Deposition of Ismah Darby

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Ismah Darby of the Creaght within the County of Roscomon the relict of Michaell Darby of the same gent, sworne and examined saith That about Allhallontide 1641 the Rebellion begining in the Creaght aforesaid and in other parts thereabouts This deponents said husband (then alive) & shee (for safetie of their lives) fled from their owne habitacion [ ] to a Castle called Lissadorne belonging to Mr Richard Crafton their landlord in the same County: & soe were inforced to desert & leave their meanes of present subsistence which formerly had bin worth xv li. per annum or above, In which Castle they stayd from All hollantide aforesaid vntill Christmas then next following, Att which time the said Mr Crafton & family. & this deponents husband & she fearing that that Castle would not hold out against the fury & assaults & multitudes of the Irish fled thence with some of their portable goodes to the Castle of Elfin belonging to the Reuerend Bishop Tilson where they contynued vntill and there her husband having taken vpp Armes against the Rebells, did what service he could and about Candlemas 1643 being Comanded to goe out vpon a party went accordingly & Butt gott such cold & endured such misery therein, (he being sickly) that hee quickly after died, And after his father in law Mr Nicholas Cockshead minister (by whom they had the most of their meanes) alsoe died; & yet this deponent not dareing to stirr abroad for feare of the Rebells stayd there still vntill after the Cessation of Armes first proclaimed And further saith that dureing her stay there & at the other Castle of Lissadorne, she did observe & see know that the Irish not only robbed & spoiled of their goodes all the English & protestants generally, in the Cuntry thereabouts but alsoe slew & murthered divers of them & in
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in particular some of the Rebells whose names she cannott expresse killed one Mr Courtney in the way as he went from his howse to or towards Roscomon which was about the begining of Christmas 1641, And about the month of Aprill as this deponent remembreth 1642, some Rebells alsoe vnknown to this deponent murthered in the highe way nere to [ ] Shankill Church in the County of Roscoman one Elizabeth the wife of Peter Lugg of Elfin a protestant, To whom they gave about 24 wowndes greivous wowndes, And not long afterwards some other Irish Rebells alsoe vnknowne to this deponent murthered and killed one Richard Gibbs and Richard fflemming (2 English protestants) within the sight of the Castle of Elfin And after that tyme some other other Rebells alsoe vnknowne to her, murthered one William Worley, another Englishe protestant, at a place within or nere the parrish of Shankill aforesaid And afterwards vizt (as nere as she can guesse) about Whitsontide 1643 other Rebells, alsoe vnknowne vnto her, murthered & killed at Canboe within 2 myles of Elfin one Cane McOwen late of Elfin an Irish protestant, Whoe hadd & left a poore wife & viijt or nyne Children, most of them yong: And this deponent further saith That whilest she contynued in the said Castle of Elfin: vizt about the first of January 1641 divers Irish Rebells of the septs of the fflanegans, o Burns, the Nugents, & divers others I with their Rebellious souldiers & confederats attempted & layd seige to the said Castle of Elfin then inhabited and defended by the said Bishop, Mr Crafton, Capten John Armsby the deponents husband, father in law, & divers others of the Robbed English to the number of 150 men, women & Children as this deponent remembreth, all kept & manteined by the said Bishop as long as his provision lasted which seege Contynued & was manteined against the Castle by those Rebells with
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great violence Inasmuch as one time they sett the very gats on fier, which the beseeged (by gods assistance) quenched, att other tymes they brought their Engins called Sawes to the walls of the Castle & attempted the vndermyneing & subversion thereof, But were from time to time repelled by the beseeched whoe slaughtered divers of the beseegers att seuerall tymes, And one tyme when they attempted to scalle the walls with lathers slew ffifty twoe of them (by some of their confessions that escaped) & burned their Sawes with the very pitch dry wood & fewell which the [ ] beseegers themselues brought to the gates, And somtymes the beseeged souldiers (being but about 50 men) would sally out, & doe strang execucions vpon the beseegers And thes beseegers would often villify & deprave the English & their gouernment Lawes & Religion, & would calle the parliament of England Roagues: & sayd that the King would send the beseeged noe ayde, nor none by would send them any but the parliament, yet att length when as they the beseegers sawe they could not prevaile, but many of their partie were slaine, then they would say & confesse that god favoured & fought for the beseeged, Howbeit such was their foolish supersticon & expression That those beseegers would blame one another for breakeing of the ffontstone in Saint Maries Church at Elfin where (as they said Saint Patrick left the print of his knee) & for other abuseing of that church being our Ladies Church And therefore said that god was against them: Att the length vizt about thend of the said 15 weeks of siege the English Army One Captaine King that came from his garrison of Abbey Boile & if Captain Roberte Armsby & some other Protestant Comanders & souldiers martching
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to the said Castle of Elfin, all the beseegers vpon their approach shamefully ran away Howbeit those English souldiers then and there apprehended & tooke prisoners one of the irish Captains, whom (after they had kept for a good space) att length they hanged, together with one of their Corporalls, whom they presently hanged, And then & there those before named Captains & their companie that raised the seige brought vnto the said Castle of Elfin about 120 One hundred & forty head of Cattle, and bade them freely take (as they did) what they pleased, which did most fully & noteably refresh & releeve those beseeged, And then the said Captain King and Captain Robert Armsby alsoe said that when those of Elfin Castle wanted, they should have more releefe, & soe departed & yet oftentimes afterwards releeved & ioyned with their forcs to helpe them & themselues & other English garrisons against the Rebells In which seate and conditions they are remained vntill the Cessation of Armes & soe did afterwards vntill that the Lord Taafe came to the said Castle of Elfin, & by or vnder pretence of a Comission from his Maiesty) surprized & tooke that Castle & expulced & turned out the said worthy Bishop Tilson & all his family & deprived him the said Bishop Tilson of a great part of his goodes, Since which time (as shee hath credibly heard) they there is putt into that Castle, a popish bishopp & some popish preists & friers And this deponent further saith That when she left the said Castle, & before that time, she was & had beene by occasion of the said Rebellion Robbed deprived or otherwise dispoiled of more goodes & chattells worth about 20 li. sterling, which added to their losse of her & her husbands yerely meanes for 3 yeres cometh in all Lxv li. or thereabouts besids the meanes she was to have had from her father in law, Whoe was alsoe then robbed & spoiled of a good estate:
Ismay
Jurat xxxo Julij 1646
Hen: Clogher
Will: Aldrich
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