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Deposition of Robert Aldrich

  • Reference:  MS 834, fols 168r-169v
  • County: Monaghan
  • Date: 10/2/1644
  • Type: Dublin Original
  • Nature of Deposition: Military Action, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Words
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  • How to Cite
    • fol. 168r



    1007

    Robert Aldrich sonn and heire of Edward Aldrich late of Clowness in the County of Monoghan Esquire (Whoe was a Captaine on his Maiesties part and slaine at Gellingstowne nere Tredarth) sworne and examined deposeth and sayth That when the Rebellion began vizt the xxiijth & xxiiijth of October 1641 and other dayes next afterwardes: Redmund <a> Mc Rory mc Maghan of the Barrony of Dartrie and Countie aforesaid gent: Patrick mc Donnell of Slatmulroony in the County of ffermanagh gent and about 200 more of their Rebellious followers assembled and mett together at Clowness aforesaid, And then and there began to robb and pillidge all the brittish protestantes in that towne Howbeit this deponent and about 9 or tenn protestants more being for saffty gotten into the Castle there & sett seeing their pilladging & robberyes could not forbeare them: But to their great hazard and danger sallyed out of the Castle & with about 6 Muskets or peecs sett vpon those Rebells & bett & chased them out of the towne & soe retired againe to the Castle Then quickly after they the Rebells came againe the second tyme, but were beaten out as formerly But noe sooner were this deponent and the rest gotten into the Castle againe But those Rebells came againe into the towne the third tyme but were repulsed as before: & in those 3 skirmisses three or 4 of those Rebells were there slaine with birding shott, (this deponent and his partakers having noe other shott to make vse of against them) And when those Rebells sawe they could not rest in the towne without danger, & that some of their party were slaine as aforesaid, the said Redmund mc Rory mc Maghan and Patrick mc Donnell sent a messinger vnto the deponent & his assistants whoe told them that they intended noe mischeefe to them nor to any in that towne but that there was a generall Insurreccion in ma d & throughout the whole kingdome of Ireland of all the Irish in general against the Brittish And that then they made full accompt That the Citty of Dublin was taken and the was then their owne together with the rest of the towns and forts in Ireland And therefore they desired the deponent & his assistants to deliuer vpp that Castle vnto them And then nothing should be taken from them but that they shold goe to their owne howses enioy their goodes Armes and Liberties as formerly they had done wherevpon this deponent and his small party being sensible of their owne weaknes & want of Armes Ammunition men & other provition treated further with them & the tearmes and quarter aforesaid was generally promised vnto them by & with many oaths & protestacions of the same Rebells: Soe that this deponent & his small assistants left the Castle & went to their owne howses
    1)

    fol. 168v



    1008

    which they fownd to be already robbed & dispojled of the most of their goodes And many of the Rebells accompanying of them thither stayd with them at their howses And notwithstanding the termes and quarter promissed kept them there as prisoners vntill the evening of that day <b> And then one Rory mc Ilp Gilpatrick mc Maghan of the Barrony of Dartrie aforesaid came from the taking and pillidging of Monoghan to Clowness with a great number of other Rebells: And then all the goods which the Brittish had there left were quickly surprised carried away and devided by and amongst the said Redmund mc Rory mc Maghan Rory mc Gilpatrick mc Maghan and one Art mc Colm (all three Captains or Comanders of Rebells) And then alsoe this depon many of the brittish fled away to save their lyves And But this deponent and some few others were suffered to stay but yet [ ] soe restrained & narrowly lookd vnto that they could not gett nor depart away of half a yere the next after. And then twoe irish men <c> vizt John mc Enry & Edmund mc Donnell (whoe were both brought vpp by this deponent as protestantes) came vnto this deponent at Clownesse aforesaid & told him they came from a generall meeting of the irish of that and other bordering Counties at Killeevan in the same County of Monoghan And that then and there it was resolved & agreed that all the Brittish should be put to death and that this deponent was above others specially <d A > aymed at and that one Rory mc Coolagh mc Maghan had begged from the rest that he might have the hanging of him this deponent, And therefore advised him to goe away privately by night and they would accompany him: wherevpon the deponent and som 13 more Protestants fled away that night following: & were by those 2 Irishmen instantly furnished with some Armes: whoe alsoe went along with them to Eniskillin Sir William Coles Castle where they all stayd as souldjers for a good space <A> But before their comeing away vizt about Christmas 1641: the said Rory mc Gilpatrick mc Maghan and Redmund mc Rory mc Maghan together with all their forcs went to assist Colonell Rory Maguire in the beseiging of Parsone Slacks castle called Tully in the said county of ffermanagh: When and those where those that were beseiged were offered and Quarter to be sent saffly whither they would with their clothes only: which offer they accepting & therevpon yeilding the Castle The Rebells kept them there all night but in the morning (notwithstanding the offer and quarter) did most cruelly fall vpon and murther them all & burned the castle Those parties soe murthered being about three score in number of men women and children whereof some of those bloudy Rebells (after they came to Clowness againe) made their brags & boastings
    And
    2)

