ham, of the town of Rofs, having informed them of the taking of Ennifcorthy by the rebels, defired them to make their efcape into the garrifon, and they providentially followed his advice. Two perfons only, that I could hear of, of the parish of Old Rofs, fell into their hands, when they were endeavouring to make their efcape into that town, and were murdered by them. They were of the name ens of James, a father and fon, the former near eighty years old.

The reverend William Glafcott, rector of the parish of St. James or Ballyhack, which lies on the Rofs river, above Duncannon fort, and oppofite to Paffage, having received the earlieft intelligence of the rebel encampment formed on the mountain of Forth, and the defeat of the Meath militia there, critically alarmed his parishioners, fome of whom fought an afylum in the fort of Duncannon; † and others croffed the river at Ballyhack, and were treated with very great humanity by captain Forbes of the Ravensworth transport, who received as many of them as he could accommodate in his veffel, and provided them with neceffaries. Two only fell into the hands of the rebels, who pofted piquets on all the roads leading to Rofs, Ballyhack and Duncannon, to intercept fuch proteftants as might attempt to escape.

William Hore, of Harperftown, efquire, nephew of the earl of Courtown, had appointed a day for the priest and the congregation of the parish of Doncormuck, to affemble and take oaths of allegiance; but the rebellion broke out the day preceding it. He endeavoured to make his efcape to Duncannon fort, on foot, by the moft fecret and by-ways; but he was feized by a body of pikemen, who were pofted to prevent orangemen from retreating to that garrifon. Mr. Hore requested to be carried before father Edward Murphy, parish prieft of Bannow;

with

which

Plate III. 9.

which they complied. But that reverend gentleman, though his will was a law, would not liberate him. He was therefore taken to Wexford, and fuffered on the bridge in that fcene of carnage fo difgraceful to human nature. William-Allen Cox, efquire, captain of the Taghmon yeomen cavalry, lived at Coolcliff, † in the fame parish, and on a navigable river called the Bannow, but which is extremely narrow till it reaches Clonmines. He endeavoured to make his escape in a small boat, in hopes of geting to fea; but he was fo befet by pikemen, that he was under the neceffity of landing in the midst of a horde of thofe favages; however, he derived great confolation from the fight of father Edward Murphy, whofe protection he implored; but he briefly replied, "That his ftay there would be but fhort;" and he left him in the hands of those mercilefs wretches. He then took to his boat, and was foon after seized by the pikemen at the Scar-pafs of Barrietstown, and conveyed to Wexford, where he fuffered on the bridge.

The parish of Bannow, of which Edward Murphy was priest, is fo populous and extensive, as to require two chapels; one called the chapel of Carrig, about two miles from Bannow, where he generally officiates; the other, at Ballymitty, is not far from Taghmon, This reverend father was the perfon who preached the fermon at Vinegar-hill, which Richard Grandy was prefent at, and made affidavit of before George Ogle, efquire, and three magiftrates more. S

A proteftant of the first authority declares, that fhe heard him preach, at Carrig, a fermon, in which he faid, "That God Almighty befriended them in all their operations, for the attainment of liberty; and that the whole of the bufinefs was as vifibly his work, as that of dividing the red fea by Mofes." He affured fome female protestants, || in his neighbourhood,

+ Ibid. 7.

Plate III. 8.

Plate III. 6. $ Appendix, No. XX. 7. The male fled, or were taken prifoners by the pikemen.

bourhood, whom he occafionally vifited, that he had foreseen and foretold to numbers this ftruggle for liberty, as he termed it, fourteen years before it took place; and he afferted very frequently, that the whole force of England, even if the were twice as powerful as fhe is, would not be able to re-conquer Ireland, as Providence fought their battles.

