Deposition of Phillipp Bygoe

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Phillipp Bygoe late of Newtowne in the County of Galway, and now of the Citty of Dublin gent sworne and examyned, deposeth as follow That since the begininge of this late present Rebellion in Ireland hee hath lost, and bin deprived robbed or otherwise dispoyled of his estate in meanes goods & chattles Consistinge of Cattle horses, sheepe, Corne, Haye, debts, leases leases money plate housholdstuff and other things goods & Chattles of the vallue and to the presente loss of [ ] seaven Thowsand six hundred Twenty five pounds ster or thereaboutes besides his estate {by} inherittance of the Castles of Newtowne aforesaide and Ballyvillin, in the County of Clare, being well worth Three hundred & fifty pounds per annum, and a parcell of land called Killorny in the K{inges} County worth thirty poundes per annum whereof he is like to loose the future proffitts vntil a {peace be} established All which hee hath bin depriued of by the ensueing Rebells, as alsoe {man}y others which hee Cannott nominate (vizt)
<a> Kings Com John Coughlan of Streamstowne Esquire
Arte Molloy of Rathleighan Esquire
Cossny Molloy of Cuilly gent
[ ] Coughlan of Miltowne gent
Com Tipperary Morrogh ô Kennedy of Larkin Esquire
James Kennedy of Ballin{garr}y Esquire
John oge Kennedy of Inchr{o}e gent
Phillipp Kennedy ofgent
Arte mc Geoghegan ofgent
Com galwayOwen oge ô Maddin of Curclogh gentleman
Sargent Hugh Kelly ofgent.
Com ClareOlliver Delahyde of Tredagh Esquire
All which persons are or lately were in action of Rebellion carrying Armes with for & amongst the other Rebells against our soueraigne lord the Kinges Maiestie And his loyall protestant subjects.
<symbol> And this Deponent further sajth That all the Rebells before named
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(saveing only the said Oliver Delahyde) & at least 500 more of their Rebellious souldjers: about 7 or 8 months since, layd strong seege to this deponents Castle of Newtoune aforesaid & contynued that seige without ceasing for about 12 dayes together But And this deponent then and for a long tyme before haveing at his owne charges & not being releeved by anie maintained & kept there twelve souldjers & fforty twoe Protestants more besides of women and children:) defended the Castle as well as they could: & with their shott Killd many of the Rebells & many others they hurt; But this deponent & the rest of his souldjers (being much distressed especially by the want of sh Powder shott amunition and & men: & being debarred from water & other meanes of Longer subsistence,) were at length inforced to stoope & yeild to that want, & with much dificulty this deponent gott quarter for himself, his souldjers family and people to come away & depart with their Lives, and only with 2 musketts 2 swords 2 pistolls, their apparell & some the most part of their other goodes: but this deponent was inforced then to give and deliver to those Rebells fowrscore & Eleven pownds xj s. in mony: And althoughe saith that ever since the begining of the Rebellion hee this deponent and his said souldjers, family, & people, aforesaid (whom hee solely manteined) were (vntill they had quarter) soe watched besett & kept soe narrowly in the said Castle, that they durst not sturr publiquely abroad becawse the Rebells Lay soe nere & were soe many against them: Saveing that one tyme, when this deponents owne Brother in lawe by name Jacob Dehooe & 4 other souldjers martched privately out out of the said Castle,: The Rebells that lay closse in ambush (being three or fowre hundreth in number) suddenly rushed vpon them & slew then and there slew this deponents said Brother in lawe: but the other 4 souldjers flying towards the Castle were rescowed from the Rebells pursuers; by such as did sally out of the Castle: And at another
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<symbol> tyme the Rebells hanged one William Wasberry one of this deponents souldjers & his wife: as they were privately goeing to visitt their sonn whome the Rebells had wounded: And further saith That althoughe this deponent heard & verely is assured that the Rebells comitted many other outrages Cruelties murthers & wicked actions in vpon & against his Maiesty & his lojall protestant subjects in many Counties of the said Kingdome of Ireland: yet this deponent being soe pent vpp & besett with Rebells as aforesaid & soe not goeing abroad) Could was not an eye witnesse of the same: But leaveth the same to thexpressions of such as particulerly saw them [same]
Philippe Bigo
Jur 24o Marcij 1642
Hen: Brereton
Edw Pigott

And this deponent further sajth That about the month of May 1642 hee this deponent and some of his souldjers ryding from this Deponents castle <a:> aforesaid mett by accident with one Donoghoe ô Deere whom they suspecting examined & searched & fownd about him a letter written from the Rebell Art o Molloy of Raghleighin to a fryer in Galway whereby hee requested that fryer to send him that thing whereof the Cuntry stood in most need, & which was most pretious amongst them: & to send him what the price thereof was & that hee had sent mony (for that he sent for, by that bearer or to that effect And vpon further search this deponent fownd & tooke from that Donoghoe threescore Pownds in money & a great leathern bagg wherein hadd beene gunpowder: which letter this deponent sent afterwards to the lord of Clanrickard: & haveing taken the said donoghoe into his Custodie he the said Donoghoe tould this deponent that 20 li. of that 60 li., was the said Arts owne mony wherefore & for that he the deponent conceived (as yet he doth) that the letter was cheefely sent for gunpowder: being the thing in the letter writt ment & writt for & esteemed soe pretious: hee this deponent kept the said 60 li., & delivered the said <b:> Donoghoe to one Mr Gerrett More, whoe vndertooke to bring him before the Erle of Clanrickard aforesaid: Howbeit afterwards when as the said Garrett Moore shold have deliuered him over to the said Erle: There was
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was a peticion proferred to the said Erle by Nicholas Harbert thelder of Killyan Esquire in <a> the name of the said donoghoe: That this deponent might be comanded to deliuer againe vnto him the said 60 li.: The said Harbert Then averring to the Erle that the said donoghoe was an honest man & a merchant, that only went to buy wares wherevpon the deponent received a Coma{nd} from the said Erle either to redeliuer the said mony, or shew cawse to the contrary: vpon which the Deponent hadd letters from Sir Arthur Blundell knight and Captain Pearsons that the said Donogh was a notorious Rebell: which letters he sent to the said Erle whoe vpon view of them said hee would hang him the said Donoghoe as this deponent was tould: Howbeit as this deponent thinketh the said Donoghoe was by the said Garrett Moore and Nicholas Harbert or thone of them, conveyed away:
Philippe Bigo
Jur vt supra Decimo Maij 1643
Joh Watson: John Sterne

Com: Galway
Phillip Bygoe
deposed martij 24o 1642
Intw hand

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