Deposition of Charles Anthony
- Reference: MS 839, fols 096r-097v
- County: Derry
- Date: 12/6/1642
- Type: Dublin Original
- Nature of Deposition: Arson, Death, Military Action, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Words
- How to Cite
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The testim ony of Charles Anthony Clerke
<1641 Octo: 23> Charles Anthony late of Ballyaghy viccar of Balliscullen in the County of Londonderry Clark sworne & exa m i n ed saith that Vpon the Rumour of the late begun Rebellion the 23th of October 1641 the Inhabitants of Balyaghy in the County of Londonderry wherin the abovesaid Ch: An: dwelt were vp in armes <x> for ther owne defence & safety, & the 24th of 8ber by the persuasion of Hen: Conway Esquire who lived in the Castle belonging to that towne, the aforsaid Inhabitants repayred to that Castle bringing into it whatsoever goods & provision for dyet powder & shot conveniently they could: to this Castle repaired divers Inhabitants of <x> Magherefelt who being driven from ther dwellings brought ther Ammunition & a rm es with them About 4 dayes after the said H: Con: & John ffreman clerke both Justices of the peace swore all the males which were able to beare Armes fidelity to the King & obedience to the Command of the said Hen: Con: for Martiall assayers: the same time the said Hen: Con: chose some few to himselfe for advise & Councell, protesting that whatsoever lettres should come from any to him he would impart to them, that Joyntly they might answere them, yet performed not his protestation but privatly receaved & answered what lettres he thought good: sending privat lettres to Art ô Mullan & <x> his brother in law Walter Downing alias Walter ô Lin & to the Hagans: all then open Rebells, who had Robbed divers Brittish; & the contentes (as is reported since) was that if it he might have quarter to carry away certaine trunckes from out his Castle he would surrender it & the towne vp: which seemeth true, for till then <x> the enimy r ebells approached not the towne for assault, yet stoole away the Cattle therabouts <x> but November 1o: about night they assaulted the towne firing divers houses against whom not many shot were suffered but prohibited on paine of death:
<x> A parly [
And this dep onen t The abovesd Ch: An: fleeing for safety of his liff e to mr Tho Church Esq, accompanied with <x> William Gardiner Junior: hoping to raise forces to beat backe the enimy, but the said Tho: Church having his Castle then but weakly mand could not spare any men or munition: Nor wold Mr Archibald Stewart in the County of Antrim doe it who but answered that he had no Commission to send forces over the land, so that the said C: A: staying with the said William Gardiner at Portneaw in Com: Antrim about ten dayes, after went with him to Colerainne, & having bin there there over ten dayes was intreated by the aforesaid Tho: Church to come backe & live with him in his Castle, which by he yeelded vnto & ther executed his Ministery about 5 weekes vntill the Irish about 2000 had overthrowne the Brittish at Garvaghy to the losse of about 200: So that now then Mr Church being surrounded by the Enimy & far from any releife; for mr Arch: Stewart would
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not promise any succour if cause required but said: Then God helpe you: was constrained to leave his Castle to the guard of James mc Donnell who then was not in accion of R ebellion & so boating his Men women & children with some luggage & all his ammunition over the Band water marched to Coleraine, haveing receaved lettres from the Mayor & Aldermen of that towne to comme thither, which was about december 16th 1641 wher the said Tho: Church raised two foot companyes of 100 men a peece each one vnder his owne Command, thother vnder the Command of his son Mr George Church [
<And > About Christmas or a little after the aforesaid James mc Donell with some of the mc Henries & others brake out into accion of rebellion & having some of the Scotoish Ilelanders, who revolted from mr Stewart aforsaid on thire sid: slew some of the Scottish souldiers & gained the ammunition & increasing dayly by degrees surprised the some Scots who [
The Scots being entred into Coleraine thretned the pillaging of the towne: viz Arch: Stewart in the hearing of him Ch: An: & divers others openly in the Market place said to one mr Cousens the Recorder of the towne: We will search your shops coffers trunckes Chests &c for what you have & make all common & what my souldiors want you shall supply: which words not well relishedg yet by peaceable wayes the Scots were procured to depart the towne & make good goe to ther owne Castles
<On> ffeb: 11th: 1641 Mr Stewart persuaded Capt Tho: Church Capt Symon Hilman Capt Michael Beresford to joyne ther forces with his to repell the Rebells, who being therevnto persuaded, led forth ther forces that ffriday some 8 miles against the Enimy, the English being about 10 or 12 score & the Scots about 800 or 1000 whereof were about 6 score horse: They pursued the Enimy and the Scots aiming the glory of the day strove for the Van, & having made their body full for battaile chargded the Enimy: when after aboute few shot betwixt the Enimy & the Scots (only one Scot being slaine) the whole body of the Scots suddenly wheeled about: Crying We are all Slaine we are all slaine: & so runing confusedly amongst the English body bare downe the English, so that there were lost as it was reported about 800 men with all ther Armes, the horse fleeing & neither releiving nor doing execution: vpon this losse: the Scots grew a little more temperate, yet have fled into Coleraine from all those adjacent parts men woemen & children about 5000 besides about 1000 whom Mr Stewart brought afterward in for the ease of his Castle of Ballentoy, which Number so pestred that towne that there fell a famine & whereas the suburbs of that towne might have sheltred the most part that
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then [
<1642 Ap: 2d> They of Coleraine being thus weakened & the Enimy strengthened for they stoale the Cattell within muskett shott & divers times slew many plunderers being slaine God of infinit mercy sent some releife: Captain Strong with his Maiestyes ship & Capt Hill with his Maiestyes Pinnace meeting in Loughfoile with some small boates loaden with provision for the releife of Coleraine beat off the Enimy from ther trenches & workes & brought the boates to safe harbour at Coleraine: After w hich The Enimy being very strong on either side: on Antrim side the Mc Donells: Coll Kittaghs sons mc Henriys & others, & on the other side the mcCahans & others: Captain Hill also beat backe the Enimy from mount Sandy where is the great Salmon fishing which now is in the hands of them of Coleraine & saved Castle Roo from firing which the Enimy intended few howres after: About this time the Erle of Antrim came to his Castle of Dunluce & by lettres to Coleraine intreated p ar ley, at which parley he with the Irish Captain promised liberty to them of Coleriane for safe grasing for ther cattell & saffly for at lest 3 miles to passe: The Erle also sent into Coleraine about threescore horses loaded with Corne for <x> the benefit of the Inhabitants & so the state of that town & cuntry was at the departure of this aforesaid Ch: Anthony: from thence
<And this deponent further saith> It was also reported by some of Coleraine Souldiers that the Rebells on their side of Londonderry County demanded of them: If the Roague the King were not yet dead: & said that they were the Queenes souldiers And further <{
Charles Anthony
June 12. 1642
John Sterne:
William Aldrich
3
fol. 97v
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London Derry
Carolus Anthonius Jur
Jur 12o Junij 1643
Cert fact
Int
hand w
12
John Sterne
William Aldrich