Deposition of Frauncis Sacheverell

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The Relacion of ffrauncis Sacheverell of Legacurry in the Countie of Armagh Esquire sworne & examined deposeth That
<A> The said ffrauncis sayeth that from the firste breakeing out of the rebellion <a> on the xxiijth of October 1641 Patrick Modder o Hagan mc Brian oge of Lisdaine in the County of Armagh kepte h i m the said ffrauncis his wife and childeren with his brother and servants prisoners in his owne howse at Mulladry vntill May followeing and then the English Armie Comeing that way the said o Hagan burned the howse and fled to the mountaines and tooke the said ffrauncis his wife and children childe and his brother alonge with him some six or eight myles where they lay vppon a mountaine all nighte, the nexte day the said deponents wife being sicke and ill, desired libertie to goe to some howse and being permitted to returne towards Mulladry being six miles distant before they C ame vnto it Ever Boy mcGennis in the County of Downe with his <b> Companie mette them in the way and Carried them to Clegmorne in the County of Monaghan and thereabouts detained the Deponent and his Companie nyne dayes and then the said Magennis Carried the defen dents deponents wife and daughter to a place within twoe myles of Dundalke And when he had stripped them to their smockes in the darcke of the evening turned them of to shifte for themselues where by accident being found by some of the Englishe And were Carried to Dundalke But Magennis kepte the deponent still h e r his prisoner neare nine weekes and then delivered him over againe to the aforesaid o Hagan In the time of which his restraint he obserued That The Irish did vsuallie Continue not aboue three or fower nights in a place for feare of the Englishe forces; and to keepe themselues silent in the night they killed all their dogs and Cockes, and aboute Lamas they Carried this deponent to Charlemount to <c> Owen Roe mc Arte mc Baron ô Neale with an intente to make him away as he is verely perswaded where the deponent lay a fortnight vppon the boards without either strawe or beddeing; and then the said Owen asked him when he was taken prisoner, and when he answered at Allsaints laste the said Owen alsoe asked whether the deponent was a puritane or noe and Sir Phelim o Neale being present answered that he was none of them whereat the said Owen much blamed them for keepeing the deponent in such base manner and not sendeing him to his native Countrey; the said This Owen ô Neale brought over with him seavenscore souldiers and threescore of them he brought with him to Charlemount and presently after there was eight of them killed by Captaine St Johns troupe whereat For which Owen o Neale was very sorry and cursed the Irish because they runne away and lefte them and severall of them rest died of the bloudie fluxe after the re C omeing alsoe he brought thither with him tenne barrells of powder fower horse loade of petternells and twentie Carbines and more this Deponent did not see or heare of but they reported that he had lefte fowerscore and tenne barrells of powder with other armes at Castledoe There is at Charlemount Captaine Perkins prisoner with some few Englishe and there is the Captaine of the Ship that brought the said Owen from Dunkircke
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And within a shorte tyme after Lamas this Deponent was Carried prisoner to Charlemount And there he did see aboue twoe thousand men in armes of the Enemie whoe shewed themselues to the said Owen ô Neale some Colours had sixescore some fivescore of the Enemy and some fowerscore men amongst whome at that tyme there was not much aboue one hundred or sixscore musquetiers: Alsoe he did see one greate Iron piece twoe field pieces some twentie musquetiers and twentie pikemen at the fforte of Charlemount which greate Iron piece the said Owen caused to be charged to trie her againste the steeple before they would Carrie her to Dunganon wherewith she was burste and killed their gunner whereat they were very sorry both for the losse of the gun and the man; alsoe he did observe such weapons as they had in the forte vizt the twoe field pieces the one Iron the other brasse aboute six foote long a piece fower musketts eight pikes fower petternells and one hallebeard; the other musquetts were with the pike in smale Cabbins betweene the forte and the river; alsoe there came thither to advise with the said Owen severall tymes these men vizt the Baron of Slane the <d> Lord Iveagh mc Carton of the County of Downe the Lord of Lowth mc Kena, mc Mahon of the County of Monaghan the Cheife Quines the Hagans the ô Neales and Cullakittaghs sonnes and their followers together with Michaell Dunne the Elder their provision of amunition lyes over the gate howse and not in the Castle; at Shewish in the County of Armagh; The Irishe burned in one howse threescore persons and odde they ga of Englishe protestants; they gathered together all the English men that were amongst them