    fol. 169r



    1009

    this deponent further saith That in the time that he this deponent stayd soe in restraint amongst the Rebells vizt within a month after the Rebellion began: There were murthered & slaine in Shannock Castle in the <A> County of ffermanagh theis Brittish protestants following vizt Arthur Champion Esquire Tho Champion gent Tho Iremonger gent Hughe Littleberry subsherriff of that County Christopher Linas John Morris & Hugh: Williams: Those Rebells refuseing to suffer Mr Champion to be buried in the Church of Clouness, but he was buried in an old Chappell yard in the feilds And that night his corps were taken vp & his wynding sheete stollen away from him And they kept the body of the said Littlebury vnburied above ground vntill the doggs had eaten a great part of him And the rest they cast vnto a ditch : And the Rebells alsoe murthered and putt to death in the parrish of Clowness aforesaid one Robert Johnson Ensigne ffloud and 4 of his servants Roger Loftus & Edward Loftus Roger Edwardes & his sonn and a servant Robert Workman and his sonn and a servant & William Tedlar all which were protestants and tennants to this deponents said father: James Whithead Michaell Allen William Gilstropp George Whitacre Thomas Whitacre his sonn & James Dungeon which James Dungeon was killd vpon sunday by one Shane o Donnellan mc Donell and other souldjers to the said Rorie Mc Maghan: Whoe that day went with a piper playing before them vpp where about 300 were at Masse & told them what they had done And there were alsoe murthered in the parrish of Clowness aforesaid one Richard Bingham Myles Acres Tho: Sergeant Maxie Tibbs Henry Crosse Joseph Crosse Peter Maddison Sabastian Cottingham James Birny & William ffoster [ ] (all Rich farmers) And there was alsoe murthered in the parrish of Nowtowne o & County of ffermanagh one John Maynes (all being protestantes) And all or most of them were soe murthered and slaine by the bloudy souldjers of the said Rory mc Maghan & of Colonell Rory Maguire
    <B> And this deponent further sayth that about the later end of November 1641 after the Rebellion began The cruell souldjers of the said Rory mc Maghan Gilpatrick mc Maghan drive unto the Church of Clownis about twenty brittish protestants and there imprisoned them for a weeke or thereabouts & then in the night tyme by the direccion of Donnogh ô Bane Maguire One Rosse Maguire his Marshall came with a guard of the said Rorys souldjers & brought sixteene of those prisoners
    3)

    fol. 169v



    1010

    out of the Church and hanged them on the Church gate of Clounys aforesaid [ ] some were hanged outr ight & the rest of the said & the rest vntill they were almost dead The next morning some of them being those that were aliue and Crawleing vp and downe there the merciles Rebells then and there cutt all their throats And then flung all those sixteen into the Church yard ditch & threw in little sand ouer them and soe left them: and the other fowre escaped away out of a window And at another tyme there was hanged a poore woman on the same gate that came from Dublin with letters from this deponents father vnto him this deponent and from the Lord Maguire (then a prisoner at Dublin: which woman was for guarded to the place of execucion by Margrett mc Maghan wiffe of the said Rory mc Gilpatrick mc Maghan who went before her with a white rod in her hand and a skeane by her syde hand saying she would be sherriff for that turne & soe stood by till that poore woman was hanged accordingly And at another tyme another brittish man was hanged at the same place And this deponent too well knoweth those xviij persons to be soe hanged for that he was in the towne at Clownes when they were soe put to death & sawe how perversly and vnchristian heathen lyke they were buried as aforesaid: And further saith that about the same tyme or rather after there were sixteen women and children protestants forced and driven lyke sheepe to the slaughter through the towne of Clowness aforesaid vnto a tur Turf pitt neere adioyneing and there all drowned <B> of this deponents knowledge by one Patrick mc Maghan and <symbol> Aughy mc Maghan 2 of the said Rory mc Maghans souldjers & other cruell Rebells: And afterwards the said Rory mc Maghan seeming to couler & clere himself of that bloudy fact f made a show to hang those twoe souldjers & brought them to a place where he sayd they shold be hanged: but there they sayd publickly th that they did it by his direccions And then he suffered his other souldjers to rescew them And not long after hee tooke them into his company againe

    Robert Alldrich
    Jur xo febr 1643
    Hen Jones
    Hen: Brereton
    4)



    Henry Brereton
    Henry Jones



     

Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2