1641 Depositions

Deposition of Peirce Creagh

Reference: MS 829, fols 440r-442v
County: Limerick
Date: 1/9/1653
Type: Commonwealth
Nature of Deposition: Death, Military Action, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Words, Confederacy

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fol. 440r

1727
Peirce Creagh Alderman of the Cittie of Limerick sworne & examined deposeth and <A> saith That in or about Chistmas in the begining of the Rebellion William Bourke Lord Baron of Castle Connell Doctor Daniell Higgins of Lim ffrancis Wolfe a franciscan Frier & a great number of Irish Rebells whose names he knoweth not came to the Landes of Singland then belonging to Colonell Trenchard in right of Ladie Sowthwell his wife & to the great howse standing vpon the same Landes And then & there brake into the stable & out howses & forcibly tooke away all the horses Cowes and sheepe which they fownd there being the goods of the said Collenell Trenchard & of great value And then & there also shott att & against the dwelling howse it self But were repelled & beaten off with losse of some of their men, and from thence those Rebellious persons in hostill manner marched further into the Barrony of Clanwilliam & there Comitted some cruelties as this deponent hath credibly heard & verely beleeveth And saith that he was not present when the robbery & outrage aforesaid at Singland was comitted yet was within the Citty of Limerick within the sight of them & sawe the Rebells in the night time shoote against the said howse, and those of the howse against them And the next morning this deponent goeing to the said howse (which is little more then muskett shott from the said City) was there
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fol. 440v

1728
<B> told & informed that the Robbery & outrage aforesaid was done & perpetrated by the said Lord of Castleconnell Doctor Higgins ffrancis Wolf the frier & the rest of their rebellious Crewe in manner aforesaid & then & there also he often Saw the dead bodies of the said 3 or fower [ ] Rebells which were soe slayne as aforesaid Lying near the walls of the said howse & one of them was in a ditch And this deponent further saith That hee this deponent was within the said Citty of Dublin Limerick about the later end of Aprill 1642 or May in the yere one thowsand six hundred forty twoe when Colonell Garrett Barry Esquire (by the Irish called Generall Barry) Maior Generall Patrick Purcell & divers other Irish Rebells whose names he cannott now certenly remember, were ferried over part of the River of Shannon & brought through a Posterne gate into the said Citty by Dominick ffanning then Maior of the same Dr Higgins above named Thomas Arthur Alderman (since deceased, John White fitz David a Burgesse Patrick ffanning eldest sonn of the said Dominick ffanning William Comin Alderman since deceased, Michaell Maghan of the same mchant (a notorious villane) since deceased & by some others of the same Citty whose names he cannot expresse, All which parties being soe comen into the said Cittie, then all the gates of the Citty saveing Thomond gate were opened & all the Rebells of the Cuntrie sent for to come in alsoe whoe by thowsand thousandes thronging in, they all martched vpp to the great Castle they called the Kings Castle & beseiged the same very clossly & layd before the same five or six weekes And about a fortnight or more after the begining of that their

fol. 441r

1729
<C> Rebell seige Donogh mc Carthy viscounte Muskery the Lord Roch the Lord of Ikerrin the said Lord of Castle Connell Dermott ô Brian of Thomond Donogh mc Nemarrah alias mc Nemarra of Thomond Esquire since deceased & severall Oliver Stivenson & divers other Rebells whose names he cannott now calle to mynd Martched & came alsoe to the said seige in Limerick & Joined with the rest therein And in that tyme whilest all the parties before named were in Limerick at the said seige, two English women as this deponent hath bin credibly informed & beleeveth were brought by some Irish souldiers before the said Dominick ffanning the Maior to his howse, And after some examinacion there were taken away by those Irish souldiers & & throwne over the bridg into the River where the one of them was presently drowned & the other swyming to Land was knockt in the head with a stone by a bloudy Irish villaine whoe stood on the shore & so shee was drowned also which murtherer was after hanged by the meanes of Mr Patrick Sarsfeild then recorder: About the same tyme whilest the parties Rebells before named lay before the said Castle in seige there were severall other English persons whose names he cannott expresse murdered by the Irish souldjers vnknowne to him this deponent but never heard that any of those murtherers were either putt to death or questioned for the same: And alsoe further saith that one Mr Manwaring an Englishman [ ] sallying with others out of the said Castle of Limerick & endeavoring to turne some of the Irish guns vpon the L or d of M beseegers was there by some of the beseegers slayne in the enterprize And hath heard of

