Deposition of Stephen Allen & Judith Allen

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<symbol> Stephen Allen Soueraigne of the Burrowe & toune of Cavan dwellinge in the sa id Towne <1 Cavan Armagh 2 Antrim 3 ffermanagh 4 Monaghan 5 Londonderry 6 Downegall 7 Downe 8 Tirone > of Cavan in the parish of Vorny & Barony of Loughtee in the Countie of Cavan Esqr And Judeth his wyfe beinge dewly sworne & examined before vs deposeth And first the said Stephen Allen doth depose & say That vpon Satterday the 23th day of October laste about 8 or 9 of the Clocke in the forenoone Ther came Edward Aldriche Esqr Shrife of the Countie of Monaghan, into this deponents house in the Abby of Cavan very much affrited & dismayed, and related unto this deponent how Arthure Champion & others wer that Morninge Murdered in their house & his Castle of Shanocke taken by Rebells, and that his owne house was surprised and that himselfe Esscaped & fled for sauftie of his lyfe with much hassard beinge pursued by them as far as Ballyhayes, and desired helpe to resciste them wherevpon this deponent wherev pon this deponent caused an Allarum to bee beaten booth by the Souldiers and towne drom for the callinge of them & the townesmen together
<a> And soe the deponent goinge forth of his house Att the dore mett with Leiftenant Arnolde Cosby, a neer Neighbor with a letter in his hande, which he deliuered this deponent to reade (not beinge well able to utter himselfe) which letter was from Sr William Cole or his sonne, importinge, That the tymes wer likely to very dangerous, for Rebellion & Treason wer a practizinge by the Irish papists against the English protestants, or to that effect and therfore that wer good for them all to bee upon their saufe keepinge, and soe much he wished him to imparte vnto all his English Neighbors all which cominge soe together caused this deponent to mistruste That it was a generall Revolt of the Irish {papists} to supplante & cutt of the Englishe protesants, and therefore this deponent and Mr Aldrich for the better assistance hasted letters & messingers vnto the Shrife of the Countie & Capten Baylise To com thither with ayde presently and vs and in the meane tyme wee armed the Englishemen of the Towne with such Armes as wee had, as Musketts, pycks, bowes, and arrowes, head peces & swords wher with this deponent furnished 10 or 12 of them, and caused all the Reste of the Townesmen to bringe out ther <b> Armes which the Englishe did redely and drew the foote Company of Solders to doe the like. But the messingers to the Shrife returned withou[t] answare, with this Newes that he the said Shrife had forciably disarmed an English man & taken away his Trope horse, & was gon to ffarneham Castle & taken from thence Armes for 30 tie of his men & was with them gon Towards Belturbett or Cloughouter, and had ioyned with other of the O Relys for the takinge of them which they afterwards did take and by that tyme the Cry & Route was generally all over the whole Country, and rounde about the towne, Soe as towards the fall of the night this deponent sayth that he Barracaded & Rampired up the Entryes into thye streets of the same Towne and sett watches & sentinells at them, & provided a [Courte] of garde for the soldiers, and soe kept the towne for that night & all the next day, { } although many of the Irish booth of the towne & foote Company shewed themselves

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<c> them selves very disloyall & trecherous as Patr o Rod y Patrick o Rely gaoler [ ] o Brogan as the [ ] Phillip o Brogan Henry mc Cabe & Wm Harty some of them flyine a waye to the Rebles & resisting this deponents commands Being soueraigne of the towne & some threatning & profering to stabe & kill him which he verely thincketh they wolde have don, had not Capten Reyves with a Trope of horse com thither that night. which samthinge quited them for the present and soe wee this deponent & his partakers Continewed that night likewise and the next day, when the Capten of the Trope perceiving the Multitud{e} of the Rebles to increase, the weaknes & falsnes of the Irish Townesmen & foot Company, he resolued to leaue the Towne for saufetie of the Kings Armes, and this deponent havinge secrett notice given him, that the Rebles & townesmen <d> intended to Murder & kyll him this deponent he for saufetie of his lyfe also cam a way with the Trope and lefte the Towne, and ventured with the Trope through all the Rebles beinge gathered together in many & very numerous greate Tropes leavinge of his house and all his goodes and Catle houshulde stuff & personall Estate & Meanes unto the unavoydable pray of the Rebles which wer to the best of this deponents now remembrance as followeth vizt In housholde stuff catle and goods booth within dores & without with his wyfes lynnen jewels, apparelle & mony And my owne Books Apparrell Corne Cattell & other housholde provition & Necessaryes worthist CC L li.
In dew debtes that wer iustely owinge unto mee him <e> from the Lo: Magwier now in the Castle by an Order & awarde for performance whereof I have his bonde of 1000 li. and by a grante of a Rent Charge out of his Lordships Lands of Shane mc Manus & Bally Mc Carry of Lx li. per annum the some of CCL li.

In other dew debts That wer Justly owinge unto him from others of the Irishe for which I had ther bills & bond & dwellinges in the Counties of Cavan, ffarmanagh, Monaghan & Armagh the some amountinge in the whole vnto CCLvj li.

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In leases & E states of lands, Customes, Anneweties, and Rente Charges, for my life & for yeares of the Cleare yearly value of Cxl li. per annum 140 li.
All which said goods and estate by the meanes of the Rebellion aforesaid have byn & still Ar loste & kept from him vnto this day. And the said Judeth Allen deposeth and sayth That about the thirde day of November laste, in the day tyme, ther Cam into the said house where all her said husbands goods and estate was diuerse of th{e} O Releys & others to the nomber of xltie persons and vpwards whose Christian names shee knoweth not & forciably Entred into the said house, and it beinge about Dinner tyme They forciably tooke the meate from of the spyht & out of the potte upon the fyer & forciably thruste her & her famely out of ther dores and went to dynner themselfes, and Robbed Spoyled Ryfeld and tooke with them all that euer was in the said house & without the house, and would not permitt or suffer her to have or enioye any parte therof at all, And she furtehr deposeth That she had filled a great Truncke with fyn deepe lynnen, hollande fyne stuffes Carpyts her owne weareinge apparrell & jewels worth Lx li. and in redy Mony & goulde the sume of xxx li. & vpwards All which the said Rebles the Robbers and one Patrick O Rody of the Cavan hade and still withholdeth from her & her said husband. and furt h er sayth not.
Steph: Allen
Judeth Allen
jurat 7mo Januai: coram nobis
1641
Roger Puttocke
John Watson
Intw

fol. 175v

Stephen Allen and
Judeth his wife ther
deposicions
Jur 7 Jan 1641
Intw
this is not yet sworne


[Copy at MS 832, fols 96r-v]