Deposition of Joane Constable
- Reference: MS 836, fols 087r-090v
- County: Armagh
- Date: 6/6/1643
- Type: Dublin Original
- Nature of Deposition: Apostacy, Arson, Assault, Captivity, Death, Military Action, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Signs and Wonders, Stripping, Words
- How to Cite
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Joane the Relict of Gabriell Constable late of Drummade in the Countie of Ardmagh gent sworne & examined sayth That since the begining of the present Rebellion: That is to say about the seventh of November 1641: This deponents husband & shee were at Drumade aforesaid & at Kedy in the County of Tirone & at kirclure in the County of Monoghan by force and armes deprived, robbed or otherwise dispoyled of their goodes & chattells consisting of beasts Cattle Mares howsholdgoodes ready mony Apparell Corne the proffitts of their farme and other things all worth One hundred ffifty five powndes ster: By the grand Rebells Sir <a> Phelim o Neile of Kinnard knight; Colonell Cane Manus Roe ô Cane of the Parrish of Armaghe Phelim ô Hanlon of the said Parrish of Armaghe farmer Donnell ô Hanlon of the same Parrish farmer Shane ô Hanlon of the same Parrish farmer Donnell ô Hallegan of the Parrish of Kilmore and County of Armagh farmer, George ffleemeing of the said Parrish of Kilmore Captain of Rebells whoe forceibly <A.> seised on & vsurped this deponents howse & Patrick Mother o Hagan of the Parrish of Kilmore Esquire whoe the n and there alsoe murthered the deponents husband & his mother above 80 yere and his brother & many more: And further saith That about <B 1.> Candlemas 1641 A great number of Protestants were by the <b> meanes of & instigacon of one Jane Hampskin alias Hampton formerly a protestant, but a meere irish woman & lately turned to Masse, & of divers her assistants and Confederates, forced and thrust into a thatcht howse within the Parrish of Kilmore aforesaid & then and there (they the protestants being almost naked, only couered in part with raggs formerly last deserted by the irish in the feilds) The same <b> howse would be ing was by that bloudie viragoe Jane Hampskin and her barbarous assistants: sett on fyre in seuerall parts thereof: and the poore imprisoned f parties being (by armed parties kept there locked in) were then and there miserably & barbarously burned to death &
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and at length the howse fell vpon them: And the combustible part of the howse being consumed before the bodies of all those miserable wretches were burned to ashes The bodies of many of them lay there in holes and Corners partly burned part vnburnd to the great greefe terror and amazent of the after protestant behoulders: three only of these protestants breakeing out of a hole of the howse vizt Ann Smith and Margrett Clark the whoe after fled to Dublin: and a little boy whoe was extreamely scorched called John Woodes, only escapeing the fyer: Howbeit the said woods died quickly after of that burning he had: And the rest that attempted to escaped to vattempt the flame were then and there forced & throwne there into againe and soe burned to death And further sajth: That amongst the rest of the protestants that were soe burned as aforesaid: There were there burned of parties protestants which this deponent did knowe theis parties hereafter named vizt Alice Throue then with child & her husband & 2 Children twoe others of their children James Gipsie & his wiffe & 3 children The wiffe of Nicholas Woods & 2 children: & 2 others old women that were spinners whereof the one was called Jane, twoe Children of widow Goodales: John Mastin James Metcalfe Mary Metcalf But the rest of the Protestants then and there burned shee cannott name: And sajth That the outcryes lamentacions & schritchings of these poore martired persons were were exceeding lowd & pittifull yet did nothing prevaile nor mollify the hardned harts of their murderers But they most bouldly made braggs thereof & tooke pride and glory in Imitateing these cryes: & in telling the deponent and others how the children gaped when the fyre began to burne them & threatened and tould her this deponent That before it were Long shee & the rest of the Protestants that were left alive should e re Long suffer the like deaths: Howbeit for this deponents owne part, The great god almighty afforded her a way by which <B.> shee escaped. And further sayth That the Rebells within the County of Armagh: betwixt the time of the begining of the present
