Deposition of Beatrice Hepditch

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Beatrice the wiffe of Christopher Hepditch late of Escuddogh in the County of Clare sworne and examined saith That since the begining of the present Rebellion That is to say about Christmas 1641 This deponentes said husband and shee were robbed and dispoyled att Escuddogh and Kilfonara of horses Cattle Corne & provition & other thinges their goodes & chattells worth One hundreth and fifty Powndes ster by John A the <A> Rebells John Anderson of Escuddogh aforesaid yeoman Dermott ô Brian of Dromore Castle in the County of Clare Esquire nephew to the Erle of Thomond Moyle mc Broody of the parrish of Enshi [ ] crony and said County gent Cahell o Rowghan of the same gent the elder & Garrald ô fflanigan of Kilfanora gent & their servantes and assistantes whose names she cannott expresse <A> And further saith that her said husband & she being for saffety of their lives fled to the Castle of Inshicrony they were then and there robbed & depriued of theire howshold stuffe provition & the rest of their goodes and Chattells worth ffifty Powndes [ ] on the xxj th of March 1641 & then and there husb her said husband was cruelly murthered <B> by John o Grady James oge ô Grady Brian ô Grady, Loghlin oge ô Grady, Gulladuff ô Shaftnes William ô Shaftnes & divers others the Cahell ô [Roway] the yonger all of the parish of Inshecrony gent and by divers others the neighbors thereabouts whose names she cannott now Remember And further saith That the Rebells aforesaid or some of them alsoe att that tyme & at Insh i crony aforesaid cruelly murthered one Peeter Newman this deponentes brother in law Richard Adams and his wiffe which wiffe they vnder tooke to convoy away but murthered her in the way Anthony Davies Robert Hart Robert Blenkinsopps Robert
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Robert Twisden John Holland Richard Blagrove Thomas Watson: A servant of Mr Heathcotte of Inshicrony and William Abbott (all Englishe Protestantes & proper able men & they alsoe murthered the wiffe of Thomas Watkins and her 2 children <A> & another child of William the Turnor: and they generally robbed and stripped (of all their meanes) all the Protestantes in the Country thereaboutes and carried armes with for and amongst the other Rebells & Comitted divers other outrages and cruelties And at length the deponent for more saffty flying to the Castle of Ballialley in the said County of Clare: shee and about 100 more protestantes were there from about the xxth of June 1642 last past vntill about the fowrth of september following beseidged by the Rebells aforesaid and by Connor ô Brian of Lemanaghe & Christofer Brian <B> brother to the Lord of Inshiquin: Dermott ô Brian of Dromore nephew to the Erle of Thomond Connor o Brian eldest sonn to Sir Donnell ô Brian knight Loghlin mc Loghlin nere to Kilfanora: & great number of Rebell souldjers whose names shee is not able to expresse: But shee often observed seaven seuerall Colours displayed & flying amongst them: which said Rebells haveing brought with them from Limerick a brasse peece of ordinance did thereby make divers shotts against the said Castle of Ballyalley: & prepared and brought nere the same castle divers basketts of earth & twoe engins calles sowes & thereby & by their small shott soe annoyed those in the Castle: That they durst not goe out for water nor fewell and were driven to that extremity and want
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of victualls that they were gladd to eat the flesh of horses doggs and alsoe to feed vpon nettles docks & other weedes: Soe that divers famished & dyed by famyne want & some that hadd five or six Children in the begining would haue none left aliue in the end of the weeke: And att length those Assaylants Rebells (as it seemed) growing partly weary of their attempts: came to Parly with those of the Castle and offered termes of faire quarter to be giuen vpon surrendrie: And soe much and soe farr did the said Christopher Brian by his adulacion & guil full speeches prevaile & perswade with one Morrice Cuffe (whoe was one of the cheefe gentlemen of the Castle that hee and the wiffe of Mr Winter Bridgman and one Mr Hill Thomas Cuffe & John Crewse: That they went out to the said Christopher Brian & the rest of the rest of the Rebells But they were noe sooner gone a little out of the Castle but that the Rebells layd handes vyolent handes on them the said Morrice Cuffe Mris Winter Bridgman and Mr Hill & made them prisoners. But the other twoe vizt the said Thomas Cuffe and John Crewse suddenly over run them & fled back into the Castle: And whenas the other 3 had beene kept as prisoners amongst them for ten dayes or thereabouts: Then the Rebells erected a gallows in sight of the Castle: whither they brought the prisoners threatening to hang them if those in the Castle would not surrender their said Castle: But that way prevailed not but they tooke away the prisoners againe & kept them in greate misey for a good space, Att the length, whenas the said Morrice Cuffe writt a letter to the Castle in what misery he & the other 2 prisoners were, & how strong the rebells were & what little hope there was of releef to the castle: Those that then Commanded the Castle & others there pressed by extreame want of meanes meate & seeing noe meanes of releefe tooke quarter to goe away with their lives & halfe their goodes: and soe did
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depart away and left the Castle to the Rebellious enemie And then this deponent very sick & weake getting to an irish mans howse was there kept for some tyme But being Laboured to goe to Masse shee & her children privately escaped away and at length though she was very weake gott to the Castle of Barranmore in the night, & from thence gott to Galway & from thence came by sea to Dublin And saith That in the acting of the Rebells cruelties the women Rebells were more feirce and cruell then the men: And amongst <A> the rest one Sarah ô Brian sister to the said Dermott ô Brian vndertooke to convey and bring saffly out of the Castle of Dromore one the said Peeter Newman & his wiffe (this deponentes sister) and their family: soe as she might have their goodes: But when shee had gotten their goodes she suffered the barbarous Rebells there first to cutt of the said Peeter Newmans arme & after otherwise extreamely to turture him & at length to shoote him to death & after the said Sarah Stripped the said Peter Newmans wiffe and child of their clothes & turned them away exposed to the danger of those whom (as she told this deponent) the said Sarah had hired to kill them: But they haveing notice of her bloudy intencion: did by godes assistance prevent the danger by goeing another way
<Mr St Mr B Mr A Mr P>
signum [mark] prd Beatricie
Hepditch
Jur xxiijo May 1643
John Sterne
Hen Brereton

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Cert
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Clare
Bettrice Hepditch
Jur 24o May 1643
Intr
Hand w
Exr
157