Examination of John Turner

fol. 65v

1542

The examinacion of John Turner of Colerane yeoman taken before vs at Colerane the seaventh day of March 1652 aforesaid
<39:> Who being duely sworne & examined saith That he was at Vintnerstowne in the County of Londonderry vpon Saturday the 23th of October 1641 being the second day after that the Irish Rebellion begun in, that County That vpon Sunday this Examinante & one Mr King came to their owne houses three miles thence & gave notice of the Irish Insurrecion vnto the Countrey And that about a fortnight after Sir Phelomy Roe ô Neiles forces consisting of Irish gained the Castle or Mannor house of Vintnerstowne vpon Capitulacion made with Henry Conway Esquire (the Towne being first burned) & this Examinante after the surrender of the Castle went the same day vnto Mr Conway to heare newes who told this Examinante that vpon surrender of the Castle he had eight weekes time graunted vnto him & the Brittish to convey away themselves & their goods with bagg & baggage, notwithstanding whereof, whilst he this Examinante was discourseing with Mr Conway one Owen beg ô Haggan came & told Mr Conway that he must be gone out of the house for he had Order from Sir Phelomy roe ô Neile to burne the Castle that night, & that the same Castle with very much goods therein were burnt that very night, That the next morneing after the said Castle was burned this Examinante & the said Mr Kinge & one Mr Maxwell & Allester Stewart had gathered together above two Hundred head of Oxen Cowes & young Cattell of their proper goods to bring them vnto the Eastside of the River of Bann then secured & vnder the power of the Brittish That in the morneing being the day after the said Castle was burnt they mett at the river side Murtagh McErlane fferiman at Clanowen with one Edmund ô Reilly John Mortimers man bringing over vnto the Westside the Bann his household stuffe clothes & other goods. That <B> in the said fferriman told this Examinante & the said Persons with him that John Mortimer (who then lived on the Eastside the Bann) had forbidden him to bring over any goods from the Westside the Bann wherevpon they [no] could gett none of their Cattell over

(41)

fol. 66r

1543

That therevpon this Examinante with his said Neighbours returned vnto this Examinantes house & about 7 daies after the said John Mortimer & others of the Irish Gentry with about 30: men came vnto this Examinante house in the night & there being with the Examinante about 7: or 8: able men with 5: or 6: firelocks they intended to keepe the house against them, but the said Mortimer with the rest threatening to burne the house vnless it were yeilded this Examinante, & the rest yeiled, it vppon it vpon promise to take noething from them, that notwithstanding the soldiers vnder the said Mortimer & other the said Irish by their Command searched & rifled the house & tooke from the Examinant & the rest of the Brittish their said Armes. That at the first fight at Garvagh the said John Mortimer was present & carryed this Examinante & about 10 brittish more as prisoners a long vnto the fight That about five daies after the fight the said John Mortimer & his men tooke from this Examinante 140: Cowes, Oxen & steeres & all the rest of his said neighbours goods formerly hindred to be carryed over the Bann And further he saith not

Tho: Coote
Rich: Brasier Major