Examination of Raph Griffin
- Reference: MS 817, fols 291r-296v
- County: Longford
- Date: 22/2/1653
- Type: Commonwealth
- Nature of Deposition: Arson, Assault, Captivity, Killing, Military Action, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Stripping, Words
- How to Cite
fol. 291r
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The Examinacion of Raph Griffin of Bandon in the County of Corke gentleman but late of Clagill neere longford in the County of Longford gentleman Taken before Colonell Thomas Herbert and Thomas Richardson Esquire members of the high Court of Justice sitting at Dublin by Order of the same Court, tak the 22th day of ffebruary 1652.
The said Raph Griffin being duely sworne and examined touching the late horrid murther of the English in the Castle of Longford by many Irish Rebels in the first yeare of the Rebellion sayth that on or about the 27th day of October 1641 hee this Examinant being then at his owne house at Clagill aforesaid heard a great Cry and noyse of people from the neighbouring villages called the scottish quarter, belonging to Sir John Seaton and the lady fforbes and their tenants, and imediatly word was brought to this Examinant (by one that had bin formerly the Examinants Cowboy that about <A> three hundred Irish) from the County of Leytrim had preyed and driven away a great nomber of Cattle out of the said scottish quarter into the woods of the County of leytrim Leytrim, whereuppon hee this Examinant forthwith moumted himselfe and one of his men servants, and th with their ordinarye riding Armes rode towards the said woods, and about
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about two miles from his owne house overtooke a partye of about forty of or fiftye horse, most of them scotts, the rest English who were pursueing the said prey, and did pursue them (this Examinant being in their company) to the woodside, where it was advised by the said Sir John Seaton that the horse cold doe little service in the wood, and therefore held it safest to returne backe and secure what goods they had remaineing, and their owne lyves, for that hee did apprehend it to be a generall businesse, or words to that effect, whereuppon the said Sir John, this Examinant, and many others of the said party did retreat, but about thirty of the partye (who as this Examinant beleiveth had lost the greatest share of their Cattle) adventured into the wood, and overtooke the said Irish partye vppon a plaine, about two miles within the wood, and rescued the Cattle from them, and (as the Examinant then heard) killed one, and wounded others, and brought away one prisoner, And further sayth that shortly after one william Stuart (a tenant to Sir John Seaton or the lady fforbes) was sent by somme of the Irish gentrye to the said Sir John and the ladye to informe them that if any any of their Cattle had bin taken it <C> was by mistake, and not intended by the said Irish, for that the Commission they had from the king was onely against the English, and not against the Scotts, but withall admonishing the said Sir John and the ladye that they shold not in any wise entertaine any English men in their familyes, for if they did they wold be vsed as the English, or words, to that effect, (as the
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the said Sir John Seaton afterwards told this Examinant) whereuppon the Scotts withdrew themselues, and wold not stand any <D> longer vppon their guards with the English, which this Examinant and the rest of the neighbouring English perceiving laded themselues with necessarys of bedding and victuals and soe (for their safety) betooke themselfes to the Castle of longford the same day, being the 27th of October 1641 to his best remembrance, on or about which tyme John Kennedy Esquire and his wife, Mathew Baker and his wife, Thomas Trafford Minister and his wife, Mathew Baker and his wife ffrancis Martin and his wife Isaacke Kean and his wife and sonne, John Evans and his wife, Mr Gunne and his wife, and old mrs fflawne, mr John Smith and his wife, Georg Homes and his wife, and divers other English with their children whose names the Examinant doth not now remember) came into the said Castle with such provisiones as they cold bring with them vppon such short warneing, and there stood vppon their defence, where within a weeke or ten days next after the said 27th day of October 1641. they found themselues <E> beseidged by six or seaven hundred rebells, vnder the command of Conock mc Rosse fferrall (in cheife) lisagh mc Gerald fferrall, and Rory mcGerald fferrall, ffaghny mc ffergus fferrall, Roger Nangle, Richard mcConell fferrall, and one of of the John mc Kernans, lisagh mc Connell fferrall, Murrogh mc Edmond fferrall of Rhine, Bryan mcShane fferrall, with seuerall others whose names hee
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doth not at present remember, which seige continued till the seacond day of december following or thereabouts, in which tyme the Irish made an assault to scale the walls with <ff> ladders, and alsoe fired a pitch barrell against the gate, to fire the gate, both which were repulsed by this Examinant and the rest within the Castle, who having spent all their Amunicion to two or three pound of powder, and alsoe most of their provision of victuall, and the enimy not prevailing but offering quarter, they within the Castle assembled together, and finding their provisions brought soe lowe as aforesaid, concluded to accept of quarter, and thereuppon some of the said Irish Commanders desired that the English within the Castle wold send forth some commissioned to treat about quarter to be given them, whereuppon the said English demanded hostages to be sent into them for to secure the safe returne of such as they shold send out to treat, which was vtterly denied them, but the neverthelesse solemplly solempnely vndertaken and assumed by the said Irish Comanders that such Engl as they were gentlemen that such as shold goe forth to treat with them shold be safely returned into the Castle, whether agreement shold be made or noe, whereuppon (being necessitated as aforesaid) it was thought fitt by the English in the Castle that the said Thomas Allen Thomas Trafford Minister, ffrancis Martin, and this Examinant shold goe out to treat, who went out all accordingly, on or about the 30th day of November 1641
