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Deposition of Alice Gregg

  • Reference:  MS 836, fols 095r-096r
  • County: Armagh
  • Date: 21/7/1643
  • Type: Dublin Original
  • Nature of Deposition: Assault, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Signs and Wonders, Stripping, Words
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  • How to Cite
    • fol. 95r


    463
    Alice Gregg the Relict of Richard Gregg late of Loughgall in the Countie of Armagh [ ] farmer sworne and examined deposeth and sayth: That about a month after the present Rebellion began her said husband and shee were deprived robbed or otherwise dispoyled of their Cattle horses sheepe swyne howshould goodes ready mony due debts & other thinges worth above twoe hundred powndes: besids [ ] this deponent since the death of her said husband hath beene deprived of & lost in the issues & proffitts of a farme in Loughgall whereof she her husband had a long leas for yeres in being worth clerely fowrscore powndes per annum & amounting in 2 yeres to 160 li. And this deponent and her 4 yet liveing children are like to bee deprived of & loose the future proffits of the said farme <A:> vntill a peece bee established And further sajth that the parties that soe robbed and dispoyled her said husband and <a> her were the grand RebellDoghertie of Burrogh in the County of Armagh gent & (a Colonell or great Commander of Rebells:) Captain Tho: Rely of in the County of& their souldjers complices & partakers And the Rebells aforesaid alsoe about the same tyme robbed and dispojled Nicholas Gregg of loghgall aforesaid gent Edward Gregg his brother, & generally all the protestants thereabouts of all their goods <I> that they could fynd, and then stripped att one tyme above 300 of them, of all their clothes & then drive them like sheep into the Church of Loghgall: And then & the re the said Doghertie publiquely sayd to his bloudy and Rebellious crew That all theis (meaneing the protestants soe imprisoned) shalld bee putt to death both men women and children: And then and there cawsed the doore of the Church to be shutt and locked and Left them there naked saveing that some few had couered some Little of their nakednes with strawe, where, in that state & predicament, they remained for 4 dayes after, having but very poore allowance of victualls & in deed scarce enoughe to keepe

    fol. 95v


    464
    keepe liffe and sowle together, And then by the Comand of the said Dogherty; his bloudy and merciles souldjers with their skeanes sett vpon this deponent and her husband & children & in the same Church & gaue her eight wounds in her head: and devided & cutt her sonn John Gregg whilest he was alive into quarters & threw them att his fathers face: Then they stabbed & gave her husband 17 or 18 wownds & soe murthered him and cutt him in quarters (all in this deponents sight) And then and there in the same C hurch the same Rebells stabbed quartered or otherwise cutt in peeces at least one hundred more of the protestants, especially those that were able to beare armes & contynued in their bloudy Massacre & murther, which (as this deponent is verely perswaded hadd fallen vpon all the rest: But that the said Captain Rely forbade them to kill any more: Soe as those bloudie & barbarous villaines merely out of awe then desisted & about a day after this deponent soe wounded and many others alsoe cruelly wounded were turned out of the Church and suffered to goe vpp and downe the cuntrie naked, to tast of the coole & scornfull charity of the other Vsurping merciles & pittyles irish And this deponent in the time that she was amongst the irish Rebells credibly heard (and beleeveth the report to bee true, That the Rebells at Armagh drive and forced about fowrscore protestants into the water off the bridge of Callon nere Mr ffairfax howse & there drowned them: Knocking those in the heads that offered to swym ashore, And that they Rebells drowned above one hundred protestants at another time in a lowghe nere to Ballamakilmorrogh about 2 myles from Loghgall: And this deponent hath heard it credibly reported by her vncle Nicholas Gregg above named <is at Tredarth> a gentleman of good creditt; & by divers others both of good esteeme that since those hundred protestants were drowned at Balamakilmorogh aforesaid: divers visions & apparitions or spiritts were seene in that Lough assumeing the shapes of men & women seeming to stand naked boult vppright in the water which incessantly cryed out reveng: reveng: often alo w d iterating the word revenge & pronouncing & scriching out of that word soe lowd & high That it was heard halfe a mile of the place: And this deponent is confident & partly knoweth That the rebells putt to death by drowning, the sword famine hanging & other extreame tortures almost all the protestants in the country thereabouts Inasmuch as one in a hundred hardly escaped with liff as this deponent is verily perswaded &

    fol. 96r


    465
    And further saith That many of the poore protestants That escaped at t h e firs t the bloudy hands of the Rebell souldjers: were after most cruelly murthered by the very irish criples & these base trulls and whor es that kept them company W hose which Creples and whores & lewd women did much vawnt & glory in such their cruelties wherein they had noe little assistance by their children that i f as farr as their powres extended, assisted (if not exceeded, them in ther crueltie s merciles & bloudie acts: And it was comonly threatened & given out by the iri sh Rebells That they would cleerly roote out of Ireland all the English: & if they would not goe away quickly they would generally drive them into the sea and drowne them soe as they <A> should neede noe shipps to carry them over
    Signum [mark] predictæ Alicæ
    Gregg
    Jur 21o Julij 1643
    John Watson.
    Will: Aldrich

    41

    fol. 96v


    466

    [ ]
    It
    [in to me o th?]
    to that which was
    not soe much
    as once to
    my

    Armaghe
    Alice Gregg Jur 21o
    Julij 1643
    Intr Cert fact
    Intw hand w Exw
    168

    27



    John Watson
    William Aldrich



     

Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2