Deposition of John Crewes

fol. 453r

1710
John Crewes of the Citty of Limerick merchant sworne & examined deposeth & saith that in the begining of the Rebellion within the territory of Thomond within the County of Clare where this deponent then dwelled, he this deponent with his wife & family hearing of the murthers & cruelties Comitted by the Irish Rebells vpon the Protestants their neighbours fledd for the safetie of their lives to the Castle of Ballyaley in the same County where Leaving behinde them a great stock of this deponents Cattle & Corne & other goodes of considerable value all which were quickly after taken away by the Irish Rebells whose names he knowes not but hath heard <A> that one John o Mohan & John ô Kelly his neighbours & (those that he had almost kept from starveing) had some part of them: And saith that hee & his family contynued in that Castle for Nyne months or thereabouts: for fowre of which moneths they & the other Protestants with them were beseiged there by Dermott ô Brian of Drommore in the said County Esquire kinsman to the Erle of Thomond & by Conner ô Brian of Leminagh in the same County <Cornet Cooper> gent whose wife is since married to Collonell Cooper: & by divers others of the name & sept of the Brians & Mc Nemaraes whose Chrissen names he cannott expresse & alsoe by one Oliver Delahide of ffomerun in the said County gent & others of their Complicees vnknowne to him this deponent And at length whenas this deponent & the rest of the beseeged wanted victualls insomuch as most of them eate horsflesh Catts & doggs they were inforced to [ ] stoope to that necessity soe as to surrender the said Castle vpon quarter to come to Bunratty Castle with half of the goodes they had with them: Howbeit when those Rebells hadd gotten the one halfe, they forthwith also deprived
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fol. 453v

1711
them of a great part of the other half alsoe, And although none of the English were killd after quarter given yet vpon a former salllying or attempting to gett out of the Castle ten or eleven eight or nyne of the English were slayne neare the said Castle of Ballyaley vizt John Walker John Burges who was the deponents father in lawe John Twisden but the names of the rest he cannott name: The parties Rebells whoe then beseeged the said Castle & killd the Englishman aforesaid were Captain Mooney ô Loughlen of in or near the Barronie <B> of Inshiquin in the County of Clare a freeholder Captain Loughlen his sonn & as he thincks another of his sonns alsoe & divers souldiers Comanded by the said Dermott ô Brian & Conner ô Brian & divers others of the ô Brians Mc Nemaraes & Gradies whose Chrissen names or placs of habitation this deponent knoweth not: Hee alsoe saith that one Richard ô Grady (as he thincks) & John ô Grady whoe lived near Ballelyne in the same Countie of Clare & divers other Irish Rebells whose names he cannott expresse did in the begining of the said Rebellion kill & murther about Twelue or fowrteen tenn Englishmen & one woman [ ] near the Castle of Inshicronan the names of some of the parties so slayne was Robert Hart of Ballylyne Miller Richard Kno tt Peter Newman Tanner Christofer Hebditch yeoman Richard Adams Collier Robert Blinkinsops weaver but the rest of the parties English soe killd & murthered hee this deponent cannot name them which said John ô Gradie a very little before the said murder Committed seemed very kindly to enterteine the said English men at his howse at his place & by that meanes stayd them there vntill he secretly had cawsed to be gathered together a great number of Roagues of his owne name & Kinred, whoe vpon a sudden fell vpon those English & most barbarously murthered them all: Howbeit onely one escaped away with his liffe And this deponent further saith that after his departure from the said Castle of Ballyaley he this deponent & about twelve or 16 families of English in his Company went

fol. 454r

1712
to the Castle of Bunnratty to the Lord of Thomond & there this deponent & some of the rest stayd for the space of twoe yeres and a halfe doeing of the said Lord of <C> Thomondes workes onely before the end of which tyme Lieutenant Colonell mc Adams with a partie of five hundred men or thereabouts of foote came to the same Castle where they stayd till the same Castle was beseiged by the Lord of Muskery then said to be Generall or Lieutenant [ ] Generall for the Irish, Maior Generall Purcell & about six or seven thowsand of other Irish Rebells of Thomond Munster Connaght & Leinster whose names he cannott expresse, whoe contynued in closse seege for about three months And in the <hand> tyme of that seige there was one Daniell ô Brian Servant to the Erle of Thomond hanged in the Lord <D> of Muskeries campe nere the same Castle in the sight of the Lord of Muskery & Maior Purcell & beleeves those Rebells hanged all the English they could meete withall And hath credibly heard & beleeveth that where they Irish mett with any English man married to an Irish woman or any Irish man married to an English woman those villaines for their hatred to the English would hang such married parties which they frequently did in the Countie of Tipperary And further saith that the said Lord of Muskery & the rest still contynued a closse & hott seige to & against the said Castle of Bunratty (after the Erle of Thomond was gone away) & many of the English in the Castle some were torne in peecs with Cannon shott & others kild with smalle shott & at length the said mc Adams the Comander of the Castle was killed by a great shott from the Rebells aforesaid but before he was killd the Lord of Glamorgan comeing

fol. 454v

1713
to the Irish Campe & seige aforesaid & Joyneing <E> with the said M Lord of Muskery & the rest of the Irish: divers of the welsh soldiers ran out of the said Castle vnto him to the number of thirtie at the least but what their names were or where they now are he cannot tell: Hee alsoe further saith that after the said Sir Donnell ô Brian of kargyholt in the said County of Clare knight & divers of the name & sept of the Brians & other the Irish Rebells had by the help of the Lord of Thomond gotten into their power some of the Armes & Amunition of the English vpon & had promissed to secure his Lordship the Erle of Thomond & them from danger then those Rebells turned themselues & those Armes quite against all the English in that Country: robbed them all of their goodes surprised & tooke divers of their Castles & in most bloudy & inhumane manner murthered alsoe divers of the English & at length alsoe sleighted the said Erle of Thomond & would not shelter nor protect him at all when he had not appeared in Armes against them, but contrary wise they threatened to burne his Castle, if he wo becawse he would not turne the English puritant doggs (as they called them) out of the said Castle: & towne soe as his Lordship (after that the said mc Adams came to his Castle) forsooke & left his Castle the same & went into England, & after his departure & the death of the said mc Adams the said Castle of Bunratty for want of men, money provision and Amunition was vpon quarter surrendred to the said <f> Lord of Muskery & the rest of his Irish Army And further saith that of the English souldiers which were [ ] beseeged in the said Castle of Bunratty there were shott & kild by the Irish which lay encamped about the same Castle the number

fol. 455r

1714
the number of one hundred or thereabouts & above ffortie more wounded, some of which died afterwardes And although he this deponent was wounded himself yet (god be blessed) he is recouered But he is very much greeved every day to meete with soe many cruell & some bloudie Irish Rebells that have still privilege to walke vpp & downe freely amongst the ever honest & obedient English & are not questioned nor brought to Judgement for prosecu their wicked Actions as the <G> said Sir Donnell ô Brian & his sonns & others: And this deponent in the begining of this present Rebellion was present at the Court howse at Ennis in the said County of Clare where he heard the said Sir Donnell ô Brian offer & say to the said Erle of Thomond That if his Lordship would procure him the said Sir Donnell Armes & Amunition that he would procure souldiers enowe to defend the Countie but whether his said Lordship procured him any Armes or Amunition or noe this deponent doth not knowe: but he hath seen divers of the Irish roagues severall times with guns piks & other weapons which he but how or from whom they gott them he cannott tell
John [mark] Crews
Deposed vnto the first of
September 1653
Henry fflower
Ro: Stamael
Will Kinge