nicholas Pyne) vntill about six <A> weekes since that the Erle of Castlehaven with come with an Army of horse and foote being in number (as was, conceived, & reported) above seven thowsand and beseeged the said Castle of Mowgeely & mounted 4 peecs of Ordinance against it discharging twelve shott of those his ordinance against & against it together with almost infinite numbers of small shott: Manteyneing the seige soe hott & sharpe that after thirty howres sharpe seige, both theis deponents and her husband & the rest of those Assailed in the sa (wanting strength and meanes of resistance) were inforced to yeeld and surrender vpp the said Castle, And yet vpon quarter termes and Condicions vnder the hand of the said Erle first obteined) That theis deponents & her husband and all the rest of the Inhabitants & souldjers then in the said Castle should freely depart and goe away from thence to yoghall with all their Armes apparell & the Ladeing of twelve horses and should have a good Convoy, for bringing them along to youghall aforesaid: Howbeit now sooner were they comen out of the gates of the said Castle, but some of the Rebellious souldjers of the said Erle began in part to pillage some of them: But whenas they had gone through the Army (conducted or rather driven like Cattle) about half a myle from the Castle a Contrary way <B> towards Lismore, one Colonell Purcell whose Chrissen name or place of aboad, they cannott mencion & his Rebellious Regiment and many
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others to the number of three or fowre thowsand as they beleeveth sett vpon theis deponents and her said husband and the rest of them that came out of the said Castle. And then and there contrary to quarter termes and Condicions aforesaid forceibly robbed and deprived them of all their Armes their said 12 horses Loads of goods & the most part of their apparell Insoemuch as fewe escaped stripping stark naked: for the most of them had their very hatts bands cloakes Coats bootes shooes & other thinges then and there taken from them: And from thence them deponents & her husband & and the rest were in that despicable & poore state forced and driven to Lismore that very same day (being distant from Mowgeely about 4 or 5 myles) that very day, being vpon or about the xxvth day of June last 1645, When and where the said Erle with his Rebellious Army sumoned and layd seige against the said Castle of Lismore, And soe Comanded and forceibly But then this deponent Elizabeth (being with much adoo admitted to speake with the said Erle, she then and there acquainted him with the breach of quarter, & cruell vsage of her and the rest humbly desireing that she and the other deponent her husband & her children might have a Convoy to kilcash, which his Lordship affording vnto them they were brought thither accordingly: where they were most freely nobly & kindly welcomed releeved and succoured by that honorable lady Frances the wife of the said Mr Richard Butler for 2 dayes and nights & whoe did not suffer them to goe away vntill she had gotten them a saffe lodging place at Carrick [ ] about 3 myles from kilcash: Where they stayd about a fortnight vntill their most worthy and kynd frend Mr Richard Butler aforenamed (that had soe formerly as aforesaid defended & releeved them) came home: And then the said Mr Richard Butler (out of wonted noblenes and goodnes) gave them moneys for defraying of their Charges & furnished them with one man & horses
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& safely sent them to the towne of Catherlaghe: from whence they are with much difficulty gotten to Dublin: Where they are & remaine in greate deale of want and miserie:
And thesis deponents e further sayth That the said Erle of Castlehaven and his said Army did not only surprize pillidge and take from the owners & holders thereof, not only the said Castles of Mowgeely, & of also of Lismore before named but alsoe cast (which belongeth to the the Right honorable the Erle of Corke and was a most sumptuous brave place & have quite spoiled and wasted the same,) But alsoe (as th eis deponents have credibly heard & verely beleeve) an other Castle called Castle Lyons, being the dwelling place of the right honorable the Erle of Barrymore, the Castle of Raherne belonging alsoe to the Erle of Cork, the Castle of Bally Roberts belonging to the Erle of Barrymore, Connow Castle belonging to the said Erle of Cork, The Casle of kilmacoow belonging to the said Erle of Corke; The Castle of Lisfinny alsoe belonging to the Erle of Corke; The castles of Balliduff Macollopp & Balligarron all belonging to the said Erle of Cork, the Castle of Strongkelly belonging to John Rees Esquire: whoe tooke Quarter the Castle of Ballenetregh belonging to Sir Peircy Smithe knight, The castle of Temple Michell belonging to the said Sir Peircie Smyth Corneveagh Castle belonging to one Mr Babington, And another castle that theis deponents cannott name which standeth nere Corneveagh aforesaid; Ro All which castles were soe surprised subdewed and taken by the said Erle of Castlehaven & his Army within fowrteene dayes or thereabouts after that they had taken the said Castle of Castle Lyons which was vpon or about the xxiijth day of the said month of June now last past 1645And theis deponents further sayth That betwixt the feast daie of Ester now last past; & the said xxiijth of June Last the said Erle of Castlehaven and his said Rebellious army did as theis deponent e hath cre dibly heard & verely beleeveth forceibly alsoe surprize subdue pillage and take from the Right owners and possessors of the same this Castles or townes herein hereafter named
