Deposition of Charles Anthony

fol. 96r

1213
The testim ony of Charles Anthony Clerke
<1641 Octo: 23> Charles Anthony late of Ballyaghy viccar of Balliscullen in the County of Londonderry Clark sworne & exa m i n ed saith that Vpon the Rumour of the late begun Rebellion the 23th of October 1641 the Inhabitants of Balyaghy in the County of Londonderry wherin the abovesaid Ch: An: dwelt were vp in armes <x> for ther owne defence & safety, & the 24th of 8ber by the persuasion of Hen: Conway Esquire who lived in the Castle belonging to that towne, the aforsaid Inhabitants repayred to that Castle bringing into it whatsoever goods & provision for dyet powder & shot conveniently they could: to this Castle repaired divers Inhabitants of <x> Magherefelt who being driven from ther dwellings brought ther Ammunition & a rm es with them About 4 dayes after the said H: Con: & John ffreman clerke both Justices of the peace swore all the males which were able to beare Armes fidelity to the King & obedience to the Command of the said Hen: Con: for Martiall assayers: the same time the said Hen: Con: chose some few to himselfe for advise & Councell, protesting that whatsoever lettres should come from any to him he would impart to them, that Joyntly they might answere them, yet performed not his protestation but privatly receaved & answered what lettres he thought good: sending privat lettres to Art ô Mullan & <x> his brother in law Walter Downing alias Walter ô Lin & to the Hagans: all then open Rebells, who had Robbed divers Brittish; & the contentes (as is reported since) was that if it he might have quarter to carry away certaine trunckes from out his Castle he would surrender it & the towne vp: which seemeth true, for till then <x> the enimy r ebells approached not the towne for assault, yet stoole away the Cattle therabouts <x> but November 1o: about night they assaulted the towne firing divers houses against whom not many shot were suffered but prohibited on paine of death:
<x> A parly [ ] being first by mr Tho: Dawson sent with the Hagans & others: & after <x> by the said Hen: Con: with them & as some say with Sir Phil: ô Neale, the towne & Castle were surrendred to the Rebels: on condicion of liberty for two months to export the goods: But when Mr Con: had had taken his trunkes gon [ were ] away: the Condicions were fustrat & the Inhabitants Robd by the rebells & the remainder of the towne & Castle fired to ther vtter vndoing:
And this dep onen t The abovesd Ch: An: fleeing for safety of his liff e to mr Tho Church Esq, accompanied with <x> William Gardiner Junior: hoping to raise forces to beat backe the enimy, but the said Tho: Church having his Castle then but weakly mand could not spare any men or munition: Nor wold Mr Archibald Stewart in the County of Antrim doe it who but answered that he had no Commission to send forces over the land, so that the said C: A: staying with the said William Gardiner at Portneaw in Com: Antrim about ten dayes, after went with him to Colerainne, & having bin there there over ten dayes was intreated by the aforesaid Tho: Church to come backe & live with him in his Castle, which by he yeelded vnto & ther executed his Ministery about 5 weekes vntill the Irish about 2000 had overthrowne the Brittish at Garvaghy to the losse of about 200: So that now then Mr Church being surrounded by the Enimy & far from any releife; for mr Arch: Stewart would
i

