Deposition of Nicholas Willoughby
- Reference: MS 835, fols 184r-186v
- County: Fermanagh
- Date: 23/2/1642
- Type: Dublin Original
- Nature of Deposition: Assault, Captivity, Multiple Killing, Robbery, Stripping, Succour, Words
- How to Cite
fol. 184r
981
Nicholas willoughby of the Carrow in the halfe barrony of Coole and County of fermanagh parish of Galoone alias Dartry Esqr sworne sayth that about the end of october 1641 or therabouts, & since he was robd spoyld and disinabled of his goods and Chattles within the Countyes of fermanagh and monaghan accordinge as this followinge particular (to his best remembrance) followeth vizt
l s d
Inprimis Corne in haggard wheaten beare and oates --------------------------120-0-0
Item wheate and beare sowne in the County of monaghan as I doe
guesse about thirty five acres which I valew vnto ----------------------------- 70-0-0
Item about two hundred oxen and Cowes with younger Cattle at two
pounds a peice for two hundred heads, and ten shillings a peice for
forty heads all which at that rate amounts vnto --------------------------------420-0-0
Item two hundred and forrty sheepe at three shillings 4 d. a sheepe -------- 40-0-0
Item of studde mares and other horses and mares and Colts and garrans
about forty heads (as I remember) at two pounds ten shillings the head ---100-0-0
Item in hay and turfe --------------------------------------------------------------- 9-0-0
Item lost in ready money (as I doe verely beleeve and remember) about
eight hundreth pounds but I will sett downe but -------------------------------700-0-0
Item in plate and houshold goods apparell lynen and other necessaryes
belonginge vnto the house which as he doth remember are worth
doe amount vnto the summe ------------------------------------------------------275-0-0
Item dew by bylls and bonds arreares of rent & otherwise
together with the halfe yeares rent dew at lammas michallmas
& hollantide last past --------------------------------------------------------------1454-0-0
Summa[
In leases vizt
In primis one lease of thirty and five tates in the County of monaghan
for about thirty and six yeares to come yealded me three hundred and three
pounds per annum and after the expiracion of three yeares it would haue
yealded me sixty pounds more per annum as I doe valew it, for I did
sett fowre tates of it for twenty and one yeares (after the said three
yeares weare expired) for forty pounds encrease of rent and
the rest would haue yealded me twenty pounds more if peace
had continued but I rate only but what it payd in present ---------------------303 {
out of this I payd the landlord two hundred and ten pounds
Item one other lease of twenty tates within the County of monaghan for about {
fifty and six yeares it yealded me rent & customes 139 li. per annum
out of this I payd the landlord sixty pounds {
fol. 184r
982
Item another lease of twenty & five tates in the County of
ffermanagh for about fifty and six yeares to come yealded me
per annum one hundred seaventy and two poundes ---------------------------172-0-
out of this I payd the landlord sixty poundes per annum
Item I had in morgage for moneyes lent one lease about fifteene
yeares to come, and one other lease for about six and twenty
yeares to come I valew the profitt of both and the rest vnto
thirty and three poundes per annum ---------------------------------------------- 33-0-
The summe in leases per annum is 647 li. out of this I payd 320 li.
rests und e r and above 327 li.
Item that I And he had three tates for one thousand yeares and the rest
I had in freehold the yearly rent I made of it and valewing what
I kept vnder my stocke I doe estimate it vnto two hundred twenty
and one pound ten shill as my particular may shew ---------------------------221-10-
<per> out of this I payd the kinge and landlords twenty one pounds ten
shillings soe ther rests clere two hundreth pounds per annum Of which proffitts
of leases and lands he is like to be deprived till a peace be setled
Summe of the freehold is
f 221 li.-10-0
The Summe total of the goods moneys
debtes and rents is ------------------------------3188- 0-0
The Summe of the leases per annum -------- 647- 0-0
The Summe of the freehold per annum ----- 221-10-0
Summe of all is ------4056-10-0
Which losses he susteined By
fol. 185r
983
<Which losses he susteined by>
<a> By the hands and meanes of donagh mc Quire of the barrony of maghary steffany and county of fermanagh, and Rowry mc mahon of ballynagaraghan barronye of dartry and County of monaghan and seuerall others with them of both countyes And further this Deponent saith That the said
Donagh mc Quire came vnto my house at the Carrow in fermanagh about the later end of october 1641 & with him about 20 foot and horse about night fallinge and after him came Rowry mc mahon and whoe sitting at the table Donagh mc Quire sayd that he did not know of this plott and was not accquainted with it and sayd that he had a pretty competent estate and might live well on it, and could wish it had neuer beene begun, but seeinge he was now entred into it with the rest he would not give over but fight it out vnto the last man and (as I remember) sayd that if ther weare any violence or hurt offred vnto my lord of Eniskillinge that ther would many others pay for it etc.
