1641 Depositions

Deposition of Josias Dawson

Reference: MS 830, fols 127r-129v
County: Galway
Date: 27/10/1642
Type: Dublin Original
Nature of Deposition: Captivity, Military Action, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Stripping, Words

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fol. 127r

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The Relacion Examinacion of Josias Dawson late of Kilconnell in the County of Galway En gent Concerninge this Rebellion together wyth a Scedule of & his what losses he hath sustyned by Reason of this Rebellion so neare as he can [ ] to the best of his knowledge vpon oath sworne & examined deposeth and saith That
About Allhallontyde last 1641 he first heard the Report of diuers towens villages and houses of the English which were Robbed pillaged and spoyled in the Countyes of Cauan fermanagh letrim & Sligo and also of the, treacherous atempt agaynst the Castle and Cytye of Dublin and soone after that the a greate part of the Irish in the Countye of Roscomon was out pyllag pyllaginge and takeinge away all english mens goods, And also diuers loose and lewde persons and others began to flocke together about the place where I the deponent liued, and so that He was glad to keepe as good watch as He Could both euery night & day about his house and ouer all his goods yett neuertheless my his Chatle & sheepe were stole at seuerall tymes on the night and haueing few or no english famylies neare him, but a Couent of fryers was my his next neyghbors, who professed much loue to him Hee went to the Guardyan of the sayd fryers named Donnell Kelly and <A> desyred hym to tell me him th what was the Cause of all those stirrs and if he knew of my danger, towards myselfe the deponent or his house or goods who then Answered me that he dyd not know the Reason of those stirrs, but for my the deponent himselfe and famyly he would vndertake no hurt should Com vnto vs them. And for his goods he would protect them the best he Could, and gaue him leaue to Lodge all my his Catle wythin theyre liberties of on the night tyme, which He dyd setting a watch ouer them, yett the Second or third night He lodged them, there there was 4 of his best Cowes gone stole furth of theyre sayd Lyberties And About the same tyme, there Cam seuerall messengers, vnto him to tell home thus there, was seuerall of the okellies that liued about the sucke, not farr from Ballinaslye and especially one <b> shane boy o Kelly (as He Rememberth) that threatened to Com and take away all his goods very shortly and diuers of my his loose neyghbirs began and some strangers bega n more and more to flocke about his house and land lookeing very disdaynfully vpon vs him & his as if they meant forthwith to [danger? ] vs them wherupon He agayne Repayred to the sayd Guardian of the fryars Donnell Kelly and desyrd him to deale playnely with him and aquaint him truely of the Danger who Answered me that he had spoken wyth som gentlemen of the Country his frends who seemed to be much offended wyth hym for offeringe to protect him telling hym that he ought not to doe it, (And that they tould him that they had a patent from the kyngs Maiestie, for takeinge away all english goods and that it was lawfull for them to doe it) wherupon He seinge my the Danger aproachinge was forced to hasten away towards Gallway beinge the next towen of strength where we hoped for any safty, wyth my wyfe, & som of my famyly takeinge wyth vs what goods we Could in such hast and distraction, butt leaueing a great part of my houshould goods wyth the sayd fryers who promised to send them aftir me to Gallway and my Corne wyth one william <c.> Rastigan a marchant of the towen, and left also som of my seruants in my house wyth a nurse & yong Chyld where was also the Rest of my houshould goods left and also left a good numbir of horses mares & Colts & Chatle vpon the land, and departed towards Gallway, the 15th of December 1641.
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apoyntinge som of my seruants to keepe 7 or so many of my best horses as they Could, Close in my stable to bringe me Corne houshould stuff and other nessessessary prouission to Gallway. But as I am was Credybylly Informed and by my syd seruants and others, about the 23th of December, Cam one James mc Guff Connall Mullally Donell Camann and others Rebells and wyth force & violence broke open the locke of my stable dore dore and tooke eyght of my best horses from thence and after my seruants haueinge gotten 5 of them or others of myne agayne into my syd stable & locked mended the locke of the dore the forenamed persons togethir wyth <b:> one Nicholas mc Guff about St stephns Day as my syd seruants & others dyd, Credibly Informe me dyd agyne in a most violent manner breake open my syd stable dore and tooke away the syd 5 horses so that I Could gytt no more carriage or prouission for the Releefe of my self & famyly brought to Gallway and as I am also Informed the forenamed parties dyd take the Rest of my horses mares & Colts And other younge Chatle from of the lands where they were left. And I am Credybly Informed that one Donough Mullally stole diuers of my Chatle both before I Cam from Kyllconnell and after
