Examination of Dorothy Butler

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ffurther Examinacions taken in the behalfe of the Com{on}welath by Tho: Richardson Esquire one of the Justices of the peace in the County of Corke and member of the Court of Justice sitting at dublin, touching the murthers and massacres comitted at Galway in or about ffebr 1641 and Aprill 1642 vizt
Dorothy the wife of mr Richard Butler Clerke living at Shangarry neere Cloyne in the said County of Corke aged thirty yeares or thereabouts being duly sworne & examined
<1.> To the first Interr shee sayth that shee doth know that Captaine {R}obert{e} Clerke in or about ffebruary 1641 to her best remembrance did bring in the Haven of Galway a Shippe (whereof himselfe was master), from franc{e} laden with Salt Armes and Amunicion, And further sayth that Thoma{s} linch fitz Andrew of Galway was merchant of the said ffreight and that Domnicke Kirwan his brother in law was Agent, a{n}d ffactor, by whose or one of whose procurement shee doubteth not { } <A> said Armes and amunicion were brought into the said Haven or {Port?} to the Accompt of the said Thomas Linch, her cause of kn{owledge} is that after the said shippe came into the said Port (and be{fore} her surprisall) shee this Examinant with her said husband were ab{oard} with Captaine Clerke to view the shippe, and her Cabbins, in { } to their goeing away in her to ffrance, as they then intende{d}
<2.> To the seacond Inter the said Examinant sayth that to her owne knowled{ge} (shee being then in Galway) mr John Turner Clerke of the Stores { } his brother Roberte Turner were both Committed to be prison in Galway { } the maior and Councell of the Towne, and remained in prison abo{ut a} weeke or th ten dayes, And sayth that shee then credibly heard the{y} were so impirsoned for endeavouring to gett the said Armes and Amu{nicion} into the ffort of Galway, And further to the said Inter shee cannot depo{se}
<3.> To the third Interr shee sayth that shee credibly heard (by the civiller <B> sort of the people of Galway) that walter reagh linch then Maior of Galway, & Dominicke Browne knight, Sir Thomas Blake, John Blake {fitz } Nicholas, Thomas Linch fitz Andrew Ambrose ffrances Blake { } to Sir Tho{mas} Blake (but who more shee remembreth not), were p{resent at the?}

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said Assembly, And sayth that shee beleiveth Patricke darcy and Richard Martin if they were in [ ] towne were also at the same Assembly, for that the very same day Captaine Clerke shippe was <C> surprised shee this Examinant heard Andre Andrew darcy, brother to the said Patricke darcy say that hee was afraid his said brother Particke Darcye had a hand in the then present distraccions, and letting in of the Irish into the towne, And further to the said Inter shee cannot materially depose
<4.> To the fourth Interr the said Examinant sayth that shee saw three boats (to her best remembrance for the nomber) with divers persons in them goeing aboard the said shippe, amongst whom shee did discerne (from the Battlements of the Customehouse where shee then was) the said Domnicke <D> Kirowan, and but who more shee remembreth not, but sayth that shee saw them board the said Shippe, and surprise her, and heard that the said Thomas linch fitz Andrew and Dominicke kirwan had procured the said boats and men to to goe to surprise the said shippe vppon pretence of lang landing the Salt, And further sayth that shee then imediatly after credibly heard that some of the said shipps Company were killed and cast overbord into the Sea by the said Kirowan and his bloody Company, but who, or how many were soe killed shee doth not now remember, And further sayth that shee saw some of the Ordinance of the said shippe brought into the towne, and planted in the streets, and vppon the rampiers, which shee beleiveth was by the direccion of the said Councell of the towne, but sayth shee did not see Patricke Darcy that day in the streets, nor can further depose to the said Interr.
<{5}.> To the fifth Interr shee sayth that (to her very great terror & danger) <C> shee saw Murragho ne doe ô fflaherty and his brother Teig ô fflahertye with a great nomber more, of Erconnaght Irish, whereof the said Murrogh ne doe was called Colonell, comming into the towne, and in the towne, And heard as well by some of themselus as by some of the Inhabitants of the said towne, that the said Irconnaght people were hired by the Councell of the said Towne to come to their assistance against the ffort, And further sayth that soone after the said Irconnaght Rebells came into the towne (that is to say) on or about the seaventeenth day of Aprill 1642 to her best remembrance, one Richard Kenowan one of the said Irconnaght Rebbels (since executed at Galway) being accompanyed with many other bloodye

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bloody Rebells rushed vpp and downe the towne and in a barbarous <D> inhumane manner murthered one John ffox Chaundler, and his wife, and a child, and one of Captaine Clerks shipps company who lay at the said ffox his house, and one mrs Collins, all whose slaughtered bodyes shee this Examinant was a sad spectator of, And further sayth that the same night there was an attempt made vppon the Cause where this Examinant and her husband then lived in the towne, by one ffrances Martin Patricke roe linch, Robucke linch fitz Robuck william Noone then the swordbearer of Galway his sonne with and another whose name shee remembreth not, who shee beleiveth came with an intent to murther her said husband and herselfe, who having hid themselues the last named persons carried away all their goods found in the said house, some of which goods the Examinant & her said husband haue since gott backe againe from some of the said partyes, And further sayth that shee did not h[ ] see Patricke Darcye in the streets, nor knowes whether or noe hee was in towne at the tyme of the said murther committed in the towne, nor can further depose to the said Interr
<6.> To the sixth Interr the said Examinant sayth that besides those { } whom before shee hath mencioned that were killed outright {there} were seuerall others as namely a sonne of mr ffishers late {of} Tuam, and a Glovers wife, wh and some shipmen of Captai{n} Clerk or some other shippe who were mortally wounded, died afterwards of their wounds, as the Examinant was creda{bly} informed, And further sayth shee calleth to mind t{hat} shee heard Captaine Clerke and Dominicke Kirowan when shee { } abo{ard} the said Clerks shippe at very high words, and heard {him} say that if Kirowan had spoken a little more to him hee wold haye throwne him overboard, And further sayth that {at} another tyme (after that, to her best remembrance) shee he{ard} the said Domnicke say Kirowan telling (as the cause of the quarrell betweene the said said Captaine Clerke and him that hee brought the Armes and Amunicion aboard the said shippe for the releife of the towne, or for the townes vse, { } the said Captaine wold haue convayed it into the ffort or

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words to that effect to her best remembrance And further to the said Interr shee cannot depose then in her answer to it and the precedent Interr shee hath deposed.
Dorothy Butler
March the 21th 1653
Sworne before mee
Tho: Richardson

Mrs Dorothy Butler
her Examinacion touching
the murthers at Galway