Deposition of George Creighton
- Reference: MS 832, fols 145r-160v
- County: Cavan
- Date: 15/4/1643
- Type: Waring Copy
- Nature of Deposition: Apostacy, Arson, Assault, Captivity, Death, Military Action, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Stripping, Succour, Words
- How to Cite
fol. 145r
<146 Exr>
Line 1 alteration: ‘Creichtonn’ for ‘Creighton’
84 98 101
fol. 145v
As original
fol. 146r
As original
85 99 102
fol. 146v
Line 5 alteration: ‘Rebells’ for ‘Papists’
fol. 147r
Line 10: <symbol>
86 103
fol. 147v
As original
fol. 148r
As original
87 101 104
fol. 148v
As original
fol. 149r
Line 17 alteration: ‘mris o Relly’ for ‘Mris o Kelly’
88 102 105
fol. 149v
As original
fol. 150r
As original
89 103 106
fol. 150v
Line 23-24: <hand> pointing to ‘The deponent had conference with divers of the Pale gentlemen’
Line 39 replacement: ‘English’ for ‘protestants’
fol. 151r
As original
90 104 107
fol. 151v
As original
fol. 152r
from line 2 (2 pages missing in original):
the verie doggs here, are not yet conuerted The Irish that returned all with great shame and feare from Droghedah, have many times said, they would not stay manie howres without the towne before the gates were opened to them by their frends within, Then after they would take it such a tyme, and such a time, & they would burne it: But god was pleased to save it: For had they taken it, then had all the English in the Countie of Cavan had been distroyed:And further saith That after the ô Relies were returned from Droghedah, the Erle of Fingalle wrote for them to come into the County of Meath, Hugh Boy mc Shane mc Phillip readd the letter to the deponent, And he did easily perceive the ô Relies were suspitious that the Pale had some purpose to bring the people of Vlster into a Snare & to repay them their cruell oppression, and pillidging, wherewith they had wasted the said County of Meath: In the end the ô Relies were drawne vnto the Navan where they lay some time vntill thEnglish entered Trim, then they burnd Navan, & came to kells, from kells they went to Athboy: which (after they had made an Attempt vpon Trim, and were shamefully, as they said themselues chased thence) they burned, And the ô Relies blamed much the people of Westmeath for burning Athboy: Soe soone as the English came abroad and had taken Dundalk and Trim: All the inhabitants of the Countie of Dublin Meath, & Lowth fled with all their goods into the Countie of Cavan: daie & night there came through Virginia greate Droves of Cattell of all forts, great Carts laden with trunckes and all kindes of good howsholdstuff, great store of wheate and Malt, They filled all the emptie howses of Virginia full of inhabitants three or fowre families makeing shift with one poore howse, One Robert Bath came to dwell in the low Roomes of this deponents howse & putt in a great deale of his carriage: But one Tho. Plunkett alledged he had leave from the Erle of Fingalle to make his chois & therefore made him remove to the nxt next howse, Over against whom was placed Mr Tath of Ecclare: Robert Begg of the Navan Mr Richard Begg Nicholas Stoakes of Balharry. Russell of Seatowne, All the people of Swords Christofer Archpoole of Skeaduff, Mr Holliwood of Artaine, mr Blackney of Rickenhore Barnwell
91 108
fol. 152v
Barnwell of Lispoppell and Russell of Brunstowne with theis, there came such plentie of Corne, that by that (gods providence) we gott some releefe, The liberality of the deponents owne parrishioners proveing most scant & beggarly: The Erle of ffingalle & his traine came to the Castle of Ballagh= <hand> aneak, & then the deponent made full account, that some meanes would be made to destroy him vnles god would evidently shew his care in protecting him: For this deponent had stood ingeniously for the planting of Virginia and had recouered the land from the said Erles father (The losse whereof was reported to haue broken his heart) And the deponent had prosecuted the same cawse against this Erle, and had gotten the better of him at the Councell board & therefore he had brought the whole matter into the parliament howse, & nowe the cawse was depending before the lords, when the Erle was comen, a footeman and his Trumpetter came to this deponents howse, & vsed their best eloquence to perswade him to walk over to the Erle, but he plainly conceived they had an intent, and (it may be) some directions to gett him abroad, & soe to destroy him: But he made an excuse and kept within: The said Erle after asked the said Owen mc Edmund ô Kelly Why they had saved the deponent alive so long: I beleeve, said he further, yow keepe him becawse he vexed my father, Noe said Owen, Wee know not what was betwixt your father & him: but Mr Creichtowne was a kynde neighbor to vs And we haue thought it was fitt wee should be thanckfull to him and deale well with him as he did with us