fol. 441v

1730
that some of the English beseeged were shott & slayne in the Castle by the beseegers but knowes not their names And also that many of the beseeged perished & died by want & their restraint there: And this deponent further saith that after the said six weeks closse seige & after that the walle of the said Castle was shattered & broake by springing of a Myne & by & whenas many were dead in the said Castle and that their provision & Amunition grew very scant the beseeged were enforced to surrender the said Castle vpon quarter of life & goods And the same was then & there delivered vpp & surrendred accordingly to them the said Generall Barry Maior generall Purcell Donogh Mc Carthy Lord Viscount Muskery the Lord Roch, the Lord of Ikerrin, the Lord of Castle Connell Dermott ô Brian, Donogh mc Nemarra Oliver Stevinson Dominick ffanning Sir Geoffrey Galway (since executed) Doctor Higgins Tho: Arthur John White fitz David Patrick ffanning William Comin Patrick Wolfe ffrancis Wolfe & thousandes others of the beseegers whose names he cannott for the present at this tyme remember
Pr Creaghe
Deposed the first day
of August September 1653
Henry fflower
Th: sowthwell
Tho: Waring

And the said deponent [ ] Peirce Creagh in addition to his former examination aboue written further saith vpon his only that about twoe yeres since & a halfe vizt before the Citty of Limerick was taken from the Irish [ ] vpon a consultation was

fol. 442r

1731
was had by & amongst Tho: Stritch then Maior there, & som{e} of the Aldermen & assembly there that he this deponent & one Bartholomew Stackpole then Recorder of the Cittie [ ] [ ] to were appointed to goe to the generall meeting of the Irish vnder the Comand of the Erle of Clanrickard at Loghreogh to treat with them concerning the generall affaires & saftie of the Irish: with further direction to this deponent & the said Mr Stackpole then also given that if any overture of peace should be at Loghreogh b{e} <E> propounded to be had with the English, That then the same should be seconded & imbraced by them this deponent & the said Mr Stackpole in behalf of the Irish of the Citty of Limerick And this deponent fully intended to have gone about the same as mynding nothing more on earth then such a peace howbeit God prevented his iorie Journey thither by sicknes soe as the said Mr Stackpole went alone thither: And after his comeing home the deponent vpon discourse with him & others present at the meeting perceived that noe treaty was moved at that meeting for a peace to bee with the Englishe at all And therefore the sayd Mr Stackpole did not promote the same
Deposed as abouesaid Pr Creaghe
And this deponent further saith That the said Mr Stackpo{le} & some others whoe had been at the said meeting at Loghreag{h} after told & averred vnto him: That at the sa before they c{ame} there at the said meeting An Edict had passed from the Erle of Clanrickard that vpon paine of treason <ff> noe one should propose or speake of any peace to be had with any of the Englishe: And as this deponent taketh it one George Comin of Limrick a Lawyere was one of them that told and averred the same to him this deponent And last{ly} saith that by occasion of the said Rebellion he hath been robbed & deprived of his goodes & Chattells & lost & bin dampnified in the benefite of his Lands howses & estate the value of fiue thowsand Poundes at the Least
Pr Creaghe
Deposed vnto the first of
September 1653
Tho: Waring Th Sowthwell
verte

fol. 442v

1732
<G> And this deponent Peirce Creaghe in further addition to his examinacion aforesaid saith further that fowrtene of the inhabitants besides him this deponent were all excomunicated by William Bi titular Birshopp of Cork & Cloyne becawse they would not submitt to the supreame Councell of the Irish & to their Power which were thus thus named vizt Castlehaven Awdley Emerus Clogharnesis R Preston Lucas Dillon Thomas ffleming Garrett ffennell Patrick Darcy And that by reason of this Execomunication & for that alsoe all tradeing & Comerce was by the same Councell forbidden with the said Citty for that those fowrteene of the said Citty soe excomunicated would not obey nor submitt to the said supreame Councell, There fore many of the said Citty were soe overawed that they in some sort afterwardes sided with the Rebells not of their owne accord but meerely by inforcement of that Councell & becawse of the excomunication aforesaid & the seige which was at the first layd to the Citty by the Lord of Castle Connell & others, which as he pretended was done by orders of the said supreame Councell The deponent further saith that divers Citizens of Limerick aforesaid (whereof the deponent was one) peticioned about the yere 1645 against the Lord of Castle Connell to the said supreame Councell for takeing of their Cattell & goods And that his Lordship putt in his Answer therevnto whereof the petitioners tooke a Copie: And saith that the writing herevnto annexed begining in theis wordes the Answere of William Lord Baron of Castleconnell &c is a true Copie of the said Lord of Castle Connells Answere aforesaid as this deponent is verely perswaded; The same being [ ] given this deponent as a true Copie & not altered since in any thing
Pr Creaghe
Deposed vnto the said first day
of September 1653
Henry fflower
Tho: Waring

Henry Flower
Thomas Southwell
Thomas Waring