RAT HANGAN .

RAT HANGAN -Im hein Im was called in Irish Rath g , g ’ f o W han s Fort . The rath r m hich it takes its name

fie ld 1 80 is in a near the church , and is about feet in " diameter .

1 1 7 6 baro ff In Strongbow granted the ny of O aly, i clu di n ng Rathangan , to Maurice Fitzgerald .

In 1 3 1 6 Edward Wh o w Bruce , had been cro ned

Ki W arm W ng of Ireland , having, ith his y , intered in ” Rath n e an Westmeath , marched through y g on his

“ way to the south . 1

O u th 1 32 9 Earl the 7 July, Richard , third of Kil d are , died at Rathangan , at the age of twelve years , and was buried at Kildare . 1 534 l In , at the time of the rebe lion of Silken

l fortifie d Thomas, Rathangan Cast e was strongly and garrisoned .

’ ’ n v s A f h F u O D o o an nnals o t e o r Maste rs . ‘ ’ r Grace s Annals . 4 RAT HANGAN .

1 5 3 5 A th In February, , John llen , Master of e

Rolls , in a letter to Thomas Cromwell , Secretary of

State , recommends that the castle should be taken by " t h e Royal forces as soon as possible . It was acco rd l u A i ng y carried by assa lt in pril . Holi n sh e dT relates that when the Castel of Rath ingan was woon, which was soone after the surrender

Ma no th E c d of y , hee (the arl of ause a drove of cattell to appear timely in the morning , hard by the town e . Such as kept the Fort suspecting it to be a bootie were trayned for the more part out of the u castel , who were s rprised by Thomas, that lay hard

ambu sh e by in , and the greater number of them ’ E h slain e . The arl however continued to arass the “ A Mr . T h saure r o w . t e t e garrison one time ,§ sending of the Nass certem cartes of v itt e l s to the castell of

n Rathangan , Thomas Fitzgerald , havi g knowledge

n W t O oh on or thereof, fur ished ith the s rength of and f t other als traitors , purposed to intercep the same ,

Mr . T he sau re r cum an as but , with such p y was with

w as Mu v D c him , which as we hear saie sgra e , a res ,

fo lo id and Thomas Eustace , ”hearing of ther intent,

H V l 2 2 a e s e III . vo . . . 9 . State P p r . nry ii p ’ f Holi n sh e d s History of I re land . ke n T o m as e n E arl of K e who e 1 Sil h , t th ildar , had lat ly m succe e de d t o th e E arldo . l m z n us n th E Si r Wi li a Braba o . II C o i to e arl . 5 RATHANGAN .

and t met with him , and notwithstanding the doble

it s id ca number of them , as is a , to him and his mpa n n ot c y , he sett upon them , and so onlie , in conclu

di scom fit e ll e sion , them , but ki ed sixt en of ther hors men , and the capitaine of ther

ul 15 35 a w as E r . In J y , , the c stle retaken by the a l

w O ch o n o r u t d The traitor , ith the aide of , assa l e a a n e t wh e rin g y the cour and castell of Rathangan ,

ce rt e n re t n e w was of the y of Sir William Bretons ,

first lo o st e b e lde d who the ase curte , and after y the

to t rad m e nt castell , which was brought passe by the y o f Fe lo m Bo O ch on or i n di ht e d y , whom , after he was g

arra n e d m u rdo u rs and y of diverse treasons , and felo

u s a t com e in nies before , Kildare , befor our last g into

In lan de De u ti e roce s g , my Lord p , without p or order

law con st ra ne d d e l ve r hi m of , y the shirif to y at

vit t e l e n large , and after put him in trust for the g

i Mr h sa r r d . . e u e and oversight of the sa garrison T ,

a e rfit e kn o wle e the next daie fter , not having p g ther o f cum an ak o rn ai e , but thinking with his p y to m e a j

o t ra t our soco re d into All n, where the y was , which is

u Na not past fo r miles from the as, yit to be suer,

t hith e rwarde whether it were true or not, resorted ;

kn owle e m and if g had not been sent befor, by so e

owne cu m an al of thois which were in his p y, as be

Pa rs . 11 . 2 a e e . 60. St t p , vol p f t rai t ours als of theis Geraldines , he had fo un dé

a Thomas, with many of his c mpany, within the cas

' fie dd tell and curte ; but or he came, they , and so he e ntre d a a n e the castell and court g y albeit , no

In li shm an it lo s g wold tary in it to kepe , which had o t

t t wi e s f o . Wh e rn on i be or, and Kildare als p he entre ted Sir James Fitz Gerald to take upon hi m the kep

i t rau ntin hi m wa i s ing of , g g g for as many of his m e n as shu ld be in it and so he hath warded it with

fo ot e m e n ke e th e horsemen, gunners , and other , and p it salve li e

Si r " ames Fitz Gerald was uncle to the Earl , and t no withstanding his services to the crown , was in the