The Erle haveing blamed the ô Relies in blam as haveing Comitted an Error in saveing the deponent, They did excuse themselues, saying. What they had done they would defend: And thErle haveing a purpose to plead his Innocence when a peace should be made with thEnglish, was not willing openly to charge himself with innocent blood but within a little space a way was made & devised to make the deponent away: & that was to send him and his company to the gaole of the Cavan, and by the way to send strangers to cutt us all off in the mountaines,
Of this the deponent hearing an Inckleing went forth to conferr with the said Cahir mc Turloghe ô Rely, whoe, when he fownd him shewed the deponent a warrant directed to him from Hughe Boy mc Shane
fol. 153r
Shane mc Phillip ô Rely to carry this deponent and his family to the gaole, And the said warrant purported to be grounded on directions from the Erle of ffingalle, Here the deponent was in greate distresse, and yet by earnest intreaty obteined of the said Cahir to have leave to goe to the Erle to see (if it were possible) to mollify his hard heart, & to divert his Jorney to death: When the deponent came to the Erles howse he was at dinner, and after dinner, would not admitt <hand> him to speake with him nor to see him, and blamed the Irishman that Cahir had sent with him: And this deponent was informed that all those that were at dinner with the Erle bade him neuer trouble himself more with this deponent to send him any where, but to hang him and his sonn-inlawe, (they being two ministers) on a tree before the gate: The friere one Gregory, did not approve of this advise and ouerruled them all, as this deponent heard it affirmed, they being fiftie. His guard was Comanded to carry him away to Virginia, and soe to Cavan. By this stay att the Erles howse it was late, had rayned very much, & the waies very durtie: Therefore the deponent praied Cahir mc Turlogh to lett him stay that night, And the next day being Sundaie, & he would take leave of his parrishioners whoe made bould (notwithstanding the said Erles Comand) not to lett him stay, But when the Erle heard he was not gone away, he sent his warrant and comanded some 4r or 5 Rogues vnder paine of death, to watch this deponent that night & Christofer Hutchinson and his wife & children were sent for, and watched likewise (which man was the parrish Cleark in former tymes & endured a most miserable servitude all [
Lines 34-35: <hand> pointing at underlined ‘this deponent waited the occasion & found the Countesse of Fingalle all alone, & praid her to heare him speake’
92 106 109
fol. 153v
Line 21 deleted: ‘right honorable’
Line 26 omitted: ‘and friers’
fol. 154r
Lines 14-16: <hand> pointing to ‘That some of the English were robbed in their lodgings at Virginia, which had much offended the Erle’
93 107 110
fol. 154v
Lines 3-4: <hand> pointing at ‘That during the time of this deponents imprisonments, there befell him many thinges, worthy to be remembred’
Line 17 addition: ‘god (without doubt) restraining them’
fol. 155r
Lines 10-12: <hand> ponting at ‘Soe that nowe it remained That they must either distroy thEnglish or thEnglish must distroy them’
94 108 111
fol. 155v
Lines 33-35: <hand> pointing to ‘ And the deponent wilbe bould to affirme, That many children of Seven yere old can say more for their hope of the Kingdome of god, the could be seen in him [
As original
95 109 112
fol. 156v
Line 19: <hand> pointing to quote of the ‘Palle people’ about their accomplices, the Irish
fol. 157r
As original
96 110 113
fol. 157v
As original
fol. 158r
As original
97 114
fol. 158v
Line 1 omitted: ‘& the rest’
fol. 159r
As original
98 112 115
fol. 159v
Line 1: <hand> pointing at ‘tragedie, yet the Vlster people are farr more subtill’
Lines 19-20: <hand> pointing at ‘If yow goe to Dublin, said he, Then the troubles wilbee before yow, for we will not stay long in takeing Droghedah’
Line 30, replacement: ‘courses’ for ‘Countrie’
fol. 160r
Line 18 addition: ‘in the begining of the Rebellion’
Lines 29-31: <hand> pointing to ‘And those that are acquainted with the Irish know they carry noe sword vnles they be sharpe’
99 113 116
fol. 160v
As original