Memories of 1798
The rebellion of 1798 was a memorable time in Laois history. There was a very
disturbed winter before taking up arms and robbing houses of the
Protestants. In the spring a proclamation by the government was put out,
that the Country people that had arms, if they would deliver them up,
and take the Oath of Allegiance, they would be protected. Perhaps the
lower orders about
Mountmellick pretended that they were innocent. I
don’t recollect that they gave up any arms, but I was on a visit at
Uncle Pim's in Rathangan (as that family had moved in from
Tullylost, Co Kildare for
safety a short time before), and perhaps the
Co.
Kildare was under
Martial law, but I saw on the 4th day numbers of men perhaps hundreds,
giving up their arms and taking up the Oath of Allegiance, and getting
out their protections. But six weeks later, when the rebellion broke
out, the same people, in fact the Country, with a few exceptions, all
Roman Catholics came in as rebels, and murdered every protestant man
they could lay their hands on, perhaps upwards of twenty.
The protestants got into a house next to William Pim’s who was then ill
in bed, and thought of defending themselves there but before that the
rebels had murdered several of the protestants. They also murdered James
Spencer, the landlord of the town, in a barbarous manner in his own
house and cut off his head. They afterwards brought up his affected
widow at their head, getting her to speak to the protestants in their
garrison, and to request that they capitulate and that their lives would
be spared: which she did but almost immediately after they were all
murdered.
My cousin Joshua Pim, knowing that he was obnoxious to the
rebels, brought his man with him over to
Mountmellick on
the 5th day to my
Fathers, and sent back his man with a horse, a man that had been reared
under the family at
Tullylost. But when he came back he gave a double
rap at the hall door, and gave in the bridle and saddle to Jane Pim who
opened the door for him. The rebels were then in possession of the town.
Besides other friends living in the town, there was of our family - my
uncle and Aunt Pim, their daughter Jane and Hanna, and my Aunt Margaret,
William Pim and his wife at next house with their apprentices. William
was ill in bed with fever. I have heard my Aunt Margaret say that at the
back windows they could see people hiding their valuables in the ground
in their gardens, expecting the rebels in, and when they came they at
once set to plundering ripping up the feather beds to store things in
the ticks.
He said the quantity of feathers thrown out in the streets, made the
streets look white as snow. However my Uncle’s family were wonderfully
preserved, and though the lower part of the house was at all times full
of rebels and their wives: they killing sheep in abundance and dressing
them in the kitchen where they sat and drank all the time they had had
possession of the town, which was four or five days. The family,
however, had a man, a catholic, perhaps between 50 and 60 years old, a
follower of the family, (I wish that I could recollect his name) but he
made it his business to keep the rebels down in the kitchen story and
prevented them from roving over the house.
My Uncle Pim was then
confined to his bed, helpless and perhaps childish, when one day a
parcel of the rebels got in at the hall door, he lying in the room
opposite, and going into the room where were all the females of the
family, of course much terrified; but on their coming in and looking at
him lying in his bed, they decided that he was a good man and immediately
turned about and left the house. A few days after two of the black horse
drove on their horses through the town in a gallop, but I think one of
them and his horse were both shot. But soon after the army came in by
the Dublin road and the rebels soon took to their heels, after dancing
around their tree of liberty for several days and committing many
murders, some of the bodies of which were brought and laid in the
churchyard for the burial, the weather being uncommonly hot and fine.
But one of these bodies came to life in the night, and escaped with his
life, his wound not being mortal, got home and afterwards called the
“resurrection”, but when the army came many of them were shot, in fact
every one in coloured clothes, were in danger as supposed rebels.
