Deposition of Mary Phillipps
- Reference: MS 829, fols 435r-436v
- County: Limerick
- Date: 2/9/1653
- Type: Commonwealth
- Nature of Deposition: Assault, Military Action, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Stripping
- How to Cite
fol. 435r
1743
Mary the wife of Ensigne Mathew Phillipps of Limericke & late the wife of Peter Newman late of Balljfinch in the County of Clare gent deceased sworne & examined deposeth & saith That when the present Rebellion began in the said Countie of Clare her said then husband Peter Newman & shee perceiveing the insolencies of the Irish Rebells & the robberies & cruelties by them Comitted they carried to the Castle of Inshicronan which stood near them Some part of their howshould stuffe: & then they with their daughter & family went to the same Castle to save their Lives howbeit before they gott vnto the said Castle divers Irish Rebells whose names they shee knows not, did in the night tyme robb & deprive them of twenty twoe Cowes & above 12 yong heffer Calves & worth in all fowrscore powndes or thereabouts: & And the Rebells alsoe robbed them of x others which belonged in joint stock to him the said Peter & to William Bennett (which married the deponents sister) worth about fowrscore pownds: And further saith that after her husband & shee came to the said Castle they stayd there almost three moneths (amongst <A> many others of the English & for some part of that time were there beseeged by one Gilladuff ô Shaghness whoe married one Mr Dellahids widowe. John ô Grady of Cloneskreene in the said County of Clare gent. Brian ô Gradie near Cloneskreen aforesaid gent, & divers others of the sept & name of the ô Gradies and Rowans the deponents neighbors, whose Chrissen names shee cannott expresse: yet at length the Erle of Thomond haveing haveing notice that the said Castle was beseeged (which Castle was then possessed by one Mr Anthony Heathcott his Lordships tennant thereof) Hee the said Erle of Thomond about the xxvth day of march 1642 Martched thither with some horse & fell vpon the beseegers killd some of them & the rest ran away: & then his Lordship & his horse marched away Howbeit within twoe daies after the said Peter Newman her late husband toegther with the said Christopher Hepditche together with John Holland Robert Blinkinsops Richard Adams Anthonie Davis Robert Hart Robert Twisden & three more Englishmen whose names she cannott expresse, went out of the said saide Castle to the howse of the said Robert Hart called Ballelyne not being about a Quarter of a Myle off the same Castle, to fetch
B11
fol. 435v
1744
from thence some Cattell Bedding & haveing bound <B> vp the same together they from thence went to the said John ô Gradie being near hand at his plowe to see if he had ( as was reported) in his Custody a horse of his the said Anthony Davies & comeing vnto him fownd the said horse there, The said John ô Grady seemed to be glad of their comeing & desired them to take Tobacco with him & stay which they did & then as this deponent was told by a yong man which was then present, hee the said John ô Grady then privately gave some private directions to one of his servants to fetch thither some of the Irish to apprehend them: Wherevpon soone after, & before the said Hepditch & the rest were gone away a great number of Irish roagues & Rebells both men & weoman came rushing on a sudden thither & furiously then & there assaulted & the sett vpon them the said Hepditch & the rest: & gave them soe many woundes that the said Chrofer Hepditch John Holland Robert Blenkinsopps Richard Adams Anthony Davis Robert Hart Robert Twisden & 2 more Englishmen of those in their company were then & there most cruelly & barbarously slayne and murthered by him the said John ô Gradie & by the said other Roagues & Rebells men & women, Howbeit one Englishman then of the Company (being by profession a Turnor & a goode foote man ran away & escaped with his Liffe: & after protested & vowed that the other English parties were soe murthered in manner as afore expressed And this deponent is verely perswaded that James ô Gradie brother to the said John ô Gradie was one of the murderers <C> ffor that afterwardes shee this deponent sawe in his handes some keys which were at that tyme taken out of the Pockett of the said John Holland one of the parties murthered who was then servant to one Mr Blagrave & for that alsoe when the said Castle of Inchicrony was deliuered vpon quarter shee this deponent with her owne eys sawe him the said James ô Gradie come into a the Roome of the Castle & there, with one of those keys vnlock a Chest which was the said Blagraves and vsually kept by the said John Holland & there out tooke take some cloths, And this deponent further saith that quickly after