February arrested and sent to England, was confin e d in the tower of London with and after a year’ s imprisonment exe

” e m o ri al of Le nst e r I In for the winning y , for d 1 53 warde by the Council of Ireland to the King m 7 , i t was proposed that the younger son or brother of some gobd English family shoul d receive out of th e forfeited l ah ds the manor of Rathangan with the baro

' f l ‘ a W e ny o f Ofla y. 1 And in the same ye r . Cowl y suggests the various border castles should be

ive n t o m archars me n g h as are , of warre, hav

4. S 1 1 . 2 64 . l b. 41 Papers , f RAT HANGAN . 7

“ ing good rctynue s ; and among others the Fas sagh of In another letter it is su g gested that when the Lord Deputy has conference with the Irish chiefs, in order to save expense he d If should reside in one of the bor er fortresses . ’ i ” O Ch on o ur n . with , he be Rathangan , which ’ Offal was on the border of that chief s country , yi 1 53 8 In March , , the Lord Deputy wrote that he ’ O C onn or had been trying to induce to submit .

m o ro we condu ct e Apon the he cam , upon save ,

se rvaun t Kin e s unto my sayd , into the g castell of

w b m citi e Rathangan , and ith y from thens to the of ” D l n ub . y , where he made hys humble submission 1 Among the articles sent by the Irish Council to

England against the Lord Deputy , Lord Graney , was an d , that he quartered his soldiers on Rathangan other royal towns without payment . § Among the accusations against Gerald the eleventh

Earl, and in consequence of which he was sent pri m 1 5 75 f so er to England , in , are , that he had con er ’ e nce s Ke da h O C on n o r with g , a noted rebel, both before and after the latter had plundered W alte r; w ’ nih 1 5 M T h o m a f Sta n rst 73 . as o l in And Hubert , g i ' ’ ’ O Connor Ke da h O Conno r lower of , confessed that g ,

a a e . 446 . St te P p rs , ii

I l b. 5 60 . 8 RATHANGAN .

Mr. also a rebel , took a hawk from Colley, and sent it by him to the Earl at Rathangan . The night be fore he delivered the hawk , Hubert slept at the house ’ ” of Connor O He vrin in Lou ghballywh o gan near d Rathangan . Towar s the next evening he went to

Ke da h Rathangan , and in a lane leading to it he met g , ’ ' O Co nn o r o f " Phelim , one his followers, and ames ’ ” All Hickey the Earl s harbinger . four then went

Ke da h u d i n towards Rathangan . g and Phelim s ppe a house in the town , and Hubert and Hickey went ’ t o Hickey s chamber beyond the bridge . In the m ’ orning they went to the Earl s castle , and as they entered the gate Hickey turned to Hubert and said ’ Say the hawk is from Morice M Wate r owt of Shil ” A ‘ lela . fter waiting some time Hickey came from “ the Earl and willed Thomas Enos, the falconer, to re ce ave the That in the spring of 1 5 74

’ ‘ ’ T e a M Gil atri ck O Connor the Earl sent for g p , an open rebel , to meet him at Rathangan, and having

' e xce t Willi am ordered all to leave the room , p Bir ” m in h am Lo fe s g of g y , he took a booke and wore the sayde T e ag that whether it was warre or peace ” At he should be at his commandement . Whitsun ’ 1 5 4 Ke da h O Conno r tide , 7 , g , with twenty horse , ’ in after plundering Birmingham s country, was pass g " Be lathl ne n by a ford, called y , near Rathangan , whe M a a S. St te P pers, RATHANGAN . 9

the Earl , who was riding, seeing them , sent his ser

ui . O n vant , James Hickey , to inq re who they were his return the Earl went to meet Ke dagh and had a

K da h long conference with him . e g on returning to his followers told them that the Earl had asked him ” whose garrons those were , and on his replying , ” or the lon da They were garrons which he had f g y , the Earl said , It was needful for to have them When the Earl was arrested in Dublin on the 8th 1 5 75 May , , and imprisoned in the Castle , the Lord Keeper (the Archbishop of Dublin) and the Treasurer

(Sir Edward Fitton) went to Rathangan , escorted by

Captains Harington and Deering, and their troops, to

’ O n 1 2 arrest the Earl s sons . the th May the Lord L - Deputy , the . Keeper and the Treasurer wrote to Lord Burghley " We the Keeper of the Great Seal and the Treasurer returned from the Erles howse of Rathangan and brought with u s the Erles 2 eldest

wh om e fo wn de sonnes , we there , and since that his ’ youngest (wh om e we sent a company of Hari ngt on s

i s bande for , where he was at nurse) come also . His bowses and all things in them we have put upon safe ” stay and inventory . The name of the foster ’ father of the youngest child was Garret M Patrick

