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Deposition of William Dethick

  • Reference:  MS 828, fols 236r-237v
  • County: Kerry
  • Date: 27/5/1643
  • Type: Bisse
  • Nature of Deposition: Arson, Assault, Military Action, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Stripping, Words
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    • fol. 236r



    354

    William Dethick Late of Killvallehagh in the parish of Killiney in the Barony of Corkogwyn & within the Com of Kerry gentleman a brittish protestant, duly sworne & examined before vs by vertue of his Maiesties Comission etc: deposeth & sayth that about the Lalst of Jan: 1641 & diuers since the begininge of this present Rebellion in Ireland he lost was robbed & forceably despoyled of his goods & Chattels to the seuerall values following vizt worth 402 li.__10 s.
    Of Cowes, & horses, sheepe & swine to the value of fourscore & foure pounds Of houshould stuffe & provision to the value of twenty pownds. Of ready mony to the summe of fifty shilling: Of hey to the value of forty shillings of fou{ } Of turfe to the value of fourty pounds . Of munition to the value of foure pounds Also he say th that he hath lost in his salt works, of which he had a lease of Sir Edward Denny knight hauing 3 years then to come paying therefore as the LandLords rent threescore barrells of salt yearly; wherein he conceius himselfe damnifyed to the value of one hundred pownds; also by means of this rebellion he is dispossessed of the benefit of another lease of Killvallehagh aforesaid where in he had a terme of the naturall life of his father in law Charls Wingfeild, worth aboue the Land Lords rent, thirty pownds per annum, where in he conceius himselfe damnifyed to the value of one hundred & fifty pownds: The totall of his Losses amounts to the value of three four hundred sixteene pounds Also he sayth that his Liuing goods were taken away at the time {aforesaid} from off the lands of Killevallehagh aforesaid by Walter Hussey of Castle Gregory in the said barony gentleman, Owen McDonnell oge of KillgarrouLoanerick in said barony gentleman, & Owen McMurtogh of Castle drinn in said barony gentleman & their associats to the number of four hundred men, in a hostill manner, He also sayth that his amunition namely one of his guns ware taken away by Owen McDonell oge aforesaid the other of his gunes was taken away by one John McMorris ffitzGarrald of knockglasse in said bar{ony} gentleman about the time aforesaid He also sayth that his mony was ta{ken} away by the Captain & Commanders of the siedge of Traley (whose {names} shall be sett downe in their due place) about the latter end of August last past. He also sayth the persons aforementioned who tooke away the deponents liuing goods were they also who{in a} hostill manner robbed the most parte of the protestants within that part of the barony aforesaid comonly called by the name of the halfe barony of Lettrough, about the time aforesaid, the said parties, being then accompanied with Edmond McShane ffitz Nicholas ffitz Ger{ald} of Tulbryn in the said barony gentleman John Graue alias John ffitz Gerald of Knockglasse in the said barony gentleman haueing also {their} tenants in the said action, vizt except Thomas McPhillip fitz Gerald of [ ] Derlyes in the said barony gent who is a freehoulder, John mc