The
soldiers naturally thinking all the loyalists were murdered. It was on
this occasion that the kind man who had exerted himself to keep the
rebels from pillaging my uncle Pim’s house, was taken up by the soldiers
near the bridge, and about being shot when some women brought word of it
to my Aunt Pim, and she immediately with Aunt Margaret Pim went through
the streets full of furious soldiers, many of them intoxicated, and as
soon as possible spoke to the officer who had him in custody, and he
begged his life telling them how kind he has been to them. They got him
off and brought him up to the house under guard. The servant man that
had become their master now had to hide himself for days on their
concern, often in imminent danger of his life. At the next house William
Pims there was, all the time the rebels were in possession, a protestant
man under an empty sugar hogs head in the yard, often with crowds of the
rebels lying about with their pikes but escaped.
It is surprising that neither of the houses was plundered, except of
trifling articles, but when the army came in, Robert Woodcock, a very
handsome lad, being in coloured clothes, a solider seeing him, run after
him to take his life, he ran upstairs and the solider after him. He met
Elizabeth Pim on the landing place and run behind her, she shifting over
him to save him, and shouting to the man not to fire, but he did, and I
think by the shot broke his arm, but Elizabeth Pim had marvellous escapes
as the garrison of the loyalists was next door to them. I don’t think
that in either of the houses even the plate or the house linen was
disturbed, but many of those who looked at the arm of flesh to save them
lost very heavily.
One young man Thomas Gatchell, my school fellow had been much with
the army before the rebellion broke out, and consulted with Elizabeth
Pim what he had best do, but he did not take her advice, he took up arms
and went up to the garrison, and when capitulated he escaped with
another out backwards, and got into a large empty house built by Mr.John
Pomeroy. He also got up the chimney on the upper storey. But both of
them were murdered very soon after and I saw afterwards the marks of
their blood and brains on the hearth stone.
My Uncle died about five weeks after this. I now return to
Mountmellick where there was never any regular break out, but all only
willing to do so. The rebels broke out at
Monasterevin, and if I
recollect right, set fire to some houses near Portarlington, but I don’t
think they ever got possession to either of these towns. But on the day
of the attack on Monasterevin there was great alarm over the town of
Mountmellick, and about dusk in the evening a young lad rode out to
town, and after a while brought in word that the rebels were collecting
at the Rock of Debycot, but it was then so dark that he might have made
a mistake, which I believe was the case, but on that there terrible
hubbub in the town, men, women and children running about, and the
Yeomanry all getting under arms, but about 12 o’clock all became quiet
but guards sat up all night and from that for several weeks.
But that
evening my father being inside his shut shop door, overheard two men who
would be very sorry not to be counted loyal, saying that they would have
fine fun if there was a row, plundering the Quakers shops. A few days
after the army came into
Mountmellick perhaps a hundred of I think the
Royal Downshire Militia and with them two nine pounder cannon which were
placed in the market house immediately opposite to our house, and a
regular guard there night and day.
I think it was on the 7th day of this
week that my father and Joshua Pim went to near
Ardry
Mills about 65
miles from Rathangan to see if they could hear anything from their
friends there, but they were advised to go no further or they would be
murdered, but they saw several houses in the town on fire. I suppose
thatched ones. They came back with a heavy heart thinking it likely that
all their friends were murdered. I recollect Jos. Pim in great distress,
indeed the whole family, but the excitement and the possibility of each
of being in the rebel’s hands kept people from sinking too much. But in
a few days order was restored by the government proclaiming martial law,
and a military force.
The tables were now turned, and orders came down
from the castle to have Jerry Dunne and two or three more taken up and
flogged. No doubt that they had been informed of, and the event proved
that they were guilty. Jerry Dunne was a fat man; he was father of
Patrick Dunne a stone mason. I think he was flogged twice at the pump
near our house. The women said that the virgin Mary was supporting him.
Joseph W. Pim was just then born, and James, his Father, got them to
take the flogging to the other pump. But on Jerry Dunne being brought
out on the third time he confessed to being a Captain of the rebels, and
gave names of the persons he had sworn. I know nothing of this but on
going down the garden I found all the men in the tan yard had decamped,
and soon after found them out through the hedge in the garden, but in a
few days after they were all taken up and confined in the riding house,
a large place that would hold many hundreds of people.
They were kept there many days, and several tried by court martial.