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1641 and were safely guarded to Bartholomew Nangles house being where they mett with all the Irish Comanders <G> before in this Examinacion named, or the most of them, and there it was agreed that they and all within the Castle shold haue their lyves secured, and shold carrye out with them all such cloathes as they cold putt on, and haue Caddowes and blancketts to carry their children in, and to haue with them what little provision of victualls they had left, and to haue safe Convoy to Ballimore in the County of westmeath (whether they desired to goe having heard Sir James Dillon was to come thither with some English fforces from dublin), and Captaine Lisagh mcConnell (whom this Examinant and the rest of the English had made choyse of) and his Company for their guard, and to provide them horses for such as were not able to march on foot, and the thursday following being the seacond day of december all the said English were to march away as aforesaid, And which Agreement was reduced into Articles in writing, and interchangeably signed by both partyes, and this Examinant and his partye safely returned into the Castle, where they continued till the thursday morneing following, and then One Murtagh mc Illennan who had bin formerly this Examinants fathers serieant of his lands (being accompanied with eight or nyne more of his this Examinants and his fathers tenants) came to the Castle gate and desiring to speake with this Examinant
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told him there was hee and the said tenants ernestly desiring to drinke with the Examinant and his wife before their departure, whereunto this Examinant (having made first made his wife <H> acquainted) did condescend, vppon the said Murtagh his faithfull vndertaking for their safetye, & thereuppon hee this Examinant with his wife did goe forth of the Castle, before any of the rest of the English, and passed the guard along with the said Murtogh to one Connor Kenneys house in the towne of longford, expecting to find beere there, where after they had bin about halfe an hower (or lesse then an hower), two of Mr Traffords children came into the said house stripped of their Cloathes, and cryeing with teares to the Examinant that their father was killed, and presently after came in another of the towne people, and told the Examinant his brother Martin was Killed, whereuppon this Examinant called to one Roberte mcCormacke formerly his servant & gaue him his boots, and his Coat, and hatt, and putt on the said Carmacks broagues, and soe by the assistance of one Thomas ffox (that followed the Examinant to saue his life) hee this Examinant fled away, (leaving his wife at Connor Kenneys) and escaped to Sir John Seatons house about a mile from longford, whether within a day or two the said ffox convayed this Examinants wife to him, and there came also mrs the Examinants sister mrs Ruth Martin and a Mason
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who was one of the English that had bin late before with this Examinant in the Castle, both which persons last named did rela relate to Sir John Seaton, this Examinant, and all that <I> were present in the house, that mr Thomas Trafford, mr ffrancis Martin, Mathew Baker, John Smith, John Evans, and a sadler whose name hee now remembers not, were all Killed by the Irish, who first had stripped them all except mr Trafford, whom they killed in his cloathes, And that mr Thomas Allen was wounded and driven into the River by one Bryan ô Carre of longford, and that Bartholomew Nangle and his brother Thomas mc Geoghegan being on the other side of the River neere the said Bartholomew his dwelling house, called to the said mr Allen (then standing vppon the rock in the River) to come to them and they wold secure him, who goeing to them they gott into the said house, and there kept him till the rabble of the Irish Army were attempting to fire the house; whereuppon vnlesse the said Allen were deliuered out, whereuppon the said Allen was convayed over to the Commen goale in the towne, wett and wounded as hee was, and there kept in dungeon till from thursday night till saturday morneing followeing, and then hanged at the Commen galowes, by Order of a Councell of warre (as they called it) of the said Officers before mencioned, And further sayth that as hee the said Examinant with his wife were comming out of the Castle of longford hee did take speciall
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speciall notice of one John fferrall of Ballicorre standing at the Castle gate, with a pistoll in his hand, and sayth that Murrogh mcEdm: fferrall, Roger Nangle, lisagh <K> lisagh mcGerald, and Rory mcGerald fferall, were all come into the Castle before this Examinant marched out thence, And being demanded what other persons of the Irish partye hee saw or observed during the seige, in Armes against the English, sayth that hee sawe one Teig Kenny of Gurtin boy, Hugh mc Murrogh ffarrall of Kilmore, ffergus mc Edmond ffarrall of Moytragh, Garratt fferrall of Esker, And more at present hee remembreth not, nor which of theise or any of the rest before named are yett living, having lived himselfe long out of the Country vizt for neere eleaven years past And further sayth not
Ralph Griffin
Tho Herbert
Tho: Richardson
The said Examinant being demanded whether hee saw ffaghny mc Lisagh fferrall of Newtowne m Esquire at any tyme in Longford during the tyme of the seigh seig of the Castle there or on the same day it was surrendred sayth that hee did not see him there to his best remembrance but heard hee was there before the beginning of the seige but not after And being demanded who were of the guard before the Castle when hee came out vppon rendring of the Castle sayth that hee did not take notice but turned from the Castle gate from the guard to goe into the Towne, And being further demanded who of the Irish partye signed the Articles for giving quarter to the English
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<L> in the Castle at Longford sayth that Cormocke mc Rosse fferrall, Commander in Cheife, and Captaine Roger Nangle both since deceased, Murrogh mcEdmond fferrall of Ryne, Rory mcGerald fferrall and lisagh mcGerald fferrall of Moytragh, ffaghny ffaghny mc ffergus fferrall mc Bryan ô Mona and one of the m Shane mcKernan (to this Examinants best remembrance) were the men that signed the said Articles on the behalfe of the Irish And further sayth not, his cause of knowledge appereth in his former Examinacion
Ralphe Griffin
Tho Herbert
Tho: Richardson
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27.
Mr Raph Griffin his
Examinacion touching the
breach of quarter and
Murther at Longford
x
fol. 296r
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fol. 296v
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27.
The Exam. of Ralph
Griffin.
Longford murder.
27
Thomas Herbert
Thomas Richardson