Examination of Sir Silvester Browne
- Reference: MS 817, fols 217r-218v
- County: Longford
- Date: 6/12/1652
- Type: Commonwealth
- Nature of Deposition: Captivity, Killing, Words
- How to Cite
fol. 217r
1936
<symbol> The Examination of Sir Silvester Browne late of ffoemull in the Barrony of Rathclyne in the Countie of Longford Barronett taken before mee Sir Gerrard Lowther Knight the sixth day of December in the yeare of our Lord God 1652 by vertue of the Comission of the Right honorable the Comissioners of the Parliament of the Comonwealth of England for the affaires of Ireland bearing date att Dublin the 27
th of November 1652 authorising mee & others or any one or more officers (amongst other things) to take examinations of the massacres Murders & Robberies which haue been comitted vpon the English and protestants in Ireland &c.
The said Examinate being of the age of fortie yeares or neere thereabouts and being duly sworne vpon the holy Evangelist and examined deposeth and saith vpon his oath, That about the begining of May in the yeare of our Lord 1642 this Examinate being then absent from home, and after comeing home to his owne house called ffoemull in the Barrony of Rathclyne in the Countie of Longford, Hee was informed vpon his coming home by his wyfe dame Mary Browne and by diuerse of his Children & servants (some whereof are now dead and the rest soe dispersed that hee now certainly knoweth not where they are (saveing one Gillernooe ffarrall which was then his footeman and as hee heard liues now att Ticroghan) That some few howres <A> of the same day before his coming home Captain Phelym mc ffergus ffarrall who was then lately come out of Holland and one Garrott Mc Teige ffarrall late of fforecogle in the said Barrony and County (brother vnto Conocke mc Teig ffarrall) with about some fortie or fiftie men in theire company (whose names this Examinate now remembreth not but hopes to dicouer some of them) came to this Examinats house att ffoemull aforeaid about seaven a Clocke in the morning of the said day being about the begining of May 1642 and then & there called for this Examinat whoe being absent, they then called for all the English Men and woemen that then were in the house, saying they would carry them to Longford Towne to theire Colonells to bee examined and then and there forcebly tooke and carryed away with them Daniell Stibbs & William Steele two English men and protestants servants to this Examinate And by the
fol. 217v
1937
the weeping and begging of this Examinats said wyfe they left with her, her Maide Ann Warrwicke and Susan Steele wyfe to the said William Steele And the said Malefactors carried the said Daniell Stibbs and William Steele along with them vnto a windmill being on the Land of ffoemull aforesaid <C> and then and there they hanged them vntill they were dead, And this Examinate further saith that hee and his said wyfe were credibly informed by one Elinor Knogher living att Castlebegg Cashellbegg vpon the said Land of ffoemall that some of the said Malefactors <symbol> murdered at the winde mill aforesaid the very day before the hanging of the said Stibbs and Steele one John Bessicke & his wyfe and one Henry Mead & his wyfe whoe were English people living in the said Barrony and land of ffoemull And this Examinate further saith that hee came to dwell att foemull but about three Moneths before the Rebellion and that euer since the said yeare 1642 hee hath been banished from that Country for feare of the Rebells, and knoweth not all the said Murderers but hopeth & verily beleeueth that the Irish Neighbors & Inhabitants thereabouts, knoweth them all & can discouer theire names if they bee examined concerning the same, and especially James Dillon of Corne Dough in the said Barrony of Rathclyne & Countie of Longford gent: And this Examinate further saith that about three or foure days after the murder of his said servants this Examinate meeting with the <D> said Captain Mc ffergus ffarrall demanded of him the cause of this murdering & cruell proceedings against the <D> English whoe answered him that hee had done nothing but what hee had warrant for from the principall Gentlemen in the Country, That is to say, Collonell Brian ffarrall of Pallis, Colonell ffrancis ffarrall of the moate <symbol> oliver Boy fitz Gerald of Portinewre Lisha mc Gillernew ffarrall of ffooecoyle & others of the prime gentry of the Country whose names this Examinate doth not nowe remember, And the said Captain Phelim mc fergus ffarrall further told this Examinate that if hee knewe all hee was much beholdinge to the said Captain for the Captain
fol. 218r
1938
Captain said that hee had warrant from the said Collonells and <E> prime gentlemen of the Countrye to come vnto this Examinats house and to take him and all the English protestants with him and to bring them to Longford to the said Collonells and in case of opposicion to haue burnt the said house and all that was therein and to haue murdered and destroyed this Examinate his wyfe Childrend and family and all other English that should haue been found there And further saith that Patricke Mc Cahill ffarrall & one Brian ffarrall whoe was then plowemen to this Examinate were (as this Examinate was credibly informed & verily beleeueth) some of those afooresaid Malefactors that murdered this Examinats said English servants as aforesaid, And further saith not.
Siluester Browne
Gerrard: Lowther.
see lower down his Examination in 1653
fol. 218v
1939
6th of December 1652
The Examinacion of Sir
Silvester Browne Barronett
concerning the hanging of
Daniell Stibbs William
Steele John Bessick and
his wyfe & Henry Mead
and his wyfe.
Calloe
18
x
Gerard Lowther