Deposition of John Browne

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<symbol> Dame Barbery Sir John Browne late of the towne & parish of Hospitall in the baroney of Small County within the County of Lymrick Knight duly sworne & examined before vs by vertue <for & in the behalfe of Sir John Browne Knight her husband> deposeth & sayth that in the first day of Jan: Anno Domini 1641 & since the beg{ining} & by means of this present rebellion in Irealnd her said husband lost was robbed & forcea{bly} despoyled of his goods & chattells to the seuerall values ffollowing v{izt} worth 3800 li. part consistinge
Of Oxen Cowes steers sheepe horses & m ares to the value of one thousa{nd} two hundred forty pownds Of houshould stuffe to the value of a thousa{nd} pownds Of Corne & hay in the house & haggard to the value of four hundred pownds Of Corne in ground to the value of three hundred p o wnds at the Hospitall aforesaid Of houses demolis{ h t } & ruinat ed by the rebbells to the value of eight hundred pownds Of Debts t { } to the summe of three score pownds which ere this rebellion were esteemed go{od} debts but now become desperate by reason; the debtours are rebbells such as D{ } ffreeman of Any in same barony & County gen Walter Nugent of Knock Long in t{he}<A> barrony & County yeoman & therefore thi[ ] knoweth not any way how to gett a{ny} satisfaccion from any of them the totall of his losses in goods & chattells amounts to the value three thousand eight hundred pownds She also sayth that by meanes of th{is} rebellion her said Husband was expelled & driuen away from & dispossest of his free h{ould} estate of the said Hospitall & in the County of Corke of Clo ughlefe w ne neere Michelstowne wor{th} ere the begining of this rebellion one thousand three hundred pown{ds} per annum which she leaueth to consideracion She also sayth that [ three ] [ four ] sc{ore} <at Hospitall> Oxen & Cowes & steers were takn away by Murtogh o Brien of Doughgarra of Vpper Ormo n d in {the} County of Tipperary gen & John o Kenady of the same Barony Lower Ormond & County vppon the 1t of Jan: aforesaid & their followers the horses & mares takn away at about the time aforedsaid by John Lacy of Carrigkettle nere the said Hospitall gen & Morris Hurley of Knocklong aforesaid eldest son to Thomas Hurly of the same Esquire the houshould stuffe at the hospitall was takn away by Nic{ } Bagget of Baggetstowne parish of Any aforesaid in same County County gen abbout the 25t of March past & Dermod o Brien of the bar of Coonagh gen & his followers the an other { } of the houshould stuffe left at the Castle of Loughguirr when that was takn was takn away {by} the Lord of Castle Connell & Captain Peirce Walsh of the Abbey of Owney {in the} said County gen Esquire & their followers the rest was takn that was kept at the Cas{tle} of Limrick was takn when the said Castle was takn by the beseidgeers Generall P{ } <B> etc the Corne & hey in haggard was takn away by Morrice Bogget & Derm{od} O Brien aforesaid of on the 24 of March 1641 the Corne in the groun{d} was reapt by & takn away by the means of the said Lord of Castle Connell as she is credibly informed the houses were demolisht by the rebbells but their names sh{e} knoweth not She also sayth that she the Castle of Castletowne where sh{e} fledd for refuge was beseidgd by on the 26t of March 1642 by Pa{trick} Purcell of Crogh Leiutenant Generall Capt John ffz Gerald second Brother to Tho fy{tz} Gerald of the Glyn Ensign Esquire in said County, Garret Purcell nere Crogh of Curragh Leiu{tena}nt Colonell with diuers other to the number of two or three hundred rebbells lay close to the Castle so that the beseidged could not stirr out of the Castle d{ } which time she oftn’ heard the said Beseidgers say that they had the Kings authority {for} what they did during which seidge one Tho: Hill shoomaker of Castletowne {was} killd with a shott from one of the beseidgers: at length for want of water {} was yeilded vp vpon quarter about the 13th of May following being beseidg{ed} six weeks & or fiue weeks & odd dayes; the quarter was for their { } <C> wearing cloathes & a few other comodityes: after the quarter giun’ & takn’ the {said} deponent was conuayed towards Corke by a sufficeent Conuoy of the said Patrick Pur{cell} <conducting her with wonderfull ciuility> through all the way and as they were going along the said Purcell in see{ } maner told this deponent, that he had bin twice excomunicated before he { } would take arms; and that he would rather suffer for his religioun then ta{ } arms as he did if he thought that there was not the Kings authority for { } she also sayth that being brought nere Macrome the Lord Castle Connell nephew t o the said Lady Mightily tempted her to masse, promising her therevppon a restitucion of what she had lost which she denying { }cited her to leave her fou children with him that they might be bredd up Catholicke vnder him { } withall that neuer a one but a Papist should possesse a foot of land agen in Ireland & fu{rther she} cannot depose also she sayth that the Lord of Castle Conell about the [ ] { } [ ] last in the presence of [ ]
{ }
Jurat coram nob: 4o ffebr
1642
Percy Smith
P{hil: Bisse}

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The Lady Barb: Browns
Examination Limerick

Revis