Examination of the Lord of Mayo

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1454
<Gallway 15th 9ber 1652>
The Examinacion of the Lord of Mayo taken before t w o of the Commissioners for administracion of Justice for the Precincts of Gallway touching the Murther Comitted at Shruell in the yeare 1641 or therabouts
<A> The said Examinant being examened sayth that he wayted vppon his father Myles Bourk late Lo Viscount Mayo to Shruell aforesaid, & that he had onely two horssmen & a footeman which were his servants to attend him, & alsoe sayth that he was present, at the surrender of Castle Barr, & that the English that were there vnto that did belong to Sir Henry Bingham such of them as pleased went along with the said Sir Henry to Ballenrobe; & meeting with other English men & Scotts in the way & before their coming to Ballenrobe aforesaid, they rested at a place called Dunamony, where the titulate Archbushope of Tuam & the most of the gentry <B> of the Barony of Kilmayn came to the said Lord of Mayo this Examinants father, & tould him in the name of the Inhabitants of that Barrony that him selfe & his priests & the gentry thereof would Convey the said English where they entended to goe if there were noe other traine but themselues to cess or press vppon that Baroney, & if, he did not soe otherwise but to leaue their Conveyance vnto them selues that

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<C> they would rise in Armes against him, notwithstanding at the entreaty of the said Sir Henry & others of the English the said late Lord of Mayo went a lon accepted of their assistance, & went along himselfe with twelue foote, & as many horss to Ballenrobe aforesaid, & from thence to Neise, where the said Sir Henry fell sick, & the rest being desirous to harten away the said Late Lord of Mayo desired the said Arsch Bushope & the rest that promissed to Assist their Conveyance to goe along with them him, which being don the said Archbushope & his people, fled away from him about three Myle from Shruell aforesaid [ ] which was a day or two before the Murther, & to the best of his remembrance the English Lay the night before the Murther at Kinlagh in Walter Bourkes town which is bordering with the County of Gallway & Mayo & from thence the next day the went to a hill the other side of Shruell where they discryed about sevenscore or eightscore, men in Armes this side of Shruell in the County of Gallway being two Companyes belonging to Collonell <D> Morrogh ô fflaherty deseased, the officers that did leade them, he doth not remember but hopes to learne them, & Mr Bocanen, descryeing the men he desired the said Lord of Mayo to goe that night being some what late for their better security to some Castle neere adioyning whervppon, the said Lord of Mayo sent two or three Messengers to one Lynch that liued in the Castle of Shruell desiring him to admitt them in to the Castle that night with the said Lynch absolutly denyed

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whervppon they Lay in Ayle houses in town that night & the next day the said late Lord of Mayo toake leaue of the said English an hower before the Murther was Comitted, being not very well & the Bushop of Killalla his horsses being stole that night the said Lo: of Mayo tooke this Examinants horsses & his mens horsses & gaue them <E> to the Bushope & his daughters to ride vppon & this Examinant tarryeing there for to gett horsses to goe away which occasioned that went not along with his father, the said Late Lord of Mayo & before this Examinant parted Shruell he saw some of the said English sett vppon in the way this side of Shruell in the County of Gallway some of them a strippedg & other s K illing & thervppon this Examinant run n ing ouer the bridg e with [ ] his sword drawen & offerred to assist the English & rescue them from their Enemy vntill that a shott or two was made at him, wherevppon one John Garvy & others tooke him & Conveyd him away for the salfty of his own Life, & further sayth that he then knew not any of the said Murtherers by names, but since heard that some of the & also sayt further at this present sayth not
Theobald Bourke vis Mayo
before vs Commissioners for administracion of Justice for
Peter Stubber
Robt: Clarke

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