Testimony of John Furlong

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I John ffurlong of Ballymcguise in the Com of Gallway doe beinge summond by the Court of Assizes to appeare at Boyle to Answer vnto all such questions as would be demaunded of me Concerninge Collonel Thomas Bourk which by reason of other speacial Commands layd vppon me by the Common wealth hath hindered me that I Cannot goe there, And notwithstanding I haue bene formerly examined Concerninge this matter, yet for the better manefestacion of the and openige of my knowledge in the same I doe testifie and declare as ffolloweth. That in the begininge of the Rebellion, after my beinge plundered of all that I had I repayred to the fforte of Gallway for the more safety of my life, and not long after the some difference hapned betweene the Towne, and forte, soe that my Lord of Clonerickard reconciled them, In pursuance wherof Capt. willoghby, sent a squadron of horse to giue the Countrey notice of the said agreement (whereof myselfe was one) and Comeinge to Oranmore, william Kinge desired vs to goe along with him to rescue his Cattle that some of the Countrey wher driveinge away wherevppon wee followed them, and ouertooke some Countrey men who tould that Collonel Thomas Bourk, with some others took them and beinge desired wherfore [ ] answered, that <A> he said he would keepe them, vntill he had heard from my Lo: of Clanreccard, and to that purpose would write to r igh the aforesaid Clanerickard vppon that, wee retourned to oranmore, and beinge invited to dinner by the said Kinge were and haueinge remayned there for the space of an hower or their about, wee took our leaue intendinge to goe to the ffort, but haueinge not gon a muscket shot from the Castle, (not much further) wee spyed Clonmorise with some 20 horse standinge in one field by the side of a ston wale Clonmorise in the ffront, vppon which wee stopt, and began to Consider whither wee should goe backward or forward, at last deemeinge Clonemorise not to be our enemie (vppon his Cale) made vnto him, wherevppon they enclosed with vs and disarmed us; Now when some of them, namely Edmund Burk and Rickard mc Vlick enclosed with me, the said Collonel Thomas Bourke Comeinge imediatly a while after into the place rushed amongst them and rescued me, & my horse from them, presently after wee were Caried to Clarinbridge some 2 myles distant from thence <B> but by the way wee mete with Capt. Redmond Bourk who was very earnest with my Clonmorise to haue vs kept prisoners
but

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But beinge wakeinge the night before as I hea r d and in a madd humor, denyed the request of the said Redmund, and the said Collonel Thomas Bourke wh{o} interceaded for me, And as neere as I can remem: for the rest) vppon which deniale I had noe hopes to escape, by reasons of a <C> former grudge the said Clonmorise bare vnto me, had not the great mercie of god prevented them him for when the said Redmund and Thomas Could not prevayle knowinge the rashness of the said Clonmorise the said Redmund Came vnto me, seeinge Clonmoris{e} readie to execute the rest vs all and Carried me aside and vnknowne to the said Clonmorise Conveyed me away to killcorn{an} but who was in my Company besides the said Redmund, by reason of the freight I was in, I doe not certaynely remember, but the sayd sure I am I saw the said Collonel Thomas Bourke imeadiatly after at Killcornan aforesaid, the which makes me doubtfull whether that of his beinge at the execucion of the said men,
I doe lastly certifie that I neuer knew or heard that the said Thomas drew any of the said Englishmens blood or any other since the Rebellion, and while when I was prisoner as aforesaid the sayd Thomas as I heard preserved my horse and furniture and [ ] Caused them to be deliuered vnto me the next morninge all which in dischardge of my Conschyence and to excuse my present repayre to the Boyle I doe hereby certifie to be true as wittness my hand this 18th of June 1653.
John ffurlonge
This was signed and
acknowledged in our presence
the day aforesaid
H morgan
Walter Taylor

John ffurlongs certificate