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Deposition of Gylbert Jhonstone

  • Reference:  MS 821, fols 042r-043v
  • County: Tipperary
  • Date: 20/2/1643
  • Type: Bisse
  • Nature of Deposition: Assault, Death, Military Action, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Stripping
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  • How to Cite
    • fol. 42r


    842
    Gylbert Jhonstone late of the Towne of Camish parish of Cashalland within in the com of Tiperarye <inkeper> husbandman a brittish protesant duely sworne & exa m ined before vs by vertue of a Comision etc deposeth and sayth that aboute the first of January last 1641 the deponent lost was robbed and forceably dispoyled of his goods and Chattles to the seuerall values followeinge vzt, value of 32 li. Part consisting of debts owing
    Of Cow horses to the value of fiue pounds & of houshouldstuffe to the value of eight pounds Of ready money to the sume of six pounds Of hay in stacke to the value of ten shillings Of Turfe and wood ten shillings, Of provision to the value of fortye shillings Of debts amountinge to the summe of ten pounds which ere this rebellion were estemed good debts but now become desperatt by reasons some of the debtors are impovorished protestants as Phillipp Meade of Doone in the com of Limericke Carpenter William Noble of Clan[C]alty in the County of Cork husbandman Archballabbott Abbott of C ami sh in the said Com of Tiperarye gent and the rest papists out in actuall rebellion as Phillipp Odeare of James Butler of Ballynahinch in the said County gentleman barrony the baron of ffarnaly Armaly in the said C o unty and within the com of Tiperary gent Phillip Odeere of Dundrum in the said County gentleman and therefore this deponent cannott gett any satisfaction from any of them, the totall of his losses amounts to the sume of thirtye two pounds And further he sayth that vppon the first of January Last 1641 or ther abouts the deponent was robbed by James Buttler of Ballynahinch aforesaid barrony of and within in the com of Tiperary gentleman gentleman and his company Phillip Odeere of Dundrum aforesaid the said Com gentleman and Charles Odeere of the same said com gent. Aboute the time last before mencioned this deponent and diuers others English and protestants betooke themselues for their safeguard into the Cittie of Cashell, yeett the maior of the said Cittie James Sall & the Corporation of the same admitted the vndernamed persons with force and armes to enter the same with namely Phillip o dwire of Dondrum aforesaid ge{ } [ ]

    fol. 42v


    843
    in the said County gentleman the said Charles o dwire of in the said Countygentleman & the said James Butler of Bellinehinchy aforesaid in the said County gentleman they being then accompanjed with fiue or six hundred men & haueing entred the said Cittie in a most inhumane & rebellious maner they first stripped the most parte of three hundred persons men women & children English & protestants. This deponent further saith that, at that time this deponent & the number of fortie more yong & ould in one company with him being all stripped aforesaid by the directions of the <D> said parties were in one flock starke naked drouen to to one of the gates of the said Cittie & then & there in a most barbarous maner (before they could gett out of the gates) the said parties & their followers & servants murthered John Lincy clerk Thomas Charleton of Cashell aforesaid sadler mr Carr scoolmaister of Cashell aforesaid & this deponent being <then> [ ] dangerously wounded in his body & hurt in his arme & in his thigh, being was left for dead amonge the rest of the corpes vnder the gate, where he layed from foure of the clocke in the forenoone till foure in the afternoone dureing which time (being frostie weather) this deponents body (after he came to himself) was soe frozen & fast to the ground with his owne blood & the bloode of those that were killed closeby with him that the deponent had much to doe to loose himselfe from the ground, After this deponent recouered himselfe All this while & dureing the time that the said murther & stripping was comitted said Phillipp o dwire { } their coman{der} stood in a windowe looking vp

    fol. 43r


    844
    at the said Maiors house perceaueing what was don. And after this deponent recouered himselfe in the way goeing to <E> Camish was apprehended by some of the said parties company (as he beleeueth) & then comanded to stand to a post where they shot three seuerall shots at this deponent to wrest a confession out of him where his mony was, being before robbed and stripped of all that he had yet god preserved him miraculously from them Aboute the [ ] third of January aforesaid this deponent his wife & his children went to Golden=Castle in the said County to saue their liues, where two hundred persons yong & ould English and protestants before at that time & after got in themselues for feare of the rebells in those partes, whoe were after=wards closely besiedged by the meanes of Pierce Butler of Banshagh & diuers others of the gentlemen of that County (their names he knoweth not) and kepte siedge to the same till towards Easter followeing, the besiedged in the same for a long while yong & ould haueing noe releefe but a litle oate=meale & water diuers of them dyed through the extremity of the said siedge, at lenght their prouision being spent they survivors ventured to steale away by night and comeing in the way towards the English quarters in a place hard by Cloghine in the said County were assaulted by the rebells (their names he knoweth not) in the day time Whoe then & there cruelly murthered some of them & the rest some others they they hanged, this was in or aboute Easter last; The names of those that were soe murthered this deponent partely knoweth namely James Hooker of Golden aforesaid tanner George Crafford & Jane his wife (then bigg with child whoe being murthered they ripped her belly & tooke the child out of the same & tossed it vpon a pike), Anthony Pattin of Ballygriffin in the said County miller & his wife William Betty of Camish in the said County yeoman James Guttry of Ballygriff{in} aforesaid yeoman & the rest of their names {murthered}

    fol. 43v


    845
    murthered this deponent doth not remember. He lastly saith that the said parties being come away from Golden=Castle aforesaid, the wife of George Miller of the same Golden aforesaid being then left sick in the said Castle as soone as the enemy entred the same they dragged her by the legges downe=staires till they knocked out her braines & further he deposeth not.
    Gilbert [mark] Johnston
    mark
    Jurat coram nobis
    20. feb: 1642
    Phil: Bisse Tho: Bettesworth

    Tipperary
    The examination of
    Gilbert Johnstowne
    C

    hand

    Horrible murders

    R



    Philip Bisse
    Thomas Bettesworth



     

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