    fol. 236v



    355

    Dermod of Derlyes aforesaid yeoman Tho: Nolan of the same yeoman Teig Mc Shane O Suillivane of Caperclough in the said barony yeoman Nicholas McEdmond ffitz Gerald of the same yeoman together with his four sons which are all that he hath: also he sayth that after the battle of Newtowne, where in the Rebbells had an ouerthrow, among which the McCartyes of Kerry had a share, some of that Com, hauing the fortune to returne home, found in the towne of Kilarney many old decrepitt men & women, & young children protestant s to the number of sixteene, who could not gett to some Castle for refuge thereabouts, all these persons were taken by the McCartyes & theire followers in these parts and being stript, <hand> were first whipt vp & downe the towne from one end to the other and then they were taken alltogether, and a greate hole being made of purpose they were thrown into it, & soe buryed aliue, This the deponent saw not with his owne eyes; but he dares avowche it for truth; because he hath heard it most confidently related from the many mouths of protestants, which are of good creditt, & also from many of the rebels themselues, frome whereof haue boasted & glor i ed glorifyed in that wicked act others in the relacion haue spoken of it with some remorse & pitty, he also sayth that one John Pittman of nere Lixnaw in the barrony of Clanmorris & Com aforesaid yeoman protestant being permitted by one Thomas Stack of those parts gentleman to liue, peacably & enioy what he had but at lenght vizt aboute Christmas Last, as he was digging potatoes in his garden, 4 or 5 of the rebbells thereabouts came & murthered him most cruelly & after that threw him into a riuer two or three more were killed that night, but vnknowne to the deponent. Also he sayth that vpon the 25th of Jan: Anno Domini 1641 a part of the enemyes army to the number of 2 hundred marched through a part of the towne of Traley & encamped that night at Ballewilly nere there mett to the number of fiue hundred more & the next night they lay at Cloghan & from thence pillaging & stripping the country where the English were carrying the prey before the m [ ] as they went
    Also he sayth that vpon the 1215th of ffebr: Last was twelfe month Anno Domini 1641 the towne of Traley was taken & plundered where in was a greate deale of pillage at which time one Lawrence Tristram the Taylor there was hanged & Laide naked for two daies together < { } from the { } burning of [ ] at the dista n ce of half a mile & a m ile { } at Ballyvelly, { } > and kept him before the Castle with in a day The same day the two Castles of Treley were strayetly beseedged in the greater of which was Sir Thomas Harris knight who also dyed there about the Easter following besides him there were as warders about fourscore fighting men besides 3 or 400 men women & Children in the Loss John Freeman was deputed Constable by the Lord of Kerry & besids him were about thirty fighting men where of the deponent was one besids other men women & children to the number of about six score the beseidgers were to the number of two & twenty hundred sometime s [ ] 3000 with about one hundred horse, the Cheife Commanders were these, vizt, Donell Oge McCarthy Colonell nere Kilarney in the barony of McGwyvyn Esquire [who] so continued sole Colonell till abou t the latter end of the seidge t hen Edmund fiz Morris stroue with Donell for the Comaund & to make them friends Donell had His Comaund < of the forces of Desmond & the other > of Clanmorris Captain Nicholas McThomas ffits Garralds [ ] Seriant

