Deposition of Henry Jones
- Reference: MS 809, fols 001r-004v
- County: Unknown
- Date: 3/3/1642
- Type: Waring Copy
- Nature of Deposition: Military Action, Words
- How to Cite
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Dublin
<Exw
137> I Henry Jones Doctor in Diuinity in obedience to his maiesties Comission requireing an accompt of the losses of his lojall subjects wherein they suffered by the present Rebellion in Ireland, & requireing an accompt of what traiterous words, proiects or Actions were done, said, or plotted by the actors, or by the Abettors in that rebellion: Doe make and give in this following report of the premises to the best of my knowledge vpon oath: vizt, As for the present Rebellion Howsoever the firste breaking out of this fire into a flame began first on the xxiijth of October 1641 yet was it smokeing (as may well be conjectured, for many yeres before: God haveing given us many and apparant groundes for the discouery of it, had they bin duly considered on, or duly prosecuted to a discouery, Of which kynd wee fynd theis former following particulars
First that about 3 or 4 yeres since, amongst many bookes brought into the Citty of Limrick from forraine parts, & seazed vpon by the reuerend Bishop of that Sea as prohibited (being therevnto authorized by the state) one had a written addition to the first part which was printed, conteyneing a discourse of the friers of the Augustine order, somtimes seated in the towne of Armagh in Vlster: But by reason of the times, and at that present Resident (as that writing imported) in the Citty of Limrick in Mounster, That whylest it flourished at Armaghe, it was protected, & largely provided for by the then Erle of Tirone Since whose expulsion out of Ireland, that Convent was alsoe decayed & driven to those distresses it did for the present vndergoe, but that within 3 yeres (This is as I remember, the time limitted) Ireland should fynd, he had a sonne inheriteing his fathers virtues Whoe should restore that kingdome to its former liberty, & that Convent to its first lustre or words to that effect, This was related vnto mee by that zealous & learned prelate Doctor Webb, now Bishop of Limrick whoe sawe & read the said passages Purposeing (as his Lordship tould mee) to send that booke to the Lord President of Mounster to be taken into further consideracion:
2 Hereunto was added a second passage about the same time at Limrick aforesaid, Where a popish preist gave out That within 3 yeres there should not be a protestant in Ireland, or words to that purpose, with some other materiall Circumstances which I doe not now remember, yet all soe concurring with the former, (or the first with this) which precede I know not but being about one tyme) That it was thought fitting to be considered of, The said preist being sent to the Lords at Dublin & he committed to the Castle
The
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3 The third did agree with the twoe former, and fell out about the same time in the County of Meath in Leinster Where one Walter Nugent of Rathaspick in the said County eldest sonn to Walter Nugent Esquire (a man of great fortunes) vpbraiding an Irish protestant, whoe was parrish Clearke of Rathaspick aforesaid) with his Religion, & both speakeing Latine, the said Nugent vttered theis words. Infra tres annos venient tempus & potentia in Hibernia quando tu longe (Likely meaneing, diu) pendebis in cruce propter diabolicam vestram religionem; The party to which this was spoken, fearing the power of the man durst not speake of it, only in private, yet being called vpon & examined Juridically vpon his oath, he deposed theis wordes & being demanded whether the words were in Hiberniam or in Hibernia, The first importing an Invasion, the other an insurrection at home, he deposed the later, (haveing tyme given him to consider of it) Theis Examinacions were sent to Sir George Radcliff, Nugent was sent for & Committed to the Castle, & remained in long durance but afterwards dismissed &c
4 Hereunto was added a fowrth, about the same time nere the Naas about 12 miles from Dublin, Where a papist preist (newly arrived out of fflaunders, did make his addresse to the then lord Deputy, & informed his lordship of an intercourse of letters betweene the Erle of Tirone with others in fflaunders, and the Popish Primate of Armaghe, Rely, concerning an invasion within a short time intended vpon Ireland, The said preiste offering, (soe his person might be secured) to direct such as should be therevnto appointed to the place where the said Letters lay in the Custodie of the said Relye, Rely was therevpon sent for, together with the popish Vicar generall of Armaghe (as I remember it; Both were Comitted to the Castle of Dublin, but soone after released, & the Informer dismissed with x li. and a suite of Clothes, or some such Reward
Herevnto
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Hereunto may be further added, (yet not soe plaine as the former) That about the same time the Lord Baron of Dunsany did ride disguised through all Munster, pretending to satisfy his curiosity in the knowledg of places & persons, Hee not being discouered vntill his returne att the Birr, Where having offered himself to be bound for one in his Company, he writt himself in his owne stile, Being loath to leave vnder his hand a testemony of his disguised person and assumed name
