The Bowles of Canada and their Roots in Ireland and England
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Richard Boles of Cork's Deposition Regarding the Events of
the Rebellion in Ireland in 1641; Given in London on April 28, 1645
Statement by Richard Boles,
London
(a handwritten document signed
by Richard but not in his handwriting, possibly as recorded by a clerk as
Richard gave his deposition verbally; some words which could not be made out
for certain have been enclosed in square brackets)
See also
The Boles of Cork for more on Richard's
family and also The 1641 Depositions
for the deposition which Richard gave earlier in Cork in 1642.
Sir
This is to let you understand
that in the first of the rebellion in Ireland in 1641 that James fitz
Nicholas Barry came from Dublin (having broken prison there as I heard) and
took possession of the Castle of Annagh and afterwards the said James sent
for me to him and called me tenant Boles and said I [were to] welcome him to
his castle. Then I answered him I took Sir Philip Perceval to be my
landlord. Then the said James said Sir Philip Perceval was gone into England
and would never return again for God had showed a just plague upon him and
all his heirs and said that in His good time He hath put me in possession of
my own lands again in [the same] manor he says he was eased out of for
little or nothing. Then that the said James demanded of me how many cattle I
had of all sorts upon his lands. I told him I had three score and three head
of cows and steers upon the Rath and Kilgrogan and four hundred three score
and seven sheep and twenty pounds worth of corn, and [certain] other goods,
then the said James asked me what I would do with the cattle and goods. I
said I would drive then to our Garrisons and make the best of them, and the
said James said I should not remove a beast of them for he had a hundred men
upon the ground to keep them that they should not move off from the land,
and wished me [depart]. He gave me leave to go on and off to depart the
castle and make haste to the English garrison for saith he our Irish army is
[marching] to Mallow to take it, and you shall have no more to do here and
so handing nothing left me at all.
I fell into great want being
shut up in the castle of Liscarrol many months. Tho I petitioned daily the
said James to let me have some of my own cows or sheep to help me in my
distress, my wife then lying in, as he knew, but he refused us, and would do
nothing for me. Then within a fortnight after the Irish Army with the said
James as [guide] came and took the short castle of Mallow where the said
James carried eight score of my sheep for their army. And afterwards the
said James went to our garrison at Welshtowne (being your lands) to the
Constable of the castle being Anthony Wiseman and told him that he were
better to leave the castle and to march with their arms and provisions to
his castle of Annagh where the said James promised to secure them til the
Irish army marched away. And then the said James promised they should return
to their own castle again and their arms and provisions when they pleased.
Then the said Anthony Wiseman yielded the castle arms and provisions into
the said James hands and marched to Annagh, where in short time they were
kept as prisoners. But the said James (breaking his promise) took possession
of the castle of Weshtowne and put in a garrison of Irish rebels, which did
much hurt on the English and [others], kept the arms and provisions from the
English until they were almost starved, then he sent them away to our
garrison with little or nothing. And afterwards the said James killed and
destroyed on the farmlands of Welshtowne near a thousand sheep of Sir Philip
Perceval’s, likewise the said James had of Mr Francis Perceval forty head of
cattle and upwards and the plunder of his house where he had of mine (before
his own) the wool of one hundred sheep. Then the said James took from Thomas
Boles forty head of cows or upwards from Ballynaboule.
Afterwards our army marched
towards Welshtowne, then the said James (fearing he would not keep his
castle) carried away his arms and provisions, and fired the Castle and
retreated to Sir Philip Perceval’s castle of Annagh. And the said James and
his men assisted the Irish at the taking of Liscarrol, still saying they
were for the King, and that the Parliament was but a puff of wind. Likewise
Crogher Reogh O’Callaghan drove the lands of Liscarrol and took away all Sir
Philip Perceval’s sheep and horses saying he took them for the use of Sir
Philip Perceval, and made use of them for the Irish armies, and endeavoured
to [give] the castles to the Irish rebels. Likewise he was at the fight of
Liscarrol where he strived to deprive us of the castle. Likewise Sir William
Poore of Kibollane and David Poore his grandson and Ed. McThomas Cam of
Clenish much mischief against Liscarrol by killing many men of ours, by
taking many sheep and cattle of Sir Philip Perceval and Thomas Boles. And
likewise were against the English in the fight of Liscarrol in September
1642. On the giving up of Liscarrol upon quarter by Sergeant Reymond,
Crogher Reogh O’Callaghan told me that I should not have my [hopes upon any
lands], no not if I would give 1000 [pounds], for the Irish had need of
them. Dermot O’Callaghan the [priest], Brother Crogher Reogh was also
[Chief] who was placed in Liscarrol on the surrender thereof. Damiel
O’Dowgan and Dermot Briston, Masons, were the directors where the rebel [petrarys]
should play on the castle of Liscarrol.
See The Bowles of Canada
See The Bowles of Ireland
See The Bowles of Great
Britain
This page was last updated
10/18/18