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Examination of Donnell Gorme McDonnell

  • Reference:  MS 838, fols 030r-030v
  • County: Antrim
  • Date: 11/3/1653
  • Type: Commonwealth
  • Nature of Deposition: Arson, Military Action, Multiple Killing
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  • How to Cite
    • fol. 30r



    [4245]

    The examinacion of Donnell Gorme McDonnell of Killoquin in the Parish of Magheresharkin in the Co{unty} Antrim Gent taken before vs at Colerane the said eleaventh day of March 1652
    Who being duely sworne examined saith That he hath heard & doth very be{lieve} that Allester McColl McDonnell & Tirlagh oge ô Cahan who had the <A> Command of two Companies of the Regiment vnder the Command of Archibald Stewart Esquire & lay at Portnaw were the cheife Actors in the Murder of the Brittish Companies of the same Regiment which lay with them at Portnaw That the Murder was committed vpon this Examinants father & Henry ô Haggans lands about a mile from the place where this Examinant dwelt, & that he thinks that about thirty of the Brittish soldiers were murdred there That the rest of the Brittish Regiments the day after the said Murder marching towards Magheresharkin to meet as hee supposes with those forces who had murdred their fellow soldiers this Examinant & his wife with their goods feareing they would revenge themselves for the said Blood fled vp to the woods This Examinante saith That he heard that some forces came over the Bann vnder the Command of Manus roe ô Cahan & John Mortimer but he see none of them neither came neere them & that they joyned as he heard with the said Allester McColl & Tirlagh oges forces & marched vnto Ballimony towne & burnt it & thence through the Countrey into Ballentoy & Dunluce That

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    fol. 30v



    4246

    That he this Examinant & his wife & goods the same day the Brittish forces retreated from Maghereshakin returned vnto his house & followed his husbandry That after the Irish Armies returne from Ballentoy & <C> Dunluce the said Allester McColl McDonnell sent for this Examinante vnto Stronstom in Ballymoney parish to ioyne with them there & beare them Company & that he went thither & staid with them one day & then returned home And being demaunded what Irish Gentlemen had Command of the Irish Army then at Stroneton he saith Allester McColl & Manus roe ô Cahan, & being demaunded what Gentlemen else he see there, he saith that James McColl McDonnell was there, whom vntill that time he did not heare of or know to have ioyned with the Irish. That James McColl McDonnell then or soone after tooke vpon him to be Collonell of an Irish Regiment & that with all the strength he & the rest of the Irish could make they marched vnto the Castle of Oldstone, which as he heard was surrendered vnto James McColl That soone after to witt on or about the 11th of ffebruary 1641 The Irish under the Command of Allester McColl James McHenry & Toole ô Hara routed the English & Scotch forces & killed five or six Hundred of them in the Layney within five mile of this Examinants house, he being then at home & not heareing of it vntill the next day That after the defeate given the Brittish the said James McColl McDonnell Alester McColl McDonnell James McHenry with their men beleagured Colerane & camped at Peter Lowries & the Sterlins houses about one mile & a halfe from Colerane That the said Allester McColl sent for this Examinant to come & ioyne with them & bring some men with him wherevpon he this Examinant went thither & tooke fiue or six men along with him that he had noe Command there but stayd with James McColl McDonnell (Allester McColl McDonnell who sent for him being gonn vnto the Glenns before he came) & with James McHenry & the rest (whom he doth not remember who then were there) about fower or fives daies That dureing his being there he see one Donnoghy McDeltan hang a <D> Scotchman vpon a Carr at Peter Lowries house end but by what order or wherefore he did it he knowes not & that he was then about to hang

    (18)

    fol. 31r



    4247

    <E> hang another scotch boy called George Tomson whom this Examinant saved & made him his man & gave him his owne cloake & targe to beare least any of the Irish shold doe him hurt, that at his returne home he tooke the said George Tomson home with him & sett him to worke That sometimes afterwards he came to see the said Officers who lay at Ballyreshane to besiege Colerane & sometimes as he went to Oldstone Castle to see James McColl McDonnell & his wife who lived there after it was surrendered to him except at such times as he came vnto the Irish Campe lying before Colerane And this Examinant saith he never see any kill’d or put to death but the said Scotchman who how was hang’d, but he hath seene very many dead Corpses of men ly in the {} who had beene killed by the Irish, but by whom he knowes not That w{hen} the Scotch Army under the Command of Generall Lasley or Mun{roe} came into the Roote he & all the Irish that could escape fled ov{er} the Bann & joyneing themselves with Sir Phelomy roe ô Neill went & sought the Brittish forces at Glanmackquin where the Irish wer routed, but this examinant saith that he had noe command there but served as a horemann or Trooper And that after the defeate at Glanmaquin he lived by his husbandry for about five yeares After which haveing noe mantainance left him he tooke on to be a Capten in Mr Alexander McDonnell the Earle of Antrims brothers Regiment of foote & served two yeares in Mounster under him against Ormond & Inchequins forces And further he saith not.

    Tho: Coote
    Rich: Brasier Maior

    19



    Richard Brasier
    Thomas Coote



     

Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2