One horse yeomanry, his name was Brock, a handsome young fellow, was
condemned for selling Pikes in his fathers shop. Though very young yet
having taken oath as a Yeoman, he was condemned to be hung on the
gallows in Pound Street, nearly opposite the lane, seven one day and
four the next. There was several others sentenced to be hung, among
others John Ryan a brogue maker who dealt with my father for leather,
and them owed him a large sum. But the night before he was to be hung my
father brought me with him as a witness, he made a will and arranged for
my father to be paid. He then fully expected to be hung and several
others next day, but next reprieve came from the Lord Lieutenant
Cornwallis, and after a while the whole were liberated on condition that
they would show themselves every day, and answer to their names. They
were then collected on a dung hill, which was then an open space near
Sally Simpson’s in
Barrack Street.
They went in crowds through the
streets every evening back and forward and were called the dunghill
parade. But except one or two persons at least a very few, the whole of
the lower order of R. Catholics that were all deep in the rebellion
A short time before the rebellion, in a fight returning from a funeral,
some persons that died in
Mountmellick
were
then buried near the
Heath,
then quarrelled on the road home in a house and killed a man. It was
afterwards proved on a trial by court martial that it originated about
the brogue makers and others dividing among themselves the houses and
business of houses in
Mountmellick, of respectable Protestants, who were
of course to be put out of the way.
One of these rebels was the very man John Ryan that escaped hanging.
He and another of his trade were disputing which should have my fathers
tan yard and shop, that Ryan afterwards defrauded me of near £100.00,
between him and his wife, a short time before I quit business in
Mountmellick: and after I came to
Clara thinking that he was dead, I met
him on the foot path opposite my field looking well, and accosted me to
help him, but I refused as I have always discouraged persons coming
after me, for when I have given assistance I found that it only
encouraged them to come perhaps repeatedly.
After the rebellion was over
it was surprising how soon the respectable people got up their spirits,
and perhaps went in some instances, by exuberance of spirits into
licentiousness, drinking etc. In the 6th mo. 1799 my mother took me to
drive her in the chair to
Enniscorthy then a year after the battle of
Vinegar Hill. When we got near Enniscorthy
having lodged the night
before at Ballyeely at
Batsey Lockey’s
but going into the town we could
scarcely see a person to enquire the way. All the suburbs long streets
in all parts of that town then mud walls were without a roof or
inhabitants they themselves having set fire to them, on the rebellion
break out and went to the hill men and women to gain the camp.
But when we got into the body of the town, there was a number of the
other party about the streets, but numbers of the houses which had been
thatched burned down, and in ruins, as was also the Protestant Church.
There was a number of militia and yeoman about the streets all as merry
as possible, while I was there music etc. When we went to the meeting on
first day morning at which there were many ministers, and a large
meeting, but when we came out we found the Protestant Church of England
persons waiting outside for us to brake up in order for them to commence
their service in the same house. Some friends said it was wrong to
accommodate them, but I thought it would be most unchristian act to have
prevented them. I rather think that at and before that time, there was
no regular meeting of friends in
Enniscorthy, but that few friends who
lived in the town attended
Cooladine meeting. John Rudd was then
rebuilding his Inn, Government having paid him his losses.
A number of
other houses were also building from the same source, but friends made
up a collection among their body to help those that had lost nearly all
they had in the rebellion. Nearly all those losses were confined to the
Co. Wexford. Friends from America also sent over a handsome sum, which
not being wanting they were noticed of it and I think that instead of
taking it back they ordered it to some other public fund, but perhaps in
England. But in the American war relief was sent from Ireland to friends
there.
I forgot at commencing my account of the rebellion to say that
the way the rebels took to give notice to their party in the country was
to attack all the mail coaches and the passage boats. They stopped them
all. The Limerick mail was attacked at
Cherryville
Hill near
Kildare, at
the very place where the
Carlow and
Cork railway now unites, and a
gentleman inside was shot dead, I think his name was Blood; and I think
the horses were also shot.
MOUNTMELLICK LIBRARY - (Author
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