And after supper the sayd Donagh mc Quire and Rowry mc mahon and one Hugh mc mahon called me into my bedchamber and ther was with me one Patricke o Birne & the sayd Donagh asked me what money or gold I had or could fech him I told him I had not much, but I had some & I told him that but he could not expect much money from me in regard I had not beene a dweller ther but a longe short tyme as they themselues did know, and found it a naked place, & layd out at least fowre or five hundreth pounds in buyldinge fencinge and plantinge, and besides I kept in my owne hands and vnder my owne stocke within the Counties of monaghan and fermanagh above fifteene tates of land which would containe a good stocke to feed it, which stocke they of both Counties had amongst them and by these occasions could not expect much moneys from me, and But the said donagh did put me to my oath to tell him what money or gold I could fech him, I told him I had the matter of two hundred pounds & upwards and then whereat he grewe very angry and sayd he did not care for it at all but sayd and swore that I must gett him more or he would make the best bone in my body pay for it (or to that effect) and I seing him soe angry and being afrayd he would take my life I told him of some gold aboue three hundreth poundes that was hidden in my water pumpe and promised to shew it him the next morninge which I did Soe I doe And thinketh and as I verily beleeue they had of me hard vpon six hundreth pounds, but directly how much I cannot tell and the next morninge the sayd donagh and Rowry went their wayes and ther followers only ther was some left in the house to keepe vs the deponent and his family and that morning they & their followers caryed away some of my horses and some other things but directly what it was I know not, allsoe that night they did putt vp some plate lynen and apparell and some other of the choicest things such as they best liked off into some chests lockt them vp and tooke from with them the keys but what things they tooke directly I know not for I was not present etc.
fol. 185v
984
And about a day after or two the sayd Rowry sent some people in the night to fech them what he or they liked, and about some six or seaven weekes after the sayd donagh and his wife and children came vnto my house to the Carrow and ther dwelt, wher I, and my wife left all our howshold stuffe bedding and furniture and all the rest of the things belonging to the house and was in the house whatsoever but only what was formerly stolne and taken away by the people that went to and from and allsoe all the Corne in haggard & stocke on the land that was not formerly stolne or taken away within and without was left the nn
Afterward the sayd Donagh gaue me my wife and Company a passe and leave to Come away but afterwards being onwards on our journey as farr as virginia being about twenty miles ther followed vs fowre men on horsbacke with swords pistolls and darts, two of them weare the sayd donaghs owne servants as I thinke called Patricke Plunkett and Oliver Plunket Ever mc Rowry mc mahon of dartry in the County of monaghan and one Nicholas fittsimons and shewd vs a warrant from donagh mc Quire vnder his hand to carry vs backe againe and tooke my passe from me and brake it and they stayd vs ther at virginia and therabout about three dayes and three nights wher we weare most miserably abused by the O Realies and others and the sayd Patrick Plunket gott of my wife 4 pounds in gold and a signet of me worth five and forty sillings and a{
In virginia we had our horses and Clothes taken from vs and that little gold and moneyes we had left by some of the Realyes and others I knew not and ther was one that was called captaine amongst them whose name was as I heard Cahar o Realy a great cruell wicked Rogue who severall tymes threatned to take away my life and seuerall others with him the like who ofred vs allsoe much violence
And ther was one Phillip o Realy a young man with them and he shewd me a fayre hanger and he told me it was taken from mr alldrish when he was stript about laghrammer
And when we the deponent and his company came to Kells ther we weare very ill vsed and had some things we had left taken from vs at lenth we came to on Thomas barnwall his house wher we continued lyinge in a hay loft about 3 dayes and 3 nights wher my wife and daughter and a kinswoman weare stripped starke naked and my selfe like to be murdred by one ferdaragh o Dawly and two or 3 more whose names I knew not and mr barnwall was affrayd he should be robd or his house burned for keeping English in his house and I was forced to fly out of the house by night into the backside of the towne for safty of my life wher I lay a longe tyme to hide my selfe from the rogues and I was told that they searched seuerall houses in the towne for me to haue kild me but found me not
fol. 186r
985
And Comming through the towne of Ratoth we they this deponent & his Company met with about a hundred or two of men or rebells who tooke from me my Cloake and some other things that weare my wives and 3 horses that weare lent vs but after much trouble the horses weare gotten againe and the men or rebells weare some of them vnder one captaine darcyes Comand (as it was sayd) and some others and ther we had been like to haue been killed had not a gentleman one mr andrew barnwall and Robert Burfurd and the portriffs wife mrs kerdiffe who tooke great care and paines to preserue vs from their cruellty which otherwise I thinke we had been killed or spoyld by them
Ther is one scurloge of scurlogstowne neer trimme who by the generall report that I heard of him was a very bloody man and that hee & his people did much hurt to the English on the way
<b> Con oge mc mahon sayd that all the Counties in Ireland weare in action or rebellion as well as monaghan and fermanagh and that ther was warr in England and scottland betwene the papists and them
And morover he sayd that the Irish weare certainly informed that ther was a course to be suddenly taken with them to make them goe to church or else to loose their lives and that they had seene some wryting or letter to that effect, and sayd that owen mc art o neale was Come out of spayne and landed about strangfoord or that side and that he had brought store of armes and men with him and that ther weare many red shankes come over out of the highlands in scottland to take their parts
And the sayd Con did confesse that he was in dublin in company with my lord of Eniskillinge and hugh oge mc Mahon, and when they weare aprehended he gott away by stealth into the Country againe
And I heard it credibly reported that ther was many English and scotts killd and putt to death in Clownish and neer therabouts but how many I know not etc.
And this deponent further sayth in and on the behalfe of the Right honorable Nicholas lord Barron of howth that by reason of this present rebellion his lordshippe is dispoyled and hindred of the rents following payable to his lordshippe out of the Countyes of monaghan & Tirone viz.
fol. 186v
986
one leas of severall lands his lorshippe had within the
aforesayd Countyes wherin he had about fifty and six
yeares to come was worth and yealded him six hundred
nynty and seaven pounds or therabouts as I doe beleeue
and remember-------------------------------------------------------------697
out of this he payd for annum
Item ther was owinge vnto the sayd lord of howth
for arreares of rent, some dew by byll bond & other
wise together with this whole yeares rent dew at
May next or before amounts vnto -------------------------------------- 548-10-
In all ---------------------------1245-10-0
Nich Willoughby
deposed before vs febr. 23.
1641
Hen: Jones
William Hitchcocke
Henry Jones
William Hitchcock