neare vppon seauen or eight hundred aboute the midste of May laste and murthered and hanged them and by those and all other meanes putt them all to death; Shortly after the beginneing of the rebellion of the Irish murthered nine Clergie men in those parts vizt Mr James Blythe of Dunganon Mr ffullerton of Loughgall Mr Robinson of Killmore in the County of Armagh Mr John Griffith of Armagh Mr Berrige of Killenan Mr Starky neare Armagh Mr Darragh and his sonne Mr James ffiffie of Dromcree; This deponent further deposeth saith that he alsoe heard one Hugh o Hagan a brother of the forenamed Patrick Modder o Hagan speake and say that if he had the Kings Maiestie there he would flaye him quicke but they would haue the kingdome and their wills of him and other words to this effecte alsoe he heard the souldiers of the said, Owen ô Neale say the divell take him which Caused them to Come out of Spaine where they lived bravely and well to this beggerly Countrey where nothing was to be had but hunger and Colde, and the said Owen mc Arte ô Neale himselfe sayed he was soe ashamed to goe into the ffield with such a Companie of Rannagate Cowards to meete generall Lasly or Maior Munroe they being both braue old Souldiers
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of his acquaintance. Alsoe this Deponent further sayeth that aboute the tyme when some of the English Armie came as Convoy from Lisnegarvy with some Englishe to Dundalke at the same tyme that Captaine George Blunte and some of that Company were slaine a rumor was brought vnto the Irishe that young Michaell Dunne was killed when Captaine Blunte was kille d killed, And Whereupon the deponent the deponent deposeth that he heard some of the Irish say they had rather haue lost five hundred pounds <f> then such a man should haue bin killed vizt as young Michaell Dun and this deponent asked some of them the reason why they answered and sayed there was nothing done in the English armie but by him they had intelligence of it and by a Lady not farre of <(x)> that place vizt th e Lady Bellew of Castletowne in the County of Lowth And when any armie was to goe foorth they had notice given them a weeke before by the aforesaid persone what number was to come And whither they were to goe and how long they would stay by their provision and then the Enemy fled away with their goods and moveables three or fower mil es dayes before their Comeing to the Trough Slebagh and the bantry woods; They doe not vsuallie keepe any garrisons or Campe in the ffields but when they heare of that the English forces are to come they give notice to all the natives some twenty myles Compasse to come and be in readinesse: They would not permitte anie protestant to be buried either in Church or church yard alleadgeing they were hereticques Also e some Englishe Carried young children to the Church to be christened at Masse but the prieste refused to baptize them and when they were out of the Churche yard the Irishe killed the Children and the people that brought them alsoe they killed the Englishe people that had gone to Masse with them aboue a month sayeing they were hereticques and they would not leaue an hereticque in Ireland <g (x)> Alsoe the Deponent heard a priest called James o Hallagan say vnto a native that if he would kille frrancke Moore or that old man of adogge meaneing Sir Henry Tutchburne he would cause every man in the Country to give him six pence a piece alsoe they the Rebells at one time drowned at the bridge of Portadowne seauenscore and odde persons furthermore the Deponent he observed that when they were putte to flighte or receaued any foile or overthrowe by the Englishe forces which Caused feare and terr terror in the natives their priests to encouradge them to fighte would faigne and pretende to haue letters sent to them and not onely say soe but sweare it and say they were sent either out of the ffrance or Spaine to give notice of great forces that as they alledged sometymes were landed in Galway or some remote parts from them and sometymes sayeing that within a fortnight sometymes within a month more forraigne forces were to Come over to aide and assiste them; which
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forged and faigned letters they would reade and publishe at Masse and then disperse many <h> Coppies of them vp and downe the Countrey; Alsoe the said Prieste Called James o Hallagan did reade a Comande in the Churche which as he alleaged Came from the Irish primate terrifieing his parishoners therewith and tould them that from that day forth whoesoever did harbour or relieve any Englishe Scotte or Walshe they would or give them any almes at all at their howses should be excomunicated and not be permitted to come to the Masse vntill he were absolued, Whereupon aboute the beginneinge of lent last <symbol> greate store of Englishe people were starved for want of food haveing neither meate nor Cloathes vppon their backes This deponent further sayeth that he hath observed that when all or anie of the prime Comaunders