Deposition of Thomas James
- Reference: MS 812, fols 089r-089v
- County: Carlow
- Date: 21/11/1643
- Type: Dublin Original
- Nature of Deposition: Captivity, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Stripping, Words
- How to Cite
fol. 89r
Thomas James of Dromguine in the parrish of Hacketstowne and County of Catherlaghe yeoman sworne and examined saith That since the begining of the present Rebellion and by meanes thereof Hee was robbed & dispoyled at Dromguine aforesaid of ready mony butter Cheese howshold stuff apparrell Corne hay beastes Cattle horses proffitts of gardens provition & other thinges of the value & to his present losse of CClxij li. ij s. vj d.: saveing that hee oweth & his sonn and hee are bound to pay to Mr Phillip Watson or his assignes for some of those cattle the sume of Nynety powndes <A> ster. But the names of those Rebells that soe robbed and spojled him he cannot expresse they being strangers: Saveing that one Dermott mc William of Portruskie In the said County and Cahir his sonn tooke away one of his Cowes which cost him iij li ster & that Edmund Birne of Portrushy tooke away his corne & Cahir Birne tooke some other of his goodes And further saith that the Rebells Walter Birne of Russelstowne and Hugh Birne the Colonell & their Company kept this deponent and his wife and Fardinando his son for the space of sixteene months in prison amongst them at the towns of Killerrick & Russelstowne: and at length one Turlogh mc Brian late of Killerick & heretofore a servant to Sir William Reeves knight procured them a passe for the Naas or Dublin vnder the hand of Serjeant Maior Theobald Butler a great Rebell and bearing that office amongst them By meanes whereof hee and his wiffe and sonn gott away to Dublin: And this deponent further saith that in the time that hee was soe imprisoned as aforesaid at Killerrick some of the Rebells there reported that there were killed of men women and Children protestantes at or nere the Castle of Catherlaghe the number of three score and eight: And an irish gentlewoman alsoe told this deponent and others that shee turned away an English servant of hers whoe had a Chyld: & that before the poore woman and child were gone halfe a myle off divers irish women slewe them with stones: And this deponent was credibly informed by one John Dowlan his sonn in lawe: That an English man (that whoe was Bailiff to the late lord Lord Lieutenant at Cashaw) breaking out of the
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fol. 89v
Castle of Carnow to escape from the Rebells was presently mett with by some other Rebells nere to the lodge of Cashaw: & was by them then and there hangd vp to death in a tree: And it was comonly reported that the irish women were still more cruell feirce & merciles then the irish men: & the little irish children of the age of 8 or nyne yeres or thereaboutes did often say to th in their irish tongue to this deponentes wiffe that it were a good deed to kill her & the deponent and his said wife & sonn were stript stark naked & threatened often to be killed yet in that posture were turned out & had nothing to cover their nakednes but strawe, And the misery cold and hardiment that they indured in their nakednes and as they were driven 14 myles to prison in frost & snow: is vnspeakable
Signum prd Tho:
[
Jur xxio April November 1643
Joh Watson
John Sterne
Hen: Brereton
Catherlagh
Thomas James deposed
Nov: April 21 1643
hand w
Intw
80
Henry Brereton
John Sterne
John Watson