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Deposition of Elizabeth Bradley

  • Reference:  MS 813, fols 303r-304v
  • County: Kildare
  • Date: 17/12/1644
  • Type: Dublin Original
  • Nature of Deposition: Death, Military Action, Robbery, Stripping, Words
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  • How to Cite
    • fol. 303r


    Elizabeth the Relicte of Samuell Bradley late of Ballicone in the territory of Killinaghe in the Countie of Kildare skinner now decd sworne & examined deposeth and sayth That about Allhollantyde 1641 or rather 3 dayes before this deponents said husband and shee liveing at Killinagh aforesaid (a farme belonging to the old Ladie Jepson) did observe and know that many of their English protestant neighbors were that tyme & hadd beene some few daies before robbed of their beasts cattle & horses & t by their Irish neighbors the papists then risen vpp in Armes & that amongst the rest of the protestants thereabouts one John Alred & William Alred both of Clonard were at Clonard were about that tyme at Clonard aforesaid about 12 a clock in the day forceibly robbed of their Cattle consisting of about 50 head yong and old And being then alsoe credibly informed that Rory ô Moore of <A> the Castle of Belrennett in Brimidghams Cuntry Esquire had taken vpp armes & was gone away with a force of 30 horse to raise a force in greater force in the north & to come againe into the territory of Leix to fight for some Landes he claimed there And this deponent and her said husband haveing from the first noise of this insurreccion in the north observed not only their owne Irish servants but generally all their Irish neighbors to begin to insult over them & their protestant neighbors and to be mightily incorraged and incensed against them Insoemuch as great threats were made & seuerall forces daily vsed by them the Irish Therefore in part to prevent the future danger & mischeefe threatened or at the Least to save their Lives her said husband and shee about Allhallantyde aforesaid suddenly and secretly packing vpp & takeing with them some little of their apparell lynnen victualls & other portable things deserted & fled from the farme of Ballicone [Killinagh] aforesaid to the Castle of Killinagh then in the possession of Mr John Bradley a minister being the securest place vnto which (with any Conveniency) they might have admittance & recourse: But as to the rest of their goods neere they left them behynd them in & about the howse, which within a few dayes after were all taken awaie by their Irish neighbours And before or about thend of three weeks following vizt before or about the xxjth of November 1641 their Irish neighbors of
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    fol. 303v


    of the parrish of Castle Carbrie hadd forceibly robbed and dispojled all the English protestants in that parish & the parts thereof of all or most of their beasts Cattle horses sheepe howsholdstuff & other their goodes & chattells, & had stripped many of their apparell, And amongst the rest they robbed the said Mr John Bradley of very nere 300 sheepe & about 20 Cowes all his horses swyne poultrie provision and other things that they could for the present remove, and carry awaie being of very great value which goods were taken away whilest this deponent was in the said Mr John Bradleys Castle wherein shee had not stayd above a month and fowre dayes But a greate Company of Irish Roagues being the tennants and servants <B> of Edward Brimidgham of the Grange in the County of Kildare Esquire and of John Ashe of B Vrney in the same Countie gent both came in the night tyme & takeing advantage of the then absence of this deponents husband and of the said John Bradley, came and [ ] attempted to breake and burste downe the doore of the said ho Castle, because this deponent would not admitt them entrance thereinto But after that this deponent & some others in the howse had threatened to shoote them they went away but swore that in the morning they would bring their Maisters & all the irish in the Cuntry there abouts to surprize & take in the said Castle, And accordingly by sun riseing in the next morning those Irish & many about three hundreths of their Irish neighbors conducted by a Rogueish Captain or Ringleader of <C> theires, came to and before the said Castle and stayd there vntill the said Mr Edw: Brimidgham, Mr ffrancis Brimidgham his brother, & the said Mr John Ashe (being all armed) vizt the said Edward Brimidgham with a Carbyne and sword & the rest other twoe with pistolls and swords to her now Remembrance) came alsoe thither: which 3 last named parties comeing and showing themselves before the gates of the Castle, this deponent and the reste in the Castle conceived That they were sent to ayde them by Sir John Gifford knight (to whom they of the castle had sent that night for ayde) And those three
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    fol. 304r


    persons desireing to be letten into the Castle & bidding them feare noe danger & especially the said ffrancis being asked by this deponent if he came from Castle Jordan hee answered that he did, and that his Captain Sir John Gifford sent him which vntrue allegacion the deponent and the rest in the Castle beleeveing, cawsed the dore of the Castle to be opened & then the said Edward & ffrancis Bremidgham and John Ash to be lett in Many others of the Rebellious Crew offering to presse in alsoe but were beaten back, But whenas those 3 persons were comen into the sayd Castle, and vpon Inquirie fynding little or noe strength armes Amunition or nor any thing els or either to restraine them within doores & or keepe out the rest, then they called out of the windowes to the rest of the Rebellious Crew & vsed some words vnto them in Irish which the deponent vnderstood not, Soone: after which words spoken the Rebellious company which were kept out of the Castle fell vpon breaking open the doores of a barne wherein was seuerall hutches of corne, which ofsoones they forceibly devided amongst them and tooke away: And then fell vpon a Rick of wheat vnthrashed & carried a great part of it away alsoe whereat the deponent wishing those 3 gent to restraine & comand that numerous crew to desist, they said they could not rule them but they would have all they could light vpon And then and there perswaded this deponent and the rest in the howse to suffer them three to haue all the goods in the howse & soe much goods Corne as was not carried away but in hagard as a pray to themselues But they desireing them to send away the multitude and to suffer the goods to be where they were, The said Mr Brimidgham seemed very angrie & said that if the deponent & the rest would not consent to lett them haue the goods to themselues they would have them by force: Wherevpon the deponent and mr Wade the minister & the rest that were in the howse durst not for feare of death resist them but suffered them to kee take all the goods away which & sawe them shared before their eyes (being of great value) And this deponent & her 3 little children & the said mr Wade and alsoe
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    one Mr Gowan another minister together with the deponents husband (Whoe was but at that instant returned thither) went away, & durst not, nor were admitted to take with them soe much as any clothes of value, but departed towards evening in frost snow & cold weather towards Castle Jordan: But the miserable lodging the and barbarous vseage they hadd by the way by a Convoy or guide sent with them by the said Edward Brimidgham and by others of the divelish cruell Irish & the dangers they passed, being very great) is are too long to relate: But this deponent saith that the goods and chattells which th her said husband and she lost and were by the Rebells deprived of betwixt the first of November 1641 & the tyme of their expulcion from the said Castle amountedsd to a good summe and those left were of noe account or value: And shee is verely perswaded the cold which her husband tooke in such his passage to Castle Jordan & greefe for his & this deponents losses and disasters did drive him into that sicknes whereof he (languishing) died died.
    <Dr J: H B>
    Signum predictae [mark] Elizabethae Bradley
    Jur 17o Decembr 1644
    Hen Jones
    Hen: Brereton

    Kildare 0
    Elizabeth Bradley Jur
    17 Decembr 1644
    Intw 1 no

    810



    Henry Brereton
    Henry Jones



     

Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2