Examination of William Baker

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1466
Examinacions taken before the honorable the high Court of Justice at Gallway January the 10th 1652 Concerneing the Lord of Mayo’s deportment at & about the Murder Committed at Shrewle
William Baxter of the age of fforty fowre yeares being Examined saith, that before this Commocion, he liued with Sir Henry Bingham and continued with him vntill the surrender of Castlebarr to the Lord of Mayo. The said Castle being besiedged by Edmund Burk mc Brig [H ugh ] Sir Henry Bingham sent to the said <A> Lord of Mayo that he might be releiued. Being demaunded how the Lord of Mayo could be sent to, in regard of the said seidge, saith that they were at a distance from the said Castle ffourteene dayes makeing, & prepareing theire instruments & Materialls before they came Closs vnto it, by which meanes Sir Henry Bingham had oppertunity to send, and that Maior Browne of the Neile within half a mile of Castlebarr had diuers Beeues which he would haue had Sir Harry fetcht & reserued against any necessity which he thought they could not but be in if he had not any prouision to supply his wants, but the Lord of Mayo Comeing vpp the siedg remoued and ran away whereuppon Sir Hary Bingham went forth to him the said Lord of Mayo and they both were in priuate talk together about [ ] a quarter of an howre, after which Sir Hary & the Lord of Mayo Came into the Castle, and as soone as the said Lord came in Sir Hary lockt the Gate and deliuered the keyes to him saying these words My Lord I deliver the Castle to yow vppon the Condicions agreed vppon betweene yow & mee, and that yow shall keepe it for the King’s Seruice; but what condicions they were that were made betweene them this Examinant knoweth not and further saith that within an howre after Sir Hary Commaunded euery man that had armes, to bring them to him, which the Examinant did accordingly with diuers others but swords they had few what there were, some bestowed vppon theire friends, others sold them
further

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further saith that the next day after the surrender the Lord of Mayo spake <C> publiquely to the English & Scotch that if they would stay there they should be heartily wellcome & that he would defend <them> soe long as he was able, whereuppon of some that stayed behind and others that came to him afterwards there were aboue a hundred men woemen and Chilldren, that had Mainteinance form his house, in perticuler a Minister called Mr Goldsmith that liued with him two yeeres This Examinant further saith that [ ] Sir Hen: Bingham haueing Six men to Come along with him appointed [ ] he was one of them; and that vppon Tuesday they sett forwards to March to Gallway as he thought. the first night they Lay at Balli where they mett with the Bishopp of Killalow and his people, who haueing Escaped from Edmund Burk wh(who had taken them as prisoners) to Kinturk, heareing of the March of the said party of English & Scotch towards Gallway, mett them there where One of the said six appointed to attend Sir Hary Bingham left them. the next night they came to Ballinrobe where they were Enterteined by Mr Nolan, where allsoe two of the said six went away. the third day they came to the Neyle where Mr Browne, where Mr Browne Mainteined all the said Brittish, the better sort he had <D> into his house, and to the rest he sent Bread & Beefe and sett a Guard of his owne people vppon them that they should noe hurt & this Examinant demanding of Sir Hary whether he had best returne backe he was by him aduised to goe along with the lord of Mayo’s guard and to {r}e turne with them . The next day they went from the Neyle to Kinlanighan within a Mile of Shrewle where they lay that night. The next day they were Comeing to the County of Gallway where BullinCompanie came Cross them twice or thrice and that in the County of Gallway they saw three of ffwre hundred more but what they were this Examinant knoweth not, whereuppon the Lord of Mayo returned into Shrewle after they had gon a myle vpp into the County of Gallway, and stayed there that night and the next day till

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till they had dined, when there were diuers Gentlemen come from the County of Gallway which vndertooke to conduct the Brittish to the ffort his Cause of knowledg is that he heard them promise it to the Lord of Mayo being with them in Mr Lamberts house where they were together and that to the best of his remembrance Mr Burke of Castle hacett Ballyb acka an Ellderly man was one of them, and haueing staied in Shrewle on sunday till after dinner presently the Lord of Mayo and the Brittish tooke leaue of each other, the English were Comeing into the County of Gallway, and the Lord of Mayo and Mr Brinkhurst they turned away into the County of Mayo. And being Examined whether the Guard went to the Bridge with them or not, he saith that he knoweth not, And that he this Examinant was Ordered to stand Centinell ouer the Armes of the Lord of Mayo’s guard which were about a dozen Musquetts the said Guard haueing dispersed themselues he knew not whether, but as soone as they heard the Lord of Mayo was gon they came & tooke vpp theire Armes and went away and that this Examinant ffollowed them, and when he was goeing forth of Towne he saw Sir Theobalt Burk now Lord of Mayo come running ouer the Bridge, and the first horse he could Lay his hand vppon he tooke, and rode away.
And being Examined how farr he was off from the place where the Murder was Committed he saith he knoweth not, but that he was at the Church in the way towards Ballymaccgibbo, and heard two Shotts made, but whether or noe the Murder then began, he knoweth not, but that he said wee shall bee it was after the Lord of Mayo’s Comeing away. This Examinant further saith that he went that night as farr as Ballybacka where he ouertook the Lord of Mayo and kept with his Guard till he came back to Castlebarr, where he had left his wife & children at his goeing from thence. and that after he came to Castle=barr all the English & Scotch, that came thither, the Lord of Mayo Enterteined & preserued from wrong

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1
William Bakers
Examination
for the Lord of Mayo
Shrule