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The Examination of Lawrance Dowdall, taken the xxth day of March 1641, Before mee Sir Robert Meredith knight Chancelour of his Maiesties Court of Exchequer & one of his Maiesties Justices for of the Peace for the County of Dublin: By direction of the right honnorable the Lordes Justices & Councell.
Who beeing Examined, & sworne vnto soe much of this <X> his Examination as concerneth others, saith, that hee attended his ffather Mr Edward Dowdall of Moncketown vnto the house of one Mr Moore of Downetowne neare vnto Duleeke, Att which place there were of the gentlemen of the Counties of Lowth. & Meath, these heerevnder named vizt, Sir Christopher Bellew knight, and a Brother of the said Sir Christophers, (who is now a Captaine amongst the Rebells, as hee this Examinant vnderstands) Mr James Bath of Athcarne, Mr Stephen Dowdall of Gallstown, & sundrie others whom this Examinant cannot call to minde, & with the said gentlemen there were in the house aforesaid, Coll McMahowne, Hugh Birne, Roger Moore, Phillipp ô Relie, Captaine ffox, Myles Relie, & seuerall others, which meeteing in the said Place, was about two or three daies after the slaughter made on <1 dec> the English att the Bridge of Gillianstowne. And that Euening this Examinants said ffather (together with Nicholas Dowdall his vncle & Mr James Bath) went vnto Athcarne & there lodged. And the next morning hee this Examinant went vnto Dublin, and left his said ffather
D

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& the rest att Athcarne. And about a ffortnight after this Examinant likewise attended his said ffather vnto the Hill of Tarragh, where there was a gennerall meeteing of certaine of the Lordes and Gentrie namelie, the Earle <X> of ffingall, the Lord of Slane, the Lord of Trimbleston, Sir Richard Barnwall, Barronet, Patrick Barnwell of Kilbrew, Bath of Athcarne, Sedgraue of Killeglane, Darcie of Plattin, Nicholas Dowdall of Brownestown, Lawrence Dowdall of Athlumney, Patrick Brimingham of Corballies, Bath of Rathfeck, and Valerian Wesley of the Dingan, which meeteing as this Examinant vnderstood, was for the raiseing of Provisions of Victuall for the Armie att the Seidge of Drogheda. And this Examinant alsoe saith, that since this present Rebellion hee was att seuerall other meeteings on the said place, and saw there (besides the Lordes & gentlemen aboue named) the Lord of Gormanston, the Lord of Slane, the Lord Netterfeild, Sir Luke ffitz Garrald, Sir William Hill, Mr Nicholas Plunckett the Lawyer, Mr Garrat Aylmer the Lawyer, Mr Linch of the Knock, & Lynam of Adamstowne. But what was done and agreed on att the said meeteings, hee this Examinant is ignorant of onelie once hee remembers that hee vnderstood itt was agreed, that about one hundred horse should bee raised out of the Countie of Meath, which said horse were raised accordinglie, and carried by the Earle of ffingall vnto Killsalchan, & there by his Lordship deliuered ouer vnto Hugh Birne Leivtennant Gennerall of

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the fforces of the Pale, vnder the Lord of Gormanston who was Gennerall. And this Examinant saith that the Earle of ffingall haueing issued warrants vnder his hand, requireing euerie person vpon paine of death to bring theire horses soe charged on them as aforesaid, att a certaine daie vnto the Hill of Tarragh where hee this Examinant, and Mr Edward Dowdall ffather vnto him this Examinant, Patrick Cusack of Garrattstowne, Nicholas Dowdall of Brownestowne, Lawrence Dowdall of Athlumney, Patrick Sedgraue of Killeglon, And Adam Cusack of Trevett, attended the said Earle with theire horses, & went with his Lordship vnto Killsalchan: where the said Lordes and gentlemen remained about two houres, And there mett with the aforesaid Leivtennant Gennerall Birne, Collonell Peirce ffitz-James ffitz Garrald, Collonell Lisagh Moore, Captaine Dingan, & certaine others vnknowne vnto him this Examinant, & vpon the said Lordes and gentlemens comeing from Killsalchan aforesaid they there left the Troope of hors soe raised out of the Countie of Meath, which was about three weekes after the Encounter had betweene his Maiesties fforces and the said Rebells, att the said Towne of Killsalachan. And this Examinant further saith that on the daie the ffirst releife went into the Towne of Drogheda, there was a meeteing of seuerall of the Lordes and Gentrie of the Pale, & of the Cheife of the Northeren Rebells vpon the hill of Croftie, neare vnto the said Towne of Drogheda. Namelie the Lord of Gormanston, the Lord of

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Slane, the Lord of Lowth, James Bath of Athcarne, with his Companie of Souldiers, Patrick Barnwall of Kilbrew, Wesley of the Dingan, Mr Edward Dowdall of Moncketon, ffather vnto this Examinant, Mr Nicholas Dowdall of Brownestowne, Patrick Cusack of Garrattstowne, & sundrie others of the Northeren Rebells. Sir Phelim ô Neale, Phillip ô Relie, Miles Relie, and Collogh McMahowne, when & where itt was resolued on, that an assault should bee giuen vpon the said Towne of Drogheda, which accordinglie was that night attempted, & that the said assault should bee giuen was reported vnto him this Examinant, on the said hill of Croftie; where itt was alsoe moued by the Lord of Gormanston, vnto the aforesaid Lordes and gentlemen, that there beeing a shipp then in the harbour, they should all ride vnto the Sea side and cause the said Shipp to bee sunck in the harbour, to prevent the comeing in of Shipping which were readie to come in with releife for the said Towne. And then likewise his Lordshipp propounded that the price of the said Shipp should bee borne by them all indifferentlie, wherevpon the gentlemen rode vnto the Sea side. But before any thing could bee done towards the sincking of the said Shipp, the Kings Vessells were entered and gone into the said Towne with the said releife. And the next day after, hee this Examinant againe attended his ffather & vncle vnto Plattin, where hee thinkes all the rest were both of the Northeren, & of the Pale; But they beeing shutt vpp in a close roome, hee this Examinant saw very

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litle of them; And saith that his said ffather and vncle staid not aboue halfe an houre there. And likewise that in the Barronie of Skreene where this Examinants ffather dwells, there were appointed by the Earle of ffingall, <x> for Captaines, Lawrence Dowdall of Athlumney, Patrick Cusack of Garratston, & Mr Pluncket his Lordshipps owne brother, who accordinglie raised theire men vpon the Ploughlands by the likewe warrant. And this Examinant was alsoe present att a Gennerall meeteing att Lambes Greene, where certaine Companies of ffoote & some horse were presented. But what was done there hee this Examinant knoweth not. And lastlie saith that all the English in the said Barronie, were robbed and rifled of theire Goodes by theire owne Neighbours, Inhabitants in the said Countie.
Rob Meredith

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