Examination of William Bayly

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1679

The Examination of William Bayly a soldier of Collonell Venables Regiment taken before vs this 7th of ffebr: 1653
Who being dewly sworne and examined sayth: that hee this Deponentt & another souldier of the said Regiment namley Patterick Kelly, being commanded by order from the Honorable Collonell Venables to goe priuatly into the Island Magee, and there to enquire for & finde out John Weyly: where, this Examinent & his Commorade being come, they went into a widdowes house nere vnto the said Weylyes house, where the widdow gaue them some milk to drink, & presently after another woman of the next house seeing this Examinant <A> &, the other soldier at the widdowes house, shee in all haste made towards the said Wyelyes house & this Examinant & his fellowe, mistrusting that shee was to giue notice at Weylyes house of theire being at the widdowes hee thes Examinant demanded of the widdowe, whether went the said Woeman soe safe, the widdowe answered that shee went to hinder a Calfe from sucking the Cowes milk, which not sattisfueing this Examinant hee still eyed the said woeman whether shee would goe, (hee then haueing the vessel of milk the widdow gaue him in his hand) & obseruing that the said woman did pass by the place, where the Cow & Calfe were, and hastening forward to Weyleyes house, hee suddenly deliuered the milk out of his hand to a little boy that was then standing by him, without the said widdowes house doore takeing the boyes bonnett of his head, & left his hatt with the boy, and wishing his fellow soldier to stay there, till hee this examinant went to Weylyes house to see if hee was at home, and as this deponentt made after the said woeman, towards Weylyes house, shee gaue a great shout, which this Examinant conceiued was to giue notice to the said Weyly to bee on his keeping, and hee this Examinant ouertakeing & passing by the said woman, to <B> hasten to the said Weylyes house, he obserued the said Weyly, on a Lather thatching of a stack of corne in his owne barne=yard, who spying this Examinant makeing such haste, and outstriping the woman, hee the said Wyly hastily went of the Lather, and ran among the cornestacks, where this Examinant not findeing him hee enquired of the said Weylyes sonne, and another who were thrashing in the barne, where the said John Weyly was who both together made answere that hee was gon to Portdany, wherevpon this Examinant demanded

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demanded where the man was that was on the Lather thatching the cornestack they replied & said they did not knowe, and then this Examiannt doubting the said Weyly had run away into some parte of the feilds hee presently went vp to the topp of the said Wylyes dwelling house, to looke about if he would spy him run any way, but did not see him, and lookeing towards the said widdowes house, hee seeing <C> his fellow soldier comming towards him called allowd vnto him to make hast, who being come, hee this Examinant deliuered his sword to his fellowe souldier, and tooke a fouling peece in his hand which his Commorade had, and wished his said comorade to goe into the house to search for the said Wily & that hee this deponent would stay on the house topp least the said Wily should escape if in any of the houses which his comorade Pattrick Kelly did and takeing a Candle search in all parts of the said Wilyes dwelling house and not findeing him there, hee went into the said barne & with his sword hee thrust into the sheefe corne, next the side wall of the barne hee (as it afterwards appeared) prickt the said Wyly (with his sword) into one of his Thithes, who being wounded suddenly rose out of the corne, and skipped (as the said Patterick O Kelly tould this deponent) into the barne floore, wherevpon the said Pattrick wished the said Wyly, to goe out of the barne dores before him, & being without the barne doore the said Pattrick called on this Examinant and wished him to come downe from the house topp, for that said hee <D> I haue found the rogue, & here hee is, wherevpon hee came downe & tould the said Wyly that hee should make himself ready to goe along with them, who after hee had shifted his cloathes, the said Wylyes weife, and others in the house desired that hee might bee that night kept in the Cunstable house of Iland Magee which this Examinant & Patterick Kelly refuseing to doe, they came away from his house towards Brade Iland towne, and within less then muskett shott of the said house, they mett with one Thomas Eaken rideing behinde another man on a gray horse who demanding of this Examinant the reason why they tooke away the said Wyly from his house, I doe it said this Examinant by virtue of amurder warrant, shew it mee said the said Eaten, wherevpon this Examiannt shewed it vnto him, And the said Eaken haueing read it, hee

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1681

hee lighted from behinde the other man, & turned back <E> with this Examinant a pretty way, and at parting hee promised to bee back with them that night at Ballygarry, where the said Wyly was brought, by reason it grewe late, and entring into the house of one John McCullowes, the said Wyly goeing in first there they found many Scotch men drinking, & bidding the said Wyly welcome, & demanding of him what brought him thether then, hee spoake sofly vnto them wherevpon they became very still & quiet (the said McCullowe beating his hands on his Thithes) & others of them very sadd in the roome, which this Examinant obseruing, would haue the said McCallowe, & another Townes man to take charge of the said Wyly that night but they denying soe to doe, this Examinant & his Commorade went with him to the Cunstables house, and the Cunstable being in an other house in towne sent for this Examinant & the Prissoner where hee tooke charge of him, (after hee could not prevaile with this Examinant that the Prisonner should goe home to his owne house in Iland Magee that night) till next morneing This Examinant sayth that hee was sollicitated by diuers in the Towne to take mony, to lett the said Wyly goe, which <f> hee would not yeeld to, & sayth that the foresaid Thomas Eaten was most earnest; & sayth that about twelue of the clock that night, one Pattrick Crosson, then Cunstable of Killroote came to that towne & enquired for this examinant, & being tould that this Examinant was at his rest in {th}a barne, hee caused him to bee awaked to speake with him, as by the said Crossons discourse with wit h this examinant hee vnder stoode, & among other his passages, hee prest him much to lett the Prissoner goe, for a summ of mony, vnto which at last hee seemed to yeeld, soe hee & his Comorade might receiue ten pound, but that sum the said Crossan thought two much, & therevpon for that tyme desisted till the morning, reneuing his suit, at which tyme the said Eaken, Joyned with him in prosicution of that their desires, & in conclusion the Examinant agreed with the <I> said Thomas Eaken to lett the Prissoner goe, hee receauing twenty four shillings six pence, which the said Eaken paid vnto him; which done this Examinant cockt his fouling peece, & caused his said ffellow soldier to bee in a readines to

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to secure the Prissoner & being in that Posture, hee tould them that the Prissoner must goe along to his Collonell then at Carrickfergus & required the said Cunstable to bee aiding vnto him in the safe conveyance of the said Wyly to his Collonell wherevpon the said Crossan & Eaken seemed very much discontented, the said Eaken goeing away & the said Crossan not attenting his duty, but staying aloofe of behinde this Examinant & the Prissoner, As vnwilling to Joyne in the bringing him to Carrickfergus where being come, the said Prissoner was Committed by order of Collonell Venables, And further sayth not

William Bayly

Sworne before vs the 7th of ffebr 1653
Roger Lyndon

7o: ffebr 1653
The Examinacion of William
Bayly versus
John Wylye of Ileland Magee