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
- How to Cite
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
10
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 [
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 [
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 [
fol. 442r
1731
was had by & amongst Tho: Stritch then Maior there, & som{
Deposed as abouesaid Pr Creaghe
And this deponent further saith That the said Mr Stackpo{
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 [
Pr Creaghe
Deposed vnto the said first day
of September 1653
Henry fflower
Tho: Waring
Henry Flower
Thomas Southwell
Thomas Waring