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named vizt the Castles of and towne of Capperquin belonging to the said Erle of Cork in the County of Waterford; The dwelling howse and towne of Michelstowne belonging to Sir William ffenton knighte (which they haue quite demolished & burned together with the church thereof and hanged to death one Mr Horsey a minister of that Church together with one James Benham that was porter of the said Sir William ffentons howse,) Ballyhoole Castle belonging to the heir of Sir Richard Aldworth knight, the Castle of Mallowe belonging to Captain Jepson. The faire and sumptuous howse of Dunnaraile belonging to the late Lord Saint Leger late Lorde President of Mounster, The Castle of Liscarroll belongeing to Mr John oge Barry; the Castle of Ballymullen & another castle which stood nere the same, The which (becawse the possessers & holders thereof stood out in defence of the same) the said Erle of Castlehave{n} & his Army after they had subdewed putt to death & most miserably slew all the holders & men Inhabiters thereof: which as th theis deponents thinck could not be lesse then thirty or forty men: Besides divers other Castles faire dwelling howses and townes all in the province of Mounster that theis deponents are is not able particulerly to name that the said Rebells have forceibly surprised wasted spoiled & pillidged And thise deponents alsoe further sayth That shee hath bin <A> very credibly told both by Mr Browne the Lawyere (whoe is a great Agent & prime Councell for the Rebells, and by one Mr Harpoo{le} a Captain or Commander of Rebells, and by divers others; that about a month since when the seige was begun by the Erle of Castlehaven and his Army against yowghall) that there were slayne about the key or fort of yoghall by a great shott from the Rebells ordinance theis English Comanders hereafter named vizt Lieutennant Colonell Walter Loftus & Lieutenant Colonell Thomas Badnidge besides a man that was servant to the said Lieutenant Colonell Loftus; & that one Thomas Ilwill a tanner had (by the same shott) his shoulder broken And another that was a butcher had his thigh broken: all by the same shott
And as concerning murthers and cruelties done & Comitted by the Rebells since the Rebellion began This deponents therevnto sayth
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<A> That about the later end of Aprill 1642 Captaine John Condon of Ballinepatrick in the County of Cork gent a Captaine of Rebells together with a great number of others of that name sept and alliance and many of their souldiers came suddenly in hostille manner to the towne of Coole in the County of Corke Where there were quartered about 16 of the Erle of Barrymores troope & where also were a great number of Inhabitants men women and children that were tennants to the Erle of Cork; And then and there those wicked Rebells being Armed surprised the said towne & setting vpon the a stone howse where the souldjers the troops and other men were, those troops and men cryed for fair e quarter: which those Rebells promissed to give vnto them if they would yeild the howse; which being done those merciles and perfidious Rebells contrary to their promisse and termes of quarter, sett vpon, and murthered them all, being about thirty; vsing such torture & execrable cruelty that they cutt some of the mens tongues of out of their heads ripped & slitt vpp the womens bellyes Cutt & slitt the noses of others & cutt slashed and mangled others to peeces spareing neither age nor sex but miserably slaughtering them all.
About June 1643 (as thise deponents hath very credibly heard Certeine Rebells whose names they cannott expresse meeting with one Mr Bysse minister that (whoe had bin employed as one of the Commissioners for enquiry of the losses & sufferings of his maiesties loyall subiects within the province of Mounster) nere Corr Abbey betweene Corke and Youghall did then and there very cruelly wound him the said Mr Bysse, and that done they there hanged him to death, there Leaving his body vnburied exposed to Ravenous creatures
A little before the first Cessacion of Armes proclaimed some of the name and sept of the Condons with other Rebell souldjers came forceibly in the night to a village in the said County of Corke called Ballinscurloge in the parrish of [ ] Ballinoe, And then and there sett a howse on fyre; out of which about 7 persons of English protestants (some of which were Tho: Gardner & his wiffe) flieing to avoid the flame; were by those Rebells surprized & then and there murthered & the howse quite burned: And thise deponents ffurther saith Th (as they hath bin credibly informed & verely beleeveth) That
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That vpon or about the xxjth of June aforesaid 1645 The Erle <A> of Castlehaven aforenamed and his Rebellious Army meeting at Rostillean Castle within the County of Corke with one Mr Deane w orth & with one Mr Henry Brian brother to the lord of Inchequin Mr ffrancis Courtney, Capten Harden & Capten Baker, They carryed them all to Castle Lyons and the next day they there hanged to death the said Deane w orth & sent the other gentlemen that were taken with him prisoners, to kilkenny: Theis deponents heard it credibly reported that the said deane worth a little before he was putt to death asked the Rebells why he wa must suffer death, that they Answered becawse he was a puritant and a rownd head, he replied. I take it vpon my death I know not what those words meanes but I am of that Religion that both the kings Maiesty & the Lord Liuetennant generall of Ireland professe, which is the true protestant Religion & if I suffer I know not what I die for or to that effecte
And thise deponents further sayth that although the parties Rebells that assisted the Erle of Castlehaven in his Rebellious Acts aforesaid were very numerous and many: yet they shee knew not nor can name any n one of them that they shee sawe there with him but onlie Colonell Purcell [ ] Liuetennant generall Colonell Purcell of kill=mallock, and Colonell Purcell before named, and Edmund ffitzgerrald of Ballymarter vncle to the Lord of Inchequin neither doth they she thinck that any one of the gentry of tho se parts that is a Recusant & that stayeth in those parts, hath absented himself { } been clere from those Rebellious & vnlawfull accions, the said Mr Richard Butler only excepted
predica Elizabetha Jurat a fuit xxiiijo AugustiSeptember 1645 coram
Hen: Clogher
Hen: Brereton
710 li. present losse
x li. per annum
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Mris Tho: Danvers & his wife Jur 14o Augusti
1645IntwIntw
4. no.
X
339