    fol. 237r



    356


    <Seriant> Maior of Bally Keilly in the barony of Clanmorris gentleman Esquire < hand> who was gouernor of Kerry from the b eigning of the Rebellion there, & so continued for the space of 7 or 8 months vntill the Castles of Treley were yeilded vp, then the Lo: of Muskerry was made Gouernor of the whole Com & so santioned Captain fflorence McCarthy of nere Kilarney aforesaid Esquire Phelim mc ffinine mcCarthy of nere killarney gentleman Captain Mcffinine mc Carthy of Artullyher in the barrony of Glanerogh Esquire gentleman Captain Donell oge McCarthy of Dongwgle in the barony of Trehonackney gentleman Captain Sugane alias Dermod mc ffin i n mcCarthy of the barony of Glanerogh aforesaid Gentleman Captain Owen O Suillivan More of Poutterraie in the barony of Donkeran in the com aforesaid Esquire Captain Mckillakudagh of the barony of mc Gwynihigh (as he beleeueth gentleman) all these Captains are of the barony part of Glanarogh aforesaid Ke ry which they call Desmond (Nicholas McThomas aforesaid excepted) besides other commanders of the other part of Kerry vizt Edmund ffitz Morris of Lixnay Esquire Captain Walter Hussey of Castle gregory, in the barony of Corkogwyn gentleman, Captain Peirce fferreter of Ballyfferreter in barony aforesaid gentleman Captain Dermod Oge O Dingle of Ballynecourt in bar: aforesaid gentleman Captain Donell McMurtogh of Castle Dram in the said barony gentleman Captain John ffitz Gerald of Glyne dyne in the said barony gentleman alias John O Reagh Captain Garret McPatrick ffitz Gerrald of Aghamore in the barony of Clanmorris gentleman slaine at Liscarrell Captain John Morris John Mc Kelligate of Bally mcEllegett in barony of Trehonackney gentleman & [ ] his Leiutenant Captain Morris ffitz Edmond Gerald of CloughonKat in the barony of Corkogwyn gentleman also Captain Garret ffitz Jame s n ere the Iland of Kerry gentleman Captain Teig McDermod McCormick of Desmond gentleman Captain James Browne of Mullahaff gentleman with diuers others whome this deponent cannot now remember. these Layd close seidge vnto the said Castles within thirty yeards, & somtimes within thirty foote from about the 12th of ffebr: aforesaid, vnto the four or fiue & twentyeth of August following the Enemy watching euery night most comonly dureing the said seidge about 300 euery night: about the Latter end of March after the beginning of the said seidge, the Enemy brought 3 Sowes towards the west Corner of the smale Castle, whereof two were {sett?} Close to the wall which were first broken with with greate stons {from} the Castle, and after fired two or three rebbells {were burnt?} in them, after this one the 27th of Aprill ensuing they brought 4 Sowes towards the Castle & a peece of Ordenen{ce} out of which they dischardged thiriteene shott, which beate do{ } some of the battlements of the Castle, but no hurt besides of {} & two rebells in them, about the eighteenth of May after tha{t} they began to undermyne the Smale Castle they of the said castle countermined them & beate them our of their works, haueing killed a greate many of them, about a fortnight after { } the latter end of May haueing assaulted them againe they killed at one shott two of the rebells by name Turlough

    fol. 237v



    357

    Cahir of Treley gentleman and a Leiutenant called Turlogh McShee that came Lately out of the Low Countreyes whose name he knoweth not after this there were daylie acts of hostility that past betweene those of the Castle & the Enemy vntill the Castle was yeelded vp, dureing the said seidge those of the Castle from time to time they killed no lesse then a hundred of the beseidgers, and that by the Enemyes owne confession. those of the Castle, during all that time Loosed lost no more then fiue men upon sorties out of the small Castle; and about 18 or 19 out of the greate Castle that were lost by venting out of the Castle for releife besides these there dyed out of both Castles through the sicknes called the Scurvey no lesse then about seauen score men women, & Children, dureing the time of this seidge the deponent often heard the rebells the beseidgers called those of the Castle, English doggs & rebbells & that they had kept them long enough in Ireland allready & that now they would spend their Landes, but that they would Leaue not a man of us alive in this kingdome & that it was the kings pleasure that soe they should doe it by vertue of his Commission, often when those of the Castle were at their deuotion of preaching praying or singing, the rebells vnder neath would mock them in a most reproachfull manner, at length the prouisions of both Castle being wasted, being kept aliue for a time with eating of Catts & raw hides, they were enforced to yeild up the Castle vpon quarter of their Liues & weareing cloaths which Castles afterwards the beseidgers burnt, also he saith that Ellis wheywall of nere Stradbally in the barony of Corkogwyn miner Richard Walker of Killgobbin in the said barony yeoman, together with his brethren Richard Walker & Arthur Walker of the same yeoman Tho: Goodenough of the same yeoman William ffarryn of Ballyenough in barony of Treonackney yeoman, Tho: Richard Bigford of the Kerryes in the said bar: yeoman John Peirce of Ballynallard in the said barony gentleman formerly reputed protestants & since this re b ellion turn e d papists [] that after the deliuery vp of the said Castle vpon quarter the deponent repaired to Jo: ffitz Geralds Castle of Enismore where he after heard some of the preists & fryars that vsually resorted thither say that it is true the rebells had not the Kings Comission for what they did but however the kings did conniuevine & winke at it& further he cannot depose.

    William Dethicke
    Jurat coram nobis 27o May
    1643
    Phil: Bisse
    Jam: Wallis



    James Wallis
    Philip Bisse



     

Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2