1641 Depositions

Examination of Brian Kavanagh

Reference: MS 812, fols 116r-119v
County: Carlow
Date: 16/10/1652
Type: Commonwealth
Nature of Deposition: Apostacy, Killing, Military Action, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Words

Print
How to Cite

fol. 116r

49 The examinacion of Bryan Kavanagh of new Rosse in the County of Wexford esquire taken the sixteenth of October 165 2
<A> Bryan Kavanagh of new Rosse in the County of Wexford gent esquire aged fifty yeeres and vpwards sworne and Examined saith That at the begining of the Rebellion he lived at the Burress in the County of Catherlagh and there continued about a Twelue moneth after. That about the later end of October 1641 the Rebellion brake forth in that County the 6th of Nouemb 1641 a Comission was granted to this Examinant for suppressing the said Rebellion there with Power to Execute Martiall law And that Walter Bagnall of Dunleckney in the said County esquire did bring then from the Lords Justices and Counsell of Dublin a Comission for being Governour of that County and brought withall a proporcion of Armes out of the store of Dublin for defence of that County which Armes he kept in his owne Custody Hee further saith That afterwards there came from the said Lords Justices & Counsell another Comission wherein Sir Thomas Butler Baronet and the said Bagnall were joyned Com Governours of the said County Hee further saith That about the begining of of the said November 1641 [ ] many English from those parts flocked to the Castle of Catherlagh where they stood vpon their owne defence, not being entertey{ned on}

fol. 116v

50
<B> the publique Accompt at that time
That w h ithin within a Moneth after there came from Dublin a party of foote to Guard those parts possesse & secure the Castle of Catherlagh and that the said Walter Bagnall seeing himself thereby disappointed of Catherlagh Castle seized on the Castle of Laughlin: Hee further saith That there being a Contestacion betwixt Walter Bagnall & the said Sir Thomas Butler about the Governm{ent} of that County there was therevpon a meeting of the Country for composing the said Controversy and suppressing the said Rebellion, And wheras the said Bagnall sayd that he would not vnderta{ke} the Governement vnlesse he might Governe alone the Country pretending for suppressing the Rebellion and that the y Country might not suffer by the differenc e <betwixt Sir Tho & the said Bagnall> agreed the said Bagnall should haue sole Comand in that County. That as soone after he had been so setled in the sole Comand of the said County he declared himselfe against the English <C> by pillaging them. That about that [him?] there was a meeting of the Irish of the said County wherein it was agreed that Sir Morgan Kavanagh should be joyned with the said Bagnall in the Governement of the said County they not altog{ether} confiding in the said Bagnall as not being of

fol. 117r

50 51
<D> of Irish Extraction, That imediatly therevpon Sir Morgan Kavanagh & the said Bagnall with their adherentes sett themselues to the seige of Catherlagh. Afterwards they came to beseige Cloghgrenan, And fayling of their designe on either of those places, they went to the Castle of Rathkellen neere Laughlin where they seized on Sir Thomas Butler, his Lady and all that were in that Castle, carryed them the said Sir Tho Butler & his Lady prisoners to Laughlin where after they had some time remayned prisoners st et they were brought to this Towne Citty of Kilkeny from whence this Examinant he receiued the annexed lettre from the Lady Butler (his sister in law) Expressing her Condition in this Citty where to he referres himselfe as to that <se the La: Butlers letter to this Examinant.> particular, After which he repayred to Dublin where he continued dwelling vntill the Cessation, Being demanded what he knowes concerning Richard Lake and {the} English at Laughlin, he sait{h That}

fol. 117v

52
That William Taylor then who was seruant to Ambrose Plunkett dwelling neere Laughlin did come to him this Examinant at the Burres and told him That some English were then sent away from Laughlin to be conveyed to Duncannon, and that he much feared what might become of them and did therefore desire this Examinant to vse best Endeavors for preserving them him the said Taylor, which the Examinant did vsing meanes for sending him safe to Catherlagh, And further saith that the said Taylor told this Examinant that Cha: Dempsey then Comanding in Laughlin vnder the said Bagnall, did send him to the <C> Examinant and promised him he should receiue no hurt in keeping him, Hee further saith that he heard that one Richard Lake was amongst the said English before conveyed mencioned, who with some others perished in their way to Duncannon, but by meanes of

fol. 118r

53
of their Convoy but particularly by whom he knoweth not. Being demanded <D> by whose orders the said persons sent away were destroyed convoyed he knoweth not, but {sait} saith That the voyce of the Country was, that it was by the order of the said Bagnall or Charles Dempsy then Comanding vnder him at Laughlin as aforesayd.
And further saith That he knew John Stone William Stone Barbara Stone & [ ] Mtrs Salter, one Millicent and her husband and a Carpenter or Joyner who wrought at James Butlers house at Tynnehench & was who marryed to Barnaby Bolgars daughter at the Graige and Barbara Stone who did nurse a child for this Examinant and others English whom he now remembers not who to saue their lives had turned to Masse, And further saith That the sayd persons were seized and some of them pretended to be sent away to Duncannon who were all murdered as this Examinant hath heard, And that Gibbon Forestall <E> & Gerrard Forestall were among those that Conveyed them, And that William Stone and some others of the aforesaid English were hanged on the land of Tynnehench aforesaid

fol. 118v

54
aforesayd, Being demanded by whose order the said persons were so convoyed & murdered he saith That about foure yeeres since <F> meeting with the said James Butler at of at Tynnehench the said James Butler told this Examinant That he had seene the Copy of a printed booke setting forth some murders acted in Ireland In which booke the Murder of the English at the Graige is charged on him the said James by the Lady Butler wife to Sir Thomas Butler aforesayd, but he the said James denyed that he was guilty thereof; and hoped to fynd out those who gaue orders for it, And that He this Examinant some space after meeting the said James Butler at the same place the said James rejoyeingly sayd to this Examinant, Nephew I haue now found out by whose order those persons were murdered the Examinant asking by whose order he sayd it was by his <G> Nephew Walter Bagenalls order and that he found the very order vnder the said

fol. 119r

55
Bagenalls order hand, which he had in his Custody Being demanded where the said Thomas Butler left papers are & whether it be not possible to recover the said order amongst them, he saith <H> That the said James Butlers brothers, Tybott and Piers Butler, Seized on what belonged to the said James, and he beleiues on of this order paper among the rest of his papers Being further demanded whether he did not know one William Lilly a Farrier he saith he did know him: and that being a seruant of Walter Bagenalls & having stollen away from him & gone to the English, he was afterwards taken within two myle of Ross while the English Army were at Rosse and then brought to Tynnehench where the said Bagenall then was, and being very glad (as this Examinant after heard) to take him because he had run away from his party and might haue done more mischeife and that he was therevpon hanged at or neere the Graige aforesaid
And further saith not
Bryne Kauanagh
deposed before vs the day
& yeare first aboue written
Hen: Jones Tho: Herbert
Tho: Wilson

fol. 119v

1 16 Octob 1652
The Examinacion of Bryan Kavanagh esquire
against
Coll: Bagnall
[L]ake
Jo Stone
William Stone
William Lilly
Gibbon Forestalll.
28

Henry Jones
Thomas Herbert
Thomas Wilson

Trinity College Dublin