fol. 436r
1745
the comitting of the Murther aforesaid hee the said John ô Gradie James ô <D> Gradie the wife of Dermot ô Brian Esquire & Morogh ô Brian his servant & divers of the septs & names of the Gradies Quins & Rowens whereof Donogh Rowen was one together with a great number of Rebells which the deponent cannot for the present name came thronging to the said Castle & assaulted the same: But the deponents said husband Peter Newman & the deponent (being then att the said Castle) & haveing but fewe men of strength to assist them in the holding & keeping thereof were forced to surrender the same vpon quarter to have their Lives wherevpon this deponent with her said husband the said William Bennett & his wife Anthony Heathcott & his wife then came out of the Castle intending to goe to Dromore Castle where the said Demott ô Brian Lived: Howbeit the said Dermott ô Brians wife & the other Rebells then present would not suffer the said Peter Newman to goe along but turned him vnto towards the said Castle againe & sett the said Morrogh ô Brian servant to the said Dermott to bring him thither: Howbeit before he came at the Castle, those wicked Rebells then present first stript the said Peter Newman naked & then disgracefully chased or as it were hunted him vp & downe & so pricked him with their pikes & wounded him (but not mortally) that he (being a valiant stout hearted men) desired them rather to shoote him to death then so to torture him And then one of those Rebells [
Robert Baker of Ballylyne: And further saith that one Richard Blagrave gouldsmith of London being in the Castle went out of the same towards to Dromore Castle about a weeke after & there he <C> haveing a great many of tooles the said Dermott ô Brian sayd he would protect him there but when the said Dermott ô Brian had gotten his Tooles he sent th him the said Richard Blagrave towardes Limerick by some of his servants whose names shee knoweth not which servants carryed him away to a great wood neare the place where the deponent Live had Lived & then & there murthered him: And about the same tyme there wereas alsoe murthered one Margrett Adams nere to the said Blagrave by one Owen mc Clowne p somtyme <D> plowman to Mr Anthony Hethcott: And another English woman named Ann a shoomakers wife was at that tyme by the said Owen Mc Clowne & his Complicees greevously & wounded & left on the ground
fol. 436v
1746
on the ground for dead Howbeit afterwardes god gave her soe much strength as to crawle away & shee is yet disfigured yet alive, though (by those woundes much disfigured) and two other Englishwomen one called Elizabeth Hawkins, & the other called Hawkins her sister were murthered afterwardes between Ennis & Balljalley by some wicked Rebells, whereof a sonne of <E> fflann ô Nelans & his C was & is credibly reported to be one: And this deponent further saith that one Mris Bourk the wife of Mr Andrew Bourke of Key Lane in Limerick (the Deponents kynd & good frend) told her this deponent (with weeping teares) That an a handsom yong English woman the wife of one whoe was shepperd to Mr Patrick Licett, passed d vpp the Shannon towards Limerick in a boate when shee was great with child & that some wicked villains in the boate threw her in part out of the boat into the River And that she to save her self catching hold on the boate with both her handes some of those villains cutt them both off & so shee was drowned in the water: And further saith that the Losse & damage which this deponent & her said husband Peter Newman susteined by occasion of the Rebellion aforesaid came to one hundred & three score Powndes or thereabouts
The mark of the said Mary
[
Deposed vnto this second
of September 1653
L G H
Henry fflower
Tho Waring
Ro: Stamael
Will: Kinge
Mary the wife of Ensigne
Mathew Phillips B 11
B11
B 11
Henry Flower
Thomas Waring
William King
Robert Stamael