fol. 96v

1214
not promise any succour if cause required but said: Then God helpe you: was constrained to leave his Castle to the guard of James mc Donnell who then was not in accion of R ebellion & so boating his Men women & children with some luggage & all his ammunition over the Band water marched to Coleraine, haveing receaved lettres from the Mayor & Aldermen of that towne to comme thither, which was about december 16th 1641 wher the said Tho: Church raised two foot companyes of 100 men a peece each one vnder his owne Command, thother vnder the Command of his son Mr George Church [ ]
<And > About Christmas or a little after the aforesaid James mc Donell with some of the mc Henries & others brake out into accion of rebellion & having some of the Scotoish Ilelanders, who revolted from mr Stewart aforsaid on thire sid: slew some of the Scottish souldiers & gained the ammunition & increasing dayly by degrees surprised the some Scots who [ ] & many flew to Coleraine for succour:
The Scots being entred into Coleraine thretned the pillaging of the towne: viz Arch: Stewart in the hearing of him Ch: An: & divers others openly in the Market place said to one mr Cousens the Recorder of the towne: We will search your shops coffers trunckes Chests &c for what you have & make all common & what my souldiors want you shall supply: which words not well relishedg yet by peaceable wayes the Scots were procured to depart the towne & make good goe to ther owne Castles
<On> ffeb: 11th: 1641 Mr Stewart persuaded Capt Tho: Church Capt Symon Hilman Capt Michael Beresford to joyne ther forces with his to repell the Rebells, who being therevnto persuaded, led forth ther forces that ffriday some 8 miles against the Enimy, the English being about 10 or 12 score & the Scots about 800 or 1000 whereof were about 6 score horse: They pursued the Enimy and the Scots aiming the glory of the day strove for the Van, & having made their body full for battaile chargded the Enimy: when after aboute few shot betwixt the Enimy & the Scots (only one Scot being slaine) the whole body of the Scots suddenly wheeled about: Crying We are all Slaine we are all slaine: & so runing confusedly amongst the English body bare downe the English, so that there were lost as it was reported about 800 men with all ther Armes, the horse fleeing & neither releiving nor doing execution: vpon this losse: the Scots grew a little more temperate, yet have fled into Coleraine from all those adjacent parts men woemen & children about 5000 besides about 1000 whom Mr Stewart brought afterward in for the ease of his Castle of Ballentoy, which Number so pestred that towne that there fell a famine & whereas the suburbs of that towne might have sheltred the most part that
2
<A
Bn
mi>

fol. 97r

1215
then [that?] they puld downe the suburbs & burnt the timber, still ruining all fences of hedges pailes railes &c: for fuell, this brought great Mortality, so that for many weekes together there dyed about 11 score weekly:
<1642 Ap: 2d> They of Coleraine being thus weakened & the Enimy strengthened for they stoale the Cattell within muskett shott & divers times slew many plunderers being slaine God of infinit mercy sent some releife: Captain Strong with his Maiestyes ship & Capt Hill with his Maiestyes Pinnace meeting in Loughfoile with some small boates loaden with provision for the releife of Coleraine beat off the Enimy from ther trenches & workes & brought the boates to safe harbour at Coleraine: After w hich The Enimy being very strong on either side: on Antrim side the Mc Donells: Coll Kittaghs sons mc Henriys & others, & on the other side the mcCahans & others: Captain Hill also beat backe the Enimy from mount Sandy where is the great Salmon fishing which now is in the hands of them of Coleraine & saved Castle Roo from firing which the Enimy intended few howres after: About this time the Erle of Antrim came to his Castle of Dunluce & by lettres to Coleraine intreated p ar ley, at which parley he with the Irish Captain promised liberty to them of Coleriane for safe grasing for ther cattell & saffly for at lest 3 miles to passe: The Erle also sent into Coleraine about threescore horses loaded with Corne for <x> the benefit of the Inhabitants & so the state of that town & cuntry was at the departure of this aforesaid Ch: Anthony: from thence
<And this deponent further saith> It was also reported by some of Coleraine Souldiers that the Rebells on their side of Londonderry County demanded of them: If the Roague the King were not yet dead: & said that they were the Queenes souldiers And further <{ }> hee saith that by reason of this Rebellion he is impoverished in & deprived of Corne Cattell goods bookes to the value of fowerscore pounds sterling & is forc e ibly expelled from his living in that Towne of Balyaghy being worth fforty pownds per annum besides the burning of fower English buit houses, purchased for twelve yeares lease worth with the land therevnto belonging tenn pounds per annum
Charles Anthony
June 12. 1642
John Sterne:
William Aldrich

3

fol. 97v

1216

London Derry
Carolus Anthonius Jur
Jur 12o Junij 1643
Cert fact
Int
hand w
12