To discend nowe from the antecedents of this treason to the falleing in therevpon, and lastly to the Consequents, & what thereby hath bin intended, (supposeing it to succeed) & that it attained the desired effect, which by them was not doubted of And first for the entrance thereinto: Howsoeuer that the ground worke were long since laid, yet would they not have it soe to seeme, But newe occasion must be fownd as the sole cawse of their breaking out, This being intended for satisfieing the mindes of such of their owne as have not hitherto been acquainted with the depth and mistery of this iniquitie, that they might not stand amazed at the suddennes of the vndertakeing, or stand off from Joineing with them in the worst part of their designes, it beinge an apparant Rebellion, The fittest meanes for this must have beene by casting aspersions on the present gouerment, which (if longer tollerated) would prove extreamely dangerous not only to their religion but their lives & posterity: For effecting whereof reports were cast out, That in the Parliament of England, the cutting off of all the papists in Ireland, of what degree soever, was concluded vpon, The execution of that Resolution being comitted to the Counsell in Ireland: The Lords (said they) had laide downe a day for this work, being the xxiijth day of November then next following & now last past or thereabouts, ffor the better more secure, & more secrett manageing of this pretended plott Such of the popish nobility & gentrie of both howses as appeared in Parliament at Dublin should be secured, & for the drawing together the rest (amongst other pretences) this alledged to be one, That his
maiesties
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maiesties rents were purposely omytted, & not called vpon in Ester terme with that earnestnes as fomerly, and that such as made default should be sommoned to appeare at Michelmas tearme at Dublin, and there surprised; Such of them as were then in the Cuntrie (wanting their heads, being easily cutt off:) They say that this pretended plott was (I know not how) discouered to them: Soe that for the safety of their lives & profession they were enforced to stand vpon their guard, & to counterworke that daie of the xxiijth of November, laid for their distruction by their declareing themselves in Armes on the xxiijth of October (a moneth before) The serious part of this discourse was related to mee, by a frier intimate in their Counsell, & by a preist (a popish Vicar generall), thereby to give mee satisfaccion, and to iustify their proseedings; Which names I doe for the present forbeare, in respect of his maiesties service:
By others alsoe I was enformed, That this plott was mainely intended in that Session of Parliament next after the Erle of Straffords beheading, & the manner concluded vpon in the popish private meetings, which were then observed to be frequent, & by some suspected might proue dangerous; And that for discouery of what proportion of Armes & Amunition our store of Dublin afforded (Itt being by some suspected that most was carried before to Carickfergus, One of the popish faction in the howses of Commons putt one of the protestant members to move & enforme That some of the Erle of Straffords men had cast out some threatening wordes against the parliament in revenge of his Lord which could not be conceaved to end in lesse then a blowing vp of the whole howses of Paliament, the store lying vnder them, Wherevpon a Commi{
The last Session of Parliament being proroged, & the time drawing nere for putting their designe in execution, There was a greate meeting appointed of the heads of the Romishe Clergie & other lay men of their faction, said to be att the Abbey of Multifarnam
in the
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in the County of Westmeath Where a Convent of ffranciscan friers, being openly and peaceably possessed of the monastery (, the daie of their meeteing being alsoe on their St Francis day,) about the begining of October last, but the time & place I cannott confidently affirme, yet wheresoeuer, their seuerall opinions, & discussions are as followe, like as I have receaved them from a frier a franciscan & present there, being a guardian of that order, Therevpon a man, and many others there agitated, And the question was what course should be taken with the English, and all others that were fownd in the whole kingdome to be protestants
The Councell was therein devided
Some were for their banishment, without attempting on their lives: For this was given the Kinge of Spaines expellinge out of Granado & other parts of his Dominions the Mores, to the number of many hundreds of thowsands, All of them being dismissed with their lives, wives & children, with some part of their goods, if not the most parte,: That this his way of proseeding redownded much to the honor of Spaine: Whereas the slaughters of many Innocents would have laid an everlasting blemish of cruelty on that state, That the vsage of the English, their neighbours, & to whome many there present owed (if noe more) yet their education, would gaine much to the cawse both in England & other parts; That their goods & estats seazed vpon would be sufficient, without medleing with their persons; That if the contrary course were taken, and their blood spilt, besides the curse it would drawe from heaven vpon their cawse, it might withall incense & provoake the neighbour Kingdome of England to the takeing of a more severe Revenge on them and theires, even to extirpation (if it had the {
On the other side was vrged a Con{
