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Deposition of Christopher Cooe

  • Reference:  MS 830, fols 172r-172v
  • County: Galway
  • Date: 21/10/1645
  • Type: Dublin Original
  • Nature of Deposition: Multiple Killing, Rape, Robbery, Words
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  • How to Cite
    • fol. 172r


    1
    Christopher Cooe late of Tuam in the County of Galway Merchant sworne and examined deposeth and sayth That about Allhallontide 1641 when the Rebellion was begun in that County this deponent with divers others of his protestant neighbours intending for safety of their lives to fly to Galway they had direction & incorragement from the right honorable the Erle of Clanrickard for to stay at Tuam aforesaid for that his souldjers (which he then sent thither) should guard & defend them whereon this deponent & the other protestants relying they staid there for some tyme, Howbeit becawse those souldjers (being irish) devowred & eate vp all their provision & att the length fell a robbing and pillageing them & whenas one of those souldjers whoe was billetted at the deponents howse, threatened to lett out his the deponents gutts becawse he read a prayer booke on the sabbath day, & had killed him as he thinke{th} had he not bin prevented) Then this deponent with his wife & 4 children came privately and secretly away with xviij s. only in money, but noe goods & gott with much danger and difficulty to Galway yet not without much great danger of being murthered in the waie Howbeit this deponent was at Tuam aforesaid before he came away deprived robbed & dispojled by those souldjers (their promissed guard <a> & by one Rickard ô Bourk of Ballendarick in the County of Galway Esquire whoe is said to be next kinsman to the said Earle of Clanrickard, & One Laughlin ô Connor of Tuam aforesaid g Merchant, Oliver Kerrin of the same Merchant, Patrick Towell Merchant, Richard Kerrin of the same merchant Lawrence Stray of the sa Suffren of the same towne Lawrence Bodkin of the same merchant, and by divers other rebells whose names he cannott now call to mynd, of his goodes and chattells Consisting of wares Merchandize howsholdsgoods Cattle bills bonds specialties and other thinges worth ffive hundreth pownds being all his substance & att the same tyme those Rebells and others their adherents alsoe robbed & spoiled all the rest of their protestant neighbours of Tuam & of other parts thereabouts & killed & murthered divers as this deponent hath credibly heard & verely beleeveth: And further saith that about the t a little before <{symbol}> this deponents comeing from Tuam vizt about the begining of Januarie 1641 one Mary that was servant to one Greene a merchant of Tuam confessed vnto this deponents wiffe <b:> and to this deponent alsoe That a Rebell vizt one Liuetenant Bourk had at her Masters howse in Tuam aforesaid forceibly ravished her, and to prevent her crying out one of his souldjers thrust a napkin in into her mowth and held her fast by the haire of her head till the wicked att was performed, And the said
    1

    fol. 172v


    2
    Mary then complained and sayd that shee had layn sick vpon it for 3 or 4 dayes and was in such a condition that she thought shee should neuer bee well nor bee in her right mynd againe the fact was soe fowle & greivous vnto her
    Christopher Cooe
    Jur xxjo October 1645
    Hen: Jones
    Will: Aldrich

    {Galway}
    Christopher Cooe Jur xxjo
    October 1645
    Intw
    C: f non sol

    2 no
    read 500 li.
    rauishing

    +

    Call to [ ] whoe is mr [ ] before with his Los the day abovesaid

    2



    Henry Jones
    William Aldrich



     

Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2