Examination of Margaret Rotcher

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The Examinacion of Margarett Rotcher of Lisnegarvy in the County of Antrim, adged 36 yeares or thereabouts taken before vs the 25th of May 1653
Whoe beeing dewely suorne and Examined sayth that the next winter after the Rebellion, the Scotts in the County of downe, disturbeing the Irish, and putt many of them to death, Grincocke Savadge, Patricke mac Leanan, thomas Rotcher, Patricke mac Lee, and Richard <A> mac Dohin for saftie of theire lives, were forced to leaue those parts into the Mountaynes of Morne neere Newe Castle, where they Contynewed the space of one yeare & halfe, till that one Captain John Wooll then Leutenant in Sir James Montgomeryes Regiment came of purpose to Newe Castle, and meetinge with the sayd Grincocke Savadge; tould him that if hee, with the said persons, or any others belonginge to him, would return to theire former habitacions hee the sayd John wooll would protect them, haueing orders (as hee then pretended) soe to doe) of th e sai d James Montgomery, And then hee the sayd John Wooll takeing the sayd Grincock by the hand, assured him, & Company of protection & saftie of leife & goods wherevpon the sayd Grincock Patricke mac Leanan, Thomas Rotcher, Patricke mac Lee & Richard mac Dehin, gott their people, Cattell, and goods to gether, and vpon that protection or promise of Woolls they all came away with wooll to the towne of Ardglas, where the mo{rn}einge they came they came <B> thethir, the women milked theire Cowes, and fed theire famillyes and Childeren, which done the sayd wooll caused

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the sayd Cowes to bee presently taken from them, and them <C> detayned altogether from them in soe much that they were lyke to famish. But not content with what hee had soe donn, hee alsoe aboute 12 dayes after, notwithstanding his fayre promises, hee the said John wooll sent vnto them, and hyred them to burne sea wrack to make kelpe, it beeing on the Satterday, and tould them, that on the Tuesday followeing they should receaue Nyne shillings each of them, to enable them to goe on with theire worke, Insted whereof the next morneinge beeing the Lords day, hee the sayd John Wooll caused some of his souldiers to goe [ ] to the severall houses where the said Patricke mac Leanan, thomas Rotcher, Patricke mac Lee, and Richard mac Dohin, & respective ffamillyes were, and fell on them, & first kild Richard mac Dyhen as he kneeled at the doore for quarter & mercie, and that hee might bee carryed to Leutenant Wooll, who promised him & the rest protection, which they would not assent vnto telling the said Richard, that they had direction not to bring any to him, but to doe what they were Commanded & soe imediatly kild the sayd Richard and after went <D> presently to this deponetts housbands house Patricke mac Lenan, and called on him to come fourth, whoe seeing the sayd Richard was kild would not, vnles they would giue him quarter, & that hee might goe to Captain Wooll, which they also refused, and thervpon shott at him, which mist him; nowe I pray yow take mee to Leutenant Wooll, noe sayd the Souldiers and shott again at him againe, but mist him, now I beeseech you sayd hee seing God hath thus farr preserued mee, giue mee quarter which they denyed, & suddenly drewe him into the streete

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and their hackt him with theire swords to death this deponett houldinge him her sayd housband, and strugling f or her housband s to saffe his leife, shee was taken of and stript of <E> her Cloathes, who soone after, was (before tyme) deliuered of her a Child: And sayth that after they had soe murdered her housband. they went after thomas Rotcher, who runing away they overtooke him and Murdered also, and after him, found out Richard Patricke mc Lee and him lykewise murdered & would haue kild Grincock Savadge, but that hee ffled for his leife, And the deponett beeing demanded whether there were any Enimye in the Country whilst her housband & the rest were there, shee sayth there were none, but all in quiett. And shee sayth that the said Wooll was seemed very familliar & kinde unto the said Murdered persons & theire famillyes & tould them that hee had entred all theire names in a booke, that if any stirr did hapen to rise in the Country they should be saffe, <f> her cause of knowledge is for that she was an Iye & eare wittnes to the promises & sayth that all her ffamilly for mere want, (the sayd woolls souldiers haueing taken all that shee & the rest of the Mur ffamillys beelonginge to the Murdered persons had left was taken from them, th ey whereby most of them perished. And more sayth not.
Taken before vs.
John Dallway Mayor
Roger Lyndon
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B. 9. 25: May 1653
The Examination of Margrett
Rotcher.
versus
Captayne Wooll and
his souldiers vizt