might
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might haue bin prevented in one howre by a generall massacre, applying that it was noe lesse dangerous to expell the English, that theis robbed & banished men might againe returne with their swords in their hands, Whoe (by their hard vsage in spoileing, might be exasperated, & by the hope of recouering their former estates, would be animated farr more then strangers that would bee sent against them, being neither in their persons greeved, nor Iniured in their estats; That therefore a generall Massacre were the saffest, and readiest way, for [
Hitherto of their Councells & the effects of them: Nowe for their intentions, (All being reduced, (which god forbid) into their power) And thereof doe they, as by some lawe, give such peremptory conclusions, that it may well be wondered, the thoughts of men professing themselves wise should be soe vaine, And herein doe I still followe mine informer
1 first their lojalty to his Maiestie shalbe thus reserved, Thus (say they, of the modest sort;) But both his Revenues & gouermente must be reduced to some certeine bowndes; His rents none other then the ancient reservations before the plantacions, & the Customes soe ordered as to them shalbe thought fitting:
2 Secondly for the gouerment, such as would be esteemed lojall would have it committed to the handes of twoe lords Justices, one of the ancient Irish race the other of the ancient Brittish inhabitants of the Kingdome, provided that they be of the Romish profession,
3 Thirdly that a parliament be forthwith called consisting of whom they shall thinck fitt to be admitted, wherein their owne Religious men shalbe assistants
4 fowrthly Poineings act must be repealed & Ireland declared to be a Kingdome independent of England, & without any referrence vnto it in any case whatsoever
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5 All acts preiudiciall to the Romish Religion shalbe abolished & it to be enacted, that there bee noe other profession in the Kingdome but the Romish
6 That only the ancient Nobility of the Kingdome shall stand, and of them such as shall refuse to conforme to the Romish Religion to be removed, and others putt in their Roome, Howsoever the present Erle of Kildare must be putt out, and another putt in his place
7 All plantacion lands to be recalled, and the ancient proprieters to be reinvested in their former estates, With the limitations in their Covenant expressed, That they had not formerly sold their interests for valuable Consideracions
8 That the respective Countie of the Kingdome be subdevided, & certaine bownds or Barronies assigned to the cheefe septs and others of the nobility, Whoe are to be answearable for the gouernement thereof & that a standing Army may be still in being, The respective governors being to keepe a certeine number of men to be ready at all riseings out, (as the terme it) They alsoe being to builde & manteine certeine fortresses in places most convenient within their precincts: And that theis gouernors be of absolute power, only responsible to the parliament
9 Lastly for mainteineing a Correspondencie with other nations & for secureing the Coasts, that alsoe they may be rendered considerable vnto others, a navie of certeine number of shipps is to be manteined That to this end, five howses are to be accompted one in each province, accompting Meath for one of them, That to theis howses shalbe allotted an Anuall pention of certeine Thowsands of powndes, to be made vp of landes appropriate to Abbeys: And a further Contribution to be raised in the respective provinces to that end, That theis howses are to be assigned to a certeine order of Knights, answereable to that of Malta, Whoe are to be seamen; & to mainteine this fleete, That all prices are to bee apportioned, Some part for a Comon banck the rest to bee devided, ffor which purpose the felling of wood serviceable for this vse is to bee forbidden: The howse for this purpose is to bee assigned to Leinster is Kilmainham, or rather Howth, Provided he Joine with them, That howse being esteemed most convenient in respect of scituation,
For effecting of all which they cast vp the accompt of the forces of this kingdome, That it is able to make vpp readily Two
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hundred thowsand able men wanting onely Comanders, & some expert souldiers for the present with Armes and Amunition of all which they expect a speedy supply out of Flaunders Their owne Regiments there exercised being to be sent over & some shipping from Spaine allotted for that service, That this kingdome being settled, there are 30000 men to bee sent into England, to Joine with the french and spanish forces, and then Jointly to falle vpon Scotland, for reduceing both Kingdomes to the obedience of the pope, Which being finished, they have engaged themselves to the Kinge of Spaine for assisting him against the Hollanders, & giveing their Rebellion (as they terme it) its due correction: And thus have I laid downe all that I heard related, omitting what I fynd others more Largely to insist vpon, All which their treacherous, vaine & ayrie projects God disapointe. As for my owne private sufferings by the present Rebellion: I referr them to another scedule, this being soe farr taken vpp
Jur iijo Marcij 1641 coram Roger Puttock, Jo: Sterne, Johanne Watson, Willelmo Aldrich & Willelmo Hitchcock
John Sterne
John Watson
Roger Puttock
William Aldrich
William Hitchcock