’ O onn or O n 1 5 C . the th they wrote that though

u naccount they had arrived suddenly at Rathangan ,

a e MS. State P p rs, 1 0 RAT HANGAN .

able rumours had preceded them , and consequently they had found there much less money than they " expected , and no documents of importance . In hi s examination on the 8th December the E arl ’ denied that he had ever seen Ke dagh O Co nn o r to

an i his knowledge , or had y communication w th the ’ O C on no rs , except such as was lawful . James ’ Hickey, the Earl s harbinger also being examined , ’ denied that he had ever brought any of the O Co nn o rs to the outer gate of Rathangan ; but stated that he

Ke da h had met g , who was asking for food at the V ’ icar s house , and on it being refused him , Hickey ‘ took him and his band of thirty kerne to an ale house ; and when Ke dagh wanted to plunder the

V i n hi m icar revenge for his refusal , he dissuaded H m so . e fro doing also stated that a boy , who brought a hawk from Maurice Fitzgerald to the Earl , m lodged at his house about that t i e .T The manor of Rathangan having been part of the w dower of the wido of Henry, twelfth Earl of Kil

d . are , the castle appears to have fallen to ruin In 1 744 a lease for ever of Rathangan and 9 29

Mr . He Irish acres , was made to Boyle Spencer . n e built Rathanga House, and having pull d down the ruins of the castle , he built near its site the house

” M . a a MS. S St te P pers , 1 State Papers, RATHANGAN . 1 1

- afterwards occupied by his great grandson the Hon .

George P . Colley . 1 7 9 8 When the rebellion broke out in May , , Rathangan was attacked by the insurgen ts under ” Doo rl Lu ll m o re Captain y of y , an island in the bog of Allen, about four miles from the town . The garrison consisted of a corps of ye o m an try under the t command of Captain James Spencer , agen to the m N Duke of Leinster , and half a co pany of the orth

Cork Militia . These , after some resistence , having evacuated the town and retreated to Philipstown , the ” insurgents planted a tree of liberty in the streets , and formed barricades of carts and barrels . Some of them then went to Rathangan House, where they mur

d Mr . ered Spencer . They were however soon after wards attacked by the Black Horse and the South

a fie ld Cork Militia , with piece , and though they defended themselves for some time by firi ng from t h e

e barricades and windows , they were forced to retr at

w . to the bog, here they dispersed ’ Mr - . r t cc Spence s eldes heiress, Esther, married the x V si th iscount Harberton , who made Rathangan

House his principal residence , as did his son the fift h V d iscount, until he sol the lease of the property 1 5 to the Duke of Leinster in 8 8 .

A T LEDERM T C S O .

T HE d t T ri stle de rm ot ancient name of Castle ermo , or , as it was also sometimes called , was Disert Diarmada , ' ’ z . e . St . t . , Dermo s Hermitage This Saint was son of

Ae dh He Roin . erected a monastery there about

A . D 5 00 . , on the site probably of the present church , to which is attached the round tower . His festival is on the 2 1 st June . Castledermot was the principal town of Hy Mui ’ re adh ai h O Murth g or y , a territory which comprised i the southern part of K ldare , including the Baronies

Narra h an d of Kilkea and Moone , g and Rheban , part of Connell . The following notices are taken from the Annals u M of the Fo r asters .

84 1 n Age of Christ , . The plunderi g of Disert Diarmada by the foreigners of Cael-Ui sge (Narrow

Water in co . Down) .

8 42 . C um sadh De re ro Mae lnach , son of , and , son 1 4 A M C STLEDER OT .

Sadch adach A of , who were both Bishops and ncho i i n n m . rites , died one ght at Disert Diar ada

8 6 7 . E o doi s B n b ff , son of o g al , su ered martyrdom from the foreigners at Disert Diarmada .

8 5 n 8 . S e idhi as , wise man of Disert Diarmada , tutor

C uile an an . of Cormac , son of , died

In 9 03 Balla hm o on ( was fought the battle of g , about three miles from Castledermot , when Cormac ’ M Cuile an an , King of Munster and Bishop of Cashel ,

He m was slain . was buried at Castleder ot , where one of the stone crosses may perhaps have been erected to commemorate the spot . The fie ld of ’ battle and the stone o n which the King s head was " o fi Fi ach U a U fade n cut by a common soldier, g , of

De nli s . , is still pointed out )

lain 1 03 7 . Dunch ad Dun , son of g , King of Leinster, was taken prisoner at Disert Diarmada, and blinded ’ by Do nnch ad M Gillaph adraig ; and he died imme diat e ly after .

bh aidh di stin ui sh e d 1 . U a Ga 038 , g Bishop of Disert

Diarmada die d . m Di armaid 1 040 . Disert Diar ada plundered by ,

- - Ui Ce innse alai h son of Mael na mbo , Lord of g ; and he carried away many prisoners from the oratory .

