Examination of William Barry

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851

<15> William Barry of Cooleene aged 50 yeares or there aboutes being sworne & examined saith he knew one Robert <Robt. Beer.> Beere & his wife of Oyster hauen, and two of their children one of them about foureteene yeares of age, & the other about twelue yeares and at the begining of the yeare 1642 warres when <f> in March a litle before Easter, this deponent was at Belgooly Campe neare Kinsale when the said Bear & his wife were brought prissoners to the Campe brother to the irish as sembly, which they cal’d his maiest yes Catholicke Campe & put them in close prison) the chiefe Comannders of that irish assembly of that irish army whereof were were then John Long of Mountlong (12)

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P then high sherriffe, Phillip Barry oge of Ringcurran (not then present) James Mellafont of Waters land, James Roche of Cunury <G> Richard Roche fitz John of the Iland dauid og Rea of Ballinloe, Malaghline o Line of Jordanstowne, Piers Goggins of Ballincourt & Richard Roche of Britfields towne ioyn’d [ ] together with other s their Captaines other their associates) except the said Barri oge others in a Counsell of warres or Consultacion at which they did order that the said Beer & his wife should be executed, together with one Pasqua Trudgeon & foure or fiue two more of english; of there were th en (three irish men Imprisoned that had been seruants to English) which was done accordingly by their seruants of John Long & James Roche & returned & this deponent saith that when the said persons were executed, there were present John mc Phillip then belonging to James Roche of Conury William Mellafont fitz James Dauid Melafont fitz James & Garrett his brother sonne) all then members of the said assembly Campe. James the sonne of Piers Goggan, dauid og Colliman of Ballynringlanig, dauid Shehan [ ] of the same which Collinan & Shehan were then tennants to James Roche of Cunury & James Young the sonne of John Young of Kinsale with diuers others whose names the examinant remembres not, & further saith the saith that he heard of noe reason why the persons abouesaid were put to death, saue onely least they should giue intelligence to the english, ffurther saith that the foresaid children of Beers, being both maides, were carryed from the house of Kattaleene Leery (whoe kept them child after their parents were noe murthered) by by Edmond mc Morrish Roche and one Collonan tennants to said Roche of Conury, to the maine cliff of a rocke Neare the east part of Conury, called ffoyle slaine <the children of Robert Beer> Whoe threw the youngest downe the said cliff first, whereupon the elder tooke hold of one of the said mens legs from which they could not loose her, till they broke her armes & then threw her downe after her sister this deponent saith that afterwards, the said Collinan was shott neare the said place & before his death told this deponent that God was iust with him that he should come to his death, where he with the said Edmond had committed such a wicked act) as he with the said Edmond did in throwing the said children ouer the cliff, which was the chiefe cause of this deponent knowledge <for he was> being not present when the act was done. And this deponent is very assured the said murtherers durst not doe such an act without order from

(14)

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the said Campe, then at Bealegooly; And this deponent further saith that he knew one John Cooke of Ballymarcus <John Cooke> a poore Labourer whoe for his safety came to Kinsale at the time that the Campe was at Belgooly, & goeing with two or three english more (whose names he knowes not) to Ballyiniloa to in Kinalea, to fetch Corne, were murthered all of them by some soldiers of the aforesaid Campe; but whoe they were this deponent knowes not & further saith not

William [mark] Barry
his marke