Deposition of Richard Bennett

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Richard Bennett of Kilcorbie in the County of Cavan Carpenter sworne & examined sayth That in the begining of the present Rebellion vizt on Sunday the xxiiijth of October 1641 He this deponent at Kilcorby aforesaid was deprived robbed or otherwise dispoyled of his goodes Chattells & estate Consisting of beasts Cattle Mares howsholdgoods, mony & the value of a lease amounting to one hundred threescore and seventeene tenn powndes sterling ster By and by the meanes of Cahir ô Relie <a> of the parrish of Drumlane in the same County gent this deponents neere neigbour Garrett ô Rely of the same gent his father. Glasney ô Rely of the same gentleman: Phillip ô Rely of the same gentleman & their servants & confederats whose names he cannott expresse And further sayth That about May 1642 this deponent was present & a prisoner in Belturbett when thirty two e three English & one Scotchwoman all protestants were forced together into the water of Balturbett & cast of the bridge there, & then and there drowned by the septs of the Relys & the Mulpatricks And at the same tyme one James Care and Timothy Dicconson were hanged by the same Rebells, And at the same tyme one Thomas Carter be and Gam being first putt into the water to be drowned & then pulld out, & promissed to be saved: Hee and his sonne Gamaliell about 2 dayes after were both knockt in the heads & murthered in their bedds in the nighttyme, And further saith that about tenn dayes after that Drowning, many of the drownd bodyes appeared above the water & then we nt away or sunck out of sight: y et were taken out by the protestants (there restrained) and buried. And about a fortnight after those tenn daies on Phillip mc Hugh mc Shane Governor of the County comeing to the said Towne of Balturbett the number of 14 or thereabouts more of the bodyes of the other drowned persons appeared above the water, the streame which is Swift haveing not carryed them away: Wherevpon he seemed to be [ ] affrayd & much greeved, and cawsed his owne people to take them out and bury them after the water side vowing
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and protesting to putt one whoe was a red heird irish man & that was the principall actor in the drowneing them, to death for his cruelty: Howbeit although afterwards this deponent saw that reed haired irish man in company and talking with the said Phillip Mc Hugh: yet the said Phillip neither putt him to death nor imprisoned or any other way punished him: And whereas one of those 33 persons that were throwne into the River (whoe was by profession a Turner; being a very active man: Did after he was forced into the water swymm for the most part vnder water at least 300 yards & then appearing above the streame nere a woodside on the shoare, One cruell & a base Rebell by name Phillip o Togher a Butcher run him through the Bowells again with a pyke: & thrust him into the water againe where he perished
Signum predicti Ricardi Bennett
[mark]
Jur 4o Augusti 1643
Joh Watson:
Edw Pigott
Hen: Brereton

Cavan
Richard Bennett Jur 4o Augusti 1643
Intw
hand Ex

w

2)
[Copy at MS 832,

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]