and gentry of the Irishe in those parts of the North were in the presence of the aforesaid Owen Roe ô Neale they gave him great reverence and respecte all of them from the meanest to the greatest excepte Sir Phelim o Neale standeing bare and vncouered before him calleing him Lord generall of the Armie and Calleing Sir Phelim Lo: President of Vlster stileing them soe in all their petticions and letters And further deposeth that he hath seen seuerall warrants and Comaunds of the said Sir Phelim vnder his hand which he issues requireing all parties in his Maiesties name to appere before him and that this deponent hath severall times heard Sir Pheim ô Neale say that he fights for the king and and that he hath his Maiesties Comission for doeing what he doth did or hath had done in this rebellion Insurrection
The said ffrancis He further deposeth that at seuerall tymes shortly after the beginneing of this rebellion he hath heard fower seuerall popish priests vizt Hugh Kelly in the County of Downe Edmond ô Tonagh in the County of Armagh Morris mc Roddan in the County of Tirone and James Hallaghan in the County of Armagh saie and tell avere that the priests Jesuites and ffriers of England Ireland and of Spaine and other Countryes beyond the <hand> seas were the plotters proietctors and Contrivers of this rebellion and insurrection and that thay haue bin these six yeares in the agitacion and preparation of the same and that the said priests did then expresse a kinde of ioye that the same was brought to soe goode effecte And he alsoe further deposeth that he at severall tymes he this deponent hath heard Ever Boy McGennis in the County of Downe gent and Hugh ô Hagan of in the Countie of Armagh gent and seuerall other persons bragge and say that they doubted not but they should shortly Conquer the Englishe in this kingdome and enioye the same quietly to themselues and that they would not reste soe Contente but when they had subdued the Englishe and quieted this kingdome they would raise stronge armies to invade and Conquer England and this deponent being in Conference with the said Ever Boy Magennis and Hagan they enquired of this Deponent what manner of Country England was whether it was a plaine Champion Countrey or a mountenous hilly Countrey and was it better then
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Ireland or noe and what partie would he take & whether he would he goe with them or noe And the Deponent lastlie obserued that the malice of the Irish to the English protestants did not onely satisfie it selfe in the destruction of their lives and estate{s} but did alsoe extende itselfe to the detestacion and destruction of these Churches [ ] the { } wherein the Englishe had Celebrated the worshippe and service of god and in Testimony thereof the Irishe haue destroyed and burned downe to the ground the seuerall Churches followeing vizt the Cathedrall Church of Armagh the Church of Loughgall the Church of Tamlaregy or Ballymore the Church of Charlemont and moste parte of the Church of Monaghan; The deponent lastlie He further sayeth that from aboute a fortnight after Lammas when he was Carried to Charlemount he Continued a prisoner with Sir Phelim o Neale there vntill after Michaelmas and then vppon some letter from the right honnorable the Lord Viscount Conwayes for exchange of some prisoners the Deponent gained his libertie and with other prisoners gotte to Maccerin In which tyme of his imprisonment at Charlemount and the other places before mencioned haueing in all bin nyne months a prisoner with the rebells he heard and obserued what he hath formerly herein truely related. And this deponent further sayeth That when the Rebellion began hee this deponent was seised of landes & tenements in the Countrie ofof the clere yerely value of 700 li. whereon he had [bestow ed] 1000 li . in building & possessed of goodes and chattells vizt Cowes oxen horses Mares howsholdgoods apparell Jewells plate Ready Mony Corne sheepe hoggs and swyne worth one thowsand twoe hundred seventy fowre powndes of all which together with the possession of his howses and lands hee was forceibly bereaved dispossessed robbed & <{ }> otherwise dispoyled by the Rebells Patrick Moder ô Hagan: & Shane ô Clerian and Edmund ô Hagan with divers others whose names he knoweth not on the xxiijth of october 1641 Since which tyme this deponent hath alsoe beene depriued of & loose nere 2 yeres proffitts of his lands worth 1400 li. which with the value of his other goodes & building amount vnto three thowsand six hundred seventy fowre powndes And this deponent is alsoe like to be deprived of and loose the furture proffits of his Lands (worth 700 li. per annum as aforesaid) vntill a peace bee there established
<Jur 21 Julij 1643
Mr B & mr A.>

Jur: 21o Julij 1643 Cor
Hen: Brereton
Edward Pigott
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Armaghe
Francis Sacheuerell
Jur 21 July 1643
Intr
Intw

Armagh
Francis Sacheuerell
Jur 21 July 1643

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