soone aftir vizt about the twelfth day there Cam to my house at kyllconnell as I am Credibly Informed about 200 Re persons both strangers & neyghbors and Rifled all my houses takeing away bedsteads Cubbords tables hus husbandry things broke dowen dores wyndowes & particions & made [ransacke?] of all and not so Contented twice stripped the poore Infant left wyth the Nurse and they say the neyghbors thereabouts hid most of those goods, and the syd Donough Mu llally was one of the chefe Actors therin Now at [ ] soe beinge in Gallway we found the towensmen of Gallway generally affected to fauour the Rebells all the english there much despysed threatened and many pyllaged, My selfe had taken and stole away from me at least two hondreth she good sheepe qui c aliue and deade which I brought thither, And they could dyd keepe theyre gates fast shutt at seuerall somtymes a weeke somtymes more and nott suffer any english body to goe forth puttinge them not onely in greate feare, but oftentymes in greate Danger of theyre liues, so that we perceaued they meant to be in Accion of Rebellion my selfe went to take Armes at the fort leauinge my wyfe & famyly in the towen, as I was forced wyth many othir distressed english famylies And about the 19th day of march the towensmen dyd tracherously take a shipp of aboue 200 tun burthen which brought them salt & other Comodyties one Clarke beinge the master kyllinge 3 or 4 of the men aboord left for the defence of the shipp wounding others tooke forth of it 8029 peece of Ordinance & all the goods, soone after the towens men Joyned <D:> wyth Murro mc Doe and Murro mc Mart & theyre Companyes of Ere Conought made Entrenchments and beseidged the forts the most part betwyxt easter and whitsontyde pu keepeinge all victualls and prouissions from vs & shuttinge agaynst vs upon all occassions of aduantage and putt vs to greate strenghts and had putt vs to more if we had not beene Rcomferted and Releued by the Right honorable the earle of Clanrickard & St Albones who at length about whitsontyde made
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A pasification betweene the towen and fort vpon Certayne Couenants of agrement, and abated the edge and fury not onely of them butt of di othir ill affected subiects in the Countye, and dyd protect & Releue the Eng all the English in the Countye wyth all his greate wysdome & Industry, att the begininge dureinge the tyme of the syd seedge all the english in the towen of Gallway were dysarmed in the tyme of the seedge one fox and his wyfe beinge protestants were murdered in the towen and also one the wyfe of one mr Collins a Church man and som spoke of more and many of the english were pylladged on or about the 13th of march 1641 by Credible Relacion about 100 [ ] persons men woemen & Children, b ut most of them men beinge disarmed and turned out of the Castle of Castlebarr in the Countye of Mayo, and other places adioyninge And Cominge towards Gallway for theyre bettir saffgard, was sett on as is Sayd by one Redmond Burke and his Consorts at vpon and about the brydge of shrule which deuideth the Countyes of Maio and Gallway And there, about 60 of them was most Cruelly murdered, whereofe 5 Mynisters & other men of good note
A note of my losses Casued by this
And further saith That in the begining of the Rebellion he this deponent
I held by Lease of for 31 yeares, Certayne lands at and about Kyllconell as may it [apear ] beinge about the quantytye of 600 Ackres (besids other Lands which I held from may to may), about 7 yeares of which lease was expyred and neare 24 then to Com at the begininge of this Rebellion
The most of which tyme of that I had Inioyed the same syd lease lands
I had spent in Buyldinge houses makeing Orchards Gardings
Inclossiers and other Improuements vpon the syd lease land
to my great Cost and Charges of at Least .............................................................200 li.
so that I doe Acount
my dispossession of the syd lands, (haueinge made my houses Conuenient brought my my the lands to good & Improuement and fully stocked the same) for neare 24 yeares then to com I doe Estimat to be was to my loss and hindrance of at least.............................................................................................................400 li. 500 li.
At the begininge of the syd Rebellion I [had] he lost, at least 13 hondred
and 40 good sheepe, by which I lost the value of..................................................300 li.
I had also eyght score, head of good Chatle yong & ould
by which I lost the value of worth..........................................................................160 li.
I had Also 37 heades of horses mares and Coults which
I lost to the value of worth.....................................................................................060 li.
I lost In Corne left behind him to the value of.......................................................050 li.
In greate Barly and wheate sowen in ground the worth of....................................070 li.
In houshould stuff and implements of husbandry worth
things he lost to the value of....................................................................................70 li.
In turfe and hey to the value of................................................................................15 li.
<1195 li.>
Josias Dawson
Jur xxvijo Octobr 1642
Joh Watson:
Will: Aldrich
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fol. 129r

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960...0....0
150...00..00
085 00 00
1195

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fol. 129v

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Galway
Mr John Josias Dawson Jur
xxvijo Octobr 1642
Intw Cert fact
hand
1 no
15 dec
1185 li.

1 X

14

John Watson
William Aldrich