The Irish rebellion: or, An history of the beginnings and first progresse of the general rebellion raised within the kingdom of Ireland, upon the three and twentieth day of October, in the year, 1641.: Together vvith the barbarous cruelties and bloody massacres which ensued thereupon. / By Sir Iohn Temple Knight. Master of the Rolles, and one of his Majesties most honourable Privie Councell within the kingdom of Ireland.

The EXAMINATION of Anne the late Wife of John Sherring, late of the Territory of Ormond, neere the Silverworks in the County of Tipperary, aged about 25. yeeres, Sworne and Examined, Deposeth and Saith:

THat about Candlemas was two yeers, the said John Sherring her then husband, going from his Farme, which he held from Ma∣ster John Kenedy, Esquire, neer to the Silverworks, one Hugh Kenedy, one of the brothers of the said John Kennedy, a cruell Rebell, together with a great multitude of Irish rebellious Souldiers, then and there fiercely assaulted and set upon her said husband, and upon one Wil∣liam Brock, William Laughlin, Thomas Collop, and eight more English Protestant men, and about ten women, and upon some children in their company, and then and there stript them of their cloaths, and then with stones, poleaxes, skeines, swords, pikes, darts, and other weapons, most barbarously massacred and murdered her said hus∣band, and all those Protestant men, women and children: In the time of which Massacre, a most loud and fearfull noise and storme of thunder, lightning, wind, hailstones and raine began: The time be∣ing on a Sabbath day, about an hour before night, the former part of that day being all very faire, but that thunder, lightning and tem∣pest happening suddenly after the massacre was begun, much afrigh∣ted and terrified this Deponent and many others, insomuch as those murtherers themselves confessed it to be a signe of Gods anger and threatning of them for such their then cruelty; yet it deterred them not, but they persisted in their bloody act, untill they had murdered those said English Protestants and had hackt, hewed, slashed, stab'd and so massacred them, that many of them were cut all to pieces; and her husband for his part, had thirty grievous wounds then and there given him (viz.) some through or neer his heart, ten mortall wounds in his head, three in his belly, and in either arme four, and the rest in his thighes, legs, back and neck; and that murder done, those barbarous Rebels tyed wyths about their necks, and drew them out of the refining Mill (where indeed they slew them) and threw them or most of them into a deep hole (formerly made) one upon another, so that none of those 23. men, women nor children did escape death. Howbeit one Tho. Ladell, a Scottish-man, & one George Kelsie, who then and there endured and had many grievous wounds

and being left on the ground for dead, crawled up (after the Rebels were gone away) and with much difficulty, escaped with their lives: And further saith, that such was Gods judgement upon the said Hugh Kenedy for that bloody fact, that he presently fell into a most despe∣rate madnesse and distraction, and could not rest day nor night; yet coveting to doe more mischiefe upon the English, but being prevented and denied to doe it, he about a week after drowned himselfe in the next River to the Silverworks, but his barbarous and wicked Soul∣diers went on in their wickednesse, and afterwards bragged how they had killed a Minister and his wife and four children neer the City of Limrick; and this Deponent is too well assured, that those and other Irish Rebels in that part of the Country, exercised and committed great number of bloody murthers, robberies and outrages upon the persons and goods of the Protestants, so as very few escaped with their lives, and none at all saved their goods. And further saith, that all the popish Gentry in the Country thereabouts, especially all those of the Septs and names of the O Brians, and the Coghluns, the Kenedies, were all actors in the present Rebellion against his Majesty; and either acted, assisted, incited, or consented to all the murders, robberies, cruelties and rebellious acts aforesaid. And she further saith, that by meanes of the said Rebellion, her said husband and she were at Werinwood about Candlemas 1641. robbed and deprived of their Cattell, Houshold-stuffe, Corne, Mault, Provision, ready money, debts, the benefit of their Lease, and other their Goods and Chattels of the value, and to their losse of one hundred and three∣score pounds at the least, and that the said John Kenedy Esquire, their Land-lord, was the man that so deprived and robbed them thereof, and the other Rebels stript her stark naked, jurat Feb. 10. 1643.

• ...Henry Jones.
• ...Henry Brereton.
• ...Anne Sherring.

Notes

• The Province of Munster.