Deposition of Ellen Matchett

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Ellen the Relict of Daniell Matchett late of Kilmore in the County of Armagh gent sworne and examined deposeth and sayth That since the begining of the presente Rebellion vizt, in the or about the months of October & November 1641 this deponents said husband and shee were expelled deprived robbed, or otherwise dispoyled of theire goods & chattells of the values following vizt beasts and Cattle worth Cxx li. sheepe worth xxx s. Swyne iij li. Howsholdgoodes provition plate vtensills & implements of husbandrie, worth Cxxiij li., twoe haggards of Corne worth 100 li. of the possession and proffitts of freehold land worth xvj li. per annum And of the possession proffitts & interest of the lands of Dromard, Annaghboe Annaghew Bottlehill [ ] kilmangawes and another dromard whereof she hadd seuerall estates and leases for long termes of yeres in being: which (for her interest therein before the Rebellion were worth to be sold 490 li.: & now by the burning of the howses thereof wasting depopulateing and spoyleing the same accompted worth nothing, (the rents being paid) Corne in the ground worth 150 li. hay worth x li., bookes worth iij li. moneys & a gold Ring worth vij li. x s. winter provision worth iiij li.: Apparell and lynen worth [ 200 ] 20 li. debts 160 li. A leas which hee tooke from one George Gowge worth 100 li.: Soe that her present losse in all amounteth to the sume of one thowsand three hundreth and seven Powndes tenn shillinges And that she is like to loose the future proffitts of her freehold landes worth xvj li. per annum as aforesaid vntill a peace be established And this deponent further saith that Joan Constable this deponents sister att the same tyme and place, was Robbed & depriued by the Rebells of Ready money and apparell amounting to one hundreth powndes ster And that Meredith Matchet Matchett gentleman whoe was robbed & murthered by the Rebells
<Her sonn & daughter>
1)

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at the time of his death owed to James Matchett this deponents sonn 140 li., and vnto her daughter dorothie Matchett the sume of 40 li., which they are sure to loose by meanes of the Rebellion. And further saith That <A> the Rebells that soe deprived and dispoyled her this deponent & her said Children were theis that follow vizt <a> were Ardell ô Hanlon of Derryheald in the said County and Shane Duff ô Hanlon and divers other Rebells of that sept whose names this deponent knoweth not And alsoe Patrick Madder [ ] ô Hagan of Mullodry in the same County, and diuers more of that name and other strangers, whoe murthered her said husband & her mother & brethren all the Craggans [ ] & that alsoe murthered the said Meredith Matchett was murthered by George Ffleming of in the County of Tirone: whoe forceibly alsoe entered vpon and claymed this deponents husbands Landes, & by others of the sept of the ô Neiles And then the said Rebells burned twoe of this deponents bybles with the rest of the bookes they fownd there: And further sayth that generally all the Irish papists of the Countie of Armaghe are in actuall Rebellion both from theldest to those of very yong yeres: And alsoe saith that after this deponent and her daughter were turned out of their howse & stript of their clothes they fledd away secretly & somtymes lived so privately in one place, and somtymes in another & at length they fledd to the howse of Mr Michaell Dun of Hockley in the sayd County <{}ell: M: Dun.> of Armagh gent whose wife being an English gentlewoman and a Constant protestant secretly entertained this deponent & her daughter with other protestants: yet there & in the former places they were forced to soe to hyde themselues: (neither Mris Dun nor any other dareing to releeve them openly nor dared this deponent [all the rest be seen abroade into the ? ? ] ) that they were almost pyned to death: Haveing feed soe little and poore that they thought themselues very happy when they cold gett a few nettles & course weedes to eate: & some tymes when they gott but the braines of a Cowe dead of diseases: boyled with Nettles they accompted that good fare: but in deed the hunger could & misery they endured is vnspeakable
2)

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The least part of which (as it was mixt with the death and murther of all their frendes and kinred) they could not haue endured & liued hitherto but that god almighty gave them still infinite extraordinary strength & patience and when he g ave them no meate, tooke away their hungar And further saith that such is the suffering of that poore gentlewoman Mris Dun for her Religion, that one of her owne daughters, by name Frances a yonge girle, sayd shee hoped ere long that some of the Irish would giue her mother a swinge <1> for her Religion: And saith that little children of the Rebells if they cold but speake & goe, would hold their skeanes against the English: & say they wold kill them if they wold not give them their money: And this deponent hath beene credibly told by divers both irish & English that fowrscore & tenn stript naked protestant people that had crept into an owthouse in Shewis in t h e County of Armagh for shelter and saffty of their lives: hadd the howse sett on fyre on euery syde & were forceibly kept therein & turned & beaten <the place> back into the fyer as they offered to come out of the flames vntill they were all burned to death & consumed: And although this deponent was about a myle of that howse soe burned with those poore martired protestants: yet shee plainly sawe the flames thereof: & is sure that they & the howse were burned and consumed together: And this deponent was credibly tould that one Manus ô Cane whoe lived nere <b> Loghgall begged for his breakfast the heades of all the protestants of Sir Phelim Roe ô Neile & that his Request was granted: & she verely beleeveth the same to be true ffor that at that uery time: great numbers of poore protestants were by the Rebells driuen like heardes of sheepe and some burned, some drowned some hanged & the rest Murthered & masacred in most barbarous & inhumane manner which calamitous sufferings of the poore protestants were soe frequent That at length this deponent as overfrighted & feared therewith feared therwith grew almost insensible thereof And further sayth that after her mother & her brother & husband were mortally wounded & before they were dead this deponent with her husband & daughter flying away to save their lives: being in deed miraculously rescowed by a mastive dogg that sett vpon the slaughtering & blowdy Rebells she this deponent did at night returne againe & hel f ped & fownd her mother
3)

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soe wounded as aforesaid and cawsed one of this deponents company to carry her as farr as he could, but when he was able to carry her noe further & that noe harbour cure releefe nor comfort could bee procured for her & the enemyes being nere at hand, This deponents said poore wounded mother rather tendering the saffety of this deponent and her husband and child then her owne liffe recouery perswaded them to goe away & leave her to dy there rather then they to stay & to be slaughtered by the Rebells: wherevpon this deponent & her husband left their to their vnspeakeable greiffe were forced to leave their wounded bleeding mother there where she dyed and might have otherwise bin re{ } on a could mountaine & fly away to saue their owne Lives: And it was the Comon voice of all the Irishe thereabouts that Sir Phelim o Neile was king of Ireland and they vsually prayed for him by that name of king of Ireland
Signum predictæ [mark] Elenæ
Matchett
Jur iijtio Sept 1642
< [ ] >
Joh Watson:
Will Aldrich

Deposicion Ellen Matchett
Com Ardmagh
Jur 3o 7bris 1642
Intr
hand Exw

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