During the fhort exiftence of the Irish republick, he regularly inftructed the proteftants in his neighbourhood in his catechifm, telling them, that there were four hells, and a great deal more of fuperftitious nonfenfe. A proteftant lady, whofe fon was confined in Wexford gaol on account of his religion, applied to his reverence to interfere for his liberation; but he gave her a fhove from him, faying, "He would never fave a heretick; and that he had other bufinefs to mind,"

While this falfe prophet was celebrating mass at Carrig, on a Sunday during the rebellion, he heard the report of a cannon; on which his congregation, known by the name of the Bannow corps, were immediately under arms, and by his order proceeded in great force to Bannow, to oppofe fome gun-boats, and a revenue-cutter, fent into the bay of Fethard, to destroy fome boats and the ftores of a Mr. Lynn there, containing a great quantity of malt, which the rebels were taking away to brew for their camps. This reverend gentleman foon followed his troops, and drew them up with fome skill on the beach of that place, at a fhort diftance from Fethard, on which the gun-boats were then firing; and it is faid by perfons of veracity, who were forced into the rebel ranks that day, that Murphy ordered a number of women to march from his chapel, and join the rebel troops with hats on, that they might affume the femblance of men, in order to intimidate the failors by their numbers. The gun-boats fucceeded in deftroying fome fifhing-fmacks; but as the fire which

* Plate III. 10.

which had been communicated to the ftores was extinguished, this facerdotal hero returned in triumph to Carrig, at the head of the Bannow corps, with colours flying and mufick playing. He diftributed a great quantity of fcapulars in his parish; and he frequently told fuch female proteftants as happened to remain there, that doctor Caulfield would be primate of Ireland, and that he would be archbishop of Dublin.

Agreeable to the proclamation iffued by government, offering pardon to fuch repentant rebels as fhould take oaths of allegiance, and furrender their arms, Mr. Tottenham, the proprietor of Rofs, and other magiftrates, continued in the months of July and Auguft to extend the benefit of it to great numbers of that defcription, who carried in a few bad pikes and mufkets, merely for the purpofe of obtaining protections; from which, and from fubfequent events, it was unquestionable that they harboured their rebellious defigns as ftrongly as ever. as ever. But what fignified oaths to fuch wretches, when the multitude had been guilty of the most flagrant violation of them? None of them would confefs the names of their officers, except fuch of them as had been killed or hanged. One fanguinary ruffian was very candid in his confeffion; he faid, that general Harvey ordered him to attack and burn the town of Rofs; that he fired a great many fhots, and never without effect; that he entered Rofs by Neville-street and Mary-ftreet, but could not proceed farther than the main-guard. That poft had been bravely defended by ferjeant Hamilton of the Donegal regiment, with two fhip-guns, and fixteen men, who never abandoned their poft. Mr. Tottenham afked this intrepid rebel, "Whether he would have fired at him, if he had feen him? and he anfwered, that he would have been very proud to have had him under his eye. He afked him alfo how many he had killed? to which he replied, that he could not tell, as he had taken his ammunition out of a pouch; but that

that he was fure he never fired without killing or wounding a foldier.

MASSACRE AT SCULLABOGUE.

*

I contemplate with horror, and relate with reluctance, an, occurrence which took place on the day of the battle of Rofs, which will remain a lafting difgrace to human nature, and an indelible stain on the county of Wexford. During the encampment of the rebels on Carrickbyrne-hill, a party of them were posted at Scullabogue, † within half a mile of the camp, where a barn was converted into a prifon for the confinement of proteftant prifoners. Bands of affaffins were fent round the adjacent country in queft of proteftants, whom they meant to extirpate, when they accomplished their final purpose of overturning the government. For the manner in which this barbarous bufinefs was conducted, and the circumftances of cruelty and atrocity which accompanied it, fee Appendix, No. XX. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

On the eve of the thirtieth of May, captain King, the proprietor of Scullabogue, was advised to abandon his house, and to carry off what valuable effects he could, as a camp was to be formed the day after on Carrickbyrne-hill, which is within half a mile of Scullabogue.

Next day he made his efcape, and the rebels took poffeffion of his house. It appears, on the evidence of different perfons, that one hundred and eightyfour proteftants were burned in the barn of Scull bogue, and that thirty-feven were fhot in the front of it.

The following circumftance appeared by the evi dence of Richard Silvefter, a witnefs on the trial of Phelim Fardy, one of the wretches concerned in that horrid affair: That when the rebels encamped on Carrickbyrne-hill marched towards Rofs, on the fourth of June, the proteftant prifoners were left at Scullabogue,