Deposition of Thomas Knowles

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Tertio Domini January A° Domini 1641

Thomas Knowles of Newtowne alias Castlecoole in the parish of Drummully halfe Barrony of Coole & County of ffermanagh yeoman (an English protestant) of thage of fforty one yeares or thereabouts being duely sworne deposeth that he was dispossed robed & lost in lands & houses houlden in ffee ffarme to him and his heires for ever within the towenship of Newtowne aforesaid worth two hundreth and fforty pounds in leases worth ffowerscore pounds in Cattle worth two hundreth and ffowerteene pounds, in Corne worth ffifty pounds, in household goodes & other goodes & provition in the house worth two hundreth pounds in hay worth twenty pounds in debts worth fforty pounds in ready mony Nyne pounds in husbandry geare & other goodes in the kilne barne & stable worth twenty pounds in all Amounting to the some of Eight hundreth <873> threescore & thirteene pounds. By the meanes of Captaine Rory Magwire of hassett towne <a> in the Barrony of Lurge & county aforesaid Donagh Magwire of in the said the County Esquire unckle to the Lord Magwire Richard Neugent Esquire father in lawe to the said Lord Magwire, Thomas oge Magwire of the Barrony of Kinawly in the said County gent: Hugh McMahon servant to the said Lord Magwire Phelim Magwire of Aghalaue in the said County gent James Netterville the yonger & his brother both sonnes to James Nettervill thelder of Magharestaphany in the said County Esquire and other Irish persons Armed & with them assembled in a Rebellious manner to the number of ffower hundreth att the least the fower & twentieth day of October Last past, And then sent a note in writeing vnto the English protestants that for there refuge had betaken themselues into the Church att Newtowne aforesaid, requireing them in the kings name to yeeld vnto them their Armes, weapons & towne otherwise they shold ffeele the strength of their force & swords or to some such like effect, which note was subscribed with the names of Donagh Magwire and James Netterville Captaines, unto which note the protestants sent an answer desireing to see there Authority

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which they refused to doe, But that night Encamped themselves neare vnto the said towne, And the protestants fynding themselves weake both in men provition and Munition, the next morneing was contented to yeeld there Armes upon condicion that they might have there lives, Apparell & some parte of their goods, unto which the said Rebells Condiscended and Agreed, But soe soone as they had gotten the possession of the Church & the protestants Armes, they stript all or the most of them & kept this deponent and his wife And Abraham James & his wife prisioners within the said Church, And dureinge the deponents Imprisonment with them the said hugh McMahon & one Patrick Magwire told this deponent that they had commission from his Maiestye for what they did, And that the same doeings was like actions were done throughout the whole kingdome att that tyme, there plott haveing beene workeing for two yeares last past And that certainly god had a great hand in the same All places of the protestants aboad being taken & yeelded except three (vizt) London derry, Eneskillen & another {towne} this deponent nowe not remembring the name, And that those townes cold not longe withstand there force because the lord Magwire had taken Dublin Castle (as they said) the Satterday before otherwise if it had not beene taken and that there Plott had been discovered the said Lord Magwire had beene with them againe uppon Satterday aforesaid, <7> And further told this deponent but for a naughty woman Irish woman that had discovered there Plott to Sir William Cole knight uppon the ffryday morneinge Eneskillin had beene taken, But the said Sir William had broken downe both the bridges & gotten into the Island to him both Men & provition And for the woman had discovered it, she shold repent it if she cold be taken And further this deponent deposeth that the next day being the six & twentieth day of October this deponent his wife & two Children with the rest of the English protestants of the said parish was by the said Rebells forced & compeled to leave the said towne and County. And within two

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[804]

houres after the said Rebells fynding sett the said towne on ffyre consisting of ffifty houses or thereabouts as this deponent hath heard and he himselfe at did about that tyme see a great smoake thereabouts & soe beleeveth it to be true And further this deponent deposeth that he heard William Morton (a credible man) say that hee did see certaine of his household goods in the house of the Bishop of Clougher att Drumbrochus, And that a Scotch woman servant to the said Bishop told him that the said Bishop had appoynted to meete the said Captaine Rorye Magwire with two hundreth men the said six and twentieth day of October to helpe him to take Eneskillen And further this deponent deposeth that he hath heard that the said Rebells had Murthered fforty of the said parishioners or thereabouts & wounded a great many, And that there is att least One hundreth of the said parishioners that lived in good manner, perished and dead since they were driven from their habitations by the said Rebells as aforesaid, being all of them English protestants

Thos: Knowles

Deposed before vs
Jan: 3 1641
Hen: Jones
Roger Puttock

Being demanded what course of Life he doth purpose to put himselfe into answereth that having many children he resolveth to setle them among his friends in England & after to returne & put himselfe into his Maiesties sevice.

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Tho. Knowles Com. ffermanagh
iij° Jan: 1641 Jur
Int w Hand

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