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Rebellion, and her escape from imprisonment out of the said County of Armagh did act and Committ divers other bloudy barbarous & divillish murthers and Cruelties vpon the protestants in that Countie by fyre, drowning, hanging the sword, starveing & other fearfull <2.> deaths And in particuler, they drowned at one tyme at the bridg <C. D> of Port a downe, One hundred & ffort ffifty six Protestants as the Rebells Patrick ô Divelin Donnell ô Hallegan & <b> George ffleemeing (whoe did drive the protestants thither and hadd hands in their deaths; and divers other Rebells tould her the deponent, <D.> And the said Patrick ô Dyvelin alsoe tould this deponent that hee himself & others burned a howse and seven people therein betwixt <E.> Portadowne & Lisnegarvy: And that he stabbed with a skeane to the hart the wiffe of one James Powell he haveing first beaten out her he braines & that he left her child alive lying by <F. 3> her: And further saith that about the tyme that the Newry was taken and wonn againe from the Rebells: They fareing and raaging vpp and downe like merciles wolves, Did most barbarously drowne at one tyme in the black water betwixt Tinon and Kinnard threescore Brittish women and children: Their respective husbands & fathers & all their male frends that were <G> men being murthered before: And (which amongst other execrable cruelties is most lamentable, the divellish Rebells did at another tyme in the same water Drowne one Mris Maxwell the wiffe of Mr James Maxwell when she was in stro [
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nor any thing prosper where they did any of those bloudy actes or <H. 4> words to that effect: And alsoe saith That the bloudie sept of the ô Hughes the Rebells of the County of Tirone murthered in three howses; 2 of them in Kinard, & the third nere it; in one night, theis protestants following vizt John Price and his wiffe and their 2 Children & a third escaped with liffe, but was sore wounded: Sir Phelim ô Neiles owne nurse & her husband and one child: Henry Brasse and his wiffe and three Children Mr Potter & his wiffe & Joane Brian their servant: & as the Cormuck Hughs told her the deponent the <[
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<f> her selfe & 3 children were slaine & murthered: The said Captain George ffleemeing for viij li. in mony which the deponent had hidd & thitherto kept secrett; & which she gave him for a saffe convoy: Did earnestly promisse that she & her sister & children should be saffely convoyed from thence to Dundalk: But hee (most perfidious) when he had received the mony sent them from the Parsonage of Kilmore (the place of their imprisonment) about a quarter of a myle, and then he & his souldjers stript them of their clothes, carryed the deponents sister quite away saying hee would drowne her becawse she could speake Irish, & would discover their acts, wants, & words if they suffered her to live: & then and there left this deponent & her children soe stript itt in the feilds in Cold snowie weather: ffrom whence they escaped to one Mris Dun (the daughter of Sir George Sextons knighte) whoe sheltred them from that very tyme vntill Sir Phelim ô Neile gave them a passe to come awaie: But what became of this deponents said sister she cannott tell, But is verely perswaded they presently drowned her in a loghe which was then neare vnto them
<Jur 6 Junij 1643: Mr St Mr Br>
Signum predictæ [
Constable
Jurat: Junij 6to 1643
John Sterne
Hen: Brereton.
And this deponent further saith that she hath often heard the <g g> Rebells owen ô ffarren, and Patrick ô Connellan, and divers others of the Rebells at Drumard earnestly protest say & tell one another that the bloud of some of those that were knockt in the heads & after drowned at Portadowne still remained on the bridge and would not bee washed away And that tymes often there appeared visions or apparitions somtymes of men & somtymes of children women brest highe above the water
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att or nere Port a downe bridge: which did most extreamely and fearfully skrich & cry out for vengeance and blowd against the irish that hadd murthered their bodies there And that their cryes were & skritchings did soe terrify the irish thereabouts That none durst not stay nor live longer there, but fledd & removed further into the Cuntrie And this was a Common report amongst the Rebells there, and that it passed for truth amongst them all for any thing she for any thing shee could ever obserue to the Contrary: And further sajth that somtymes when shee asked the Rebells (as for often she durst not ask them) how they durst doe & Committ their outrages and cruelties for feare of the kings Majesty & his Lawes; they would & did still answere alwayes [
Signum predictæ Johannæ
[
Constable
Jur vt supra
Hen: Brereton
John Sterne
6
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fol. 90v
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Armagh
Joane Constable Jur
8o Junij 1643
Intr
Exw
156
[
Henry Brereton
John Sterne