Mac so n Fre asach 1 042 . Raith , son of Gorman , of ,

Ui Bairrch e Lord of , and his wife , were slain at

i Ballain Disert Diarmada by the U . 1 5 CASTLEDERMOT .

1 1 6 9 At the time of the English invasion , , the

H Mui re adh ai h territory of y g , was occupied by the ’ O T o ole s t , who had their great ra h or fort on the

Malla hre e l an hill of g , to the north of Castledermot , and who were driven from it and forced to take refuge in the fastnesses of Wicklow .

1 1 82 r In , Hugh de Lacy e ected a castle at Castle dermot .

1 2 00 wn In , the to and manor were granted by B King John, with other estates, to Walter de idles

u ford , Baron of Bray, who fo nded a Priory or Hospital " A for C ro ach e d Friars outside the town walls . tower of this monastery still exists , of which , however, tradition assigns the erection to the Knights of St .

o hn J . T B Emelina , only daughter and heiress of de idles

Lon e s i e "u sti ce ford , married Sir Stephen de g p , Lord 1 2 60 of Ireland, who died in , leaving the manors of l Castledermot and Ki kea to his daughter Emelina ,

3rd ff . wife of Maurice , Baron of O aly 1 2 64 In , in consequence of a feud between the

de ff Geraldines , and Burghs , the Baron of O aly, at a meeting held in the church of Castledermot to discuss

ff Fi tz T h o m as their di erences , with his nephew , John ,

l st afterwards Earl of Kildare , arrested Richard de

’ x= = Arch dal e s M n i n W e . o ast c 1 o . 89 . ar 1 , p 1 6 CASTLEDERMOT .

de Capella, the Lord Justice , Richard Burgh , son U and heir of the Earl of lster , Theobald Butler,

John Cogan , and other adherents of the de Burghs , and con fine d them in his castles of Lea and Duna m ase . 1 2 In 76 a parliament was held in Castledermot . In 1 2 9 5 aid was granted by parliament to enclose the town with walls . The remains of a great part of l this wall may sti l be traced .

Towards the end of the thirteenth century, a " Franciscan Monaste ry was founded by Thomas

Fitz Maurice l st , father of the Earl of Kildare , of which the ruins still exist . 1 3 1 5 In , Edward Bruce took possession of the 1 3 1 6 town , but in , the Irish, who were marching to join his forces , having been defeated , he abandoned i t , having sacked it and plundered the monasteries

ornam e nt s of their books, vestments , and church T 1 32 8 In a chapel dedicated to St . Mary was added to the Abbey church by Thomas 2 n d Earl of

Kildare . 1 3 77 t In a parliament was held, and a min estab

ri s l d li sh e d at T t e e rm ot .

? 1 405 M Mu rro h In , g waged war with the English , during which Contac Begh (Wexford) toge ther with

H ’ M s i . 12 n o a . b 3 G a e s A . n , . t r c 1 CASTLEDERMOT . 7

i and Carlow and D sert Diarmada, were plundered " burnt . 1 408 di at In , the Lord Deputy , Lord Scrope , ed

‘ ‘ l a Castle dermot of the p gu e . i ’ ’ 1 4 1 4 O Mo re s O De m se s In , the and p y , having

a invaded the Pale , the Lord J stice, Thomas Cranley ,

Ar chbishop of Dublin, marched against them , and y ha ing reached Castledermot, sent forward his troops i against the enemy, who were encamped at K lkea , while he went in procession with his clergy to the

u confli ct church and celebrated high mass d ring the ,

vi ct or in which his forces gained a complete y j. 1 484 8 il In , Gerald, th Earl of K dare , held in

Dublin a parliament , which granted him a subsidy towards the erection of a castle at T ri stle de rm o t .

1 49 6 a 1 49 9 In , and gain in the Earl , as Lord li Deputy , held par aments in the town . The present Petty Sessions Cour t - house is said to stand on the li site of the castle and par ament house , in which a 1 mint was established in 49 9 . 1 53 2 l In Gerald , ninth Earl , al owed his followers ’ to plunder the King s subjects at the fair of T ri st e l b h ’ dermot, crying avoc e upon the King s subjects , m which thither were resorted, caused the in his own

D w ’ A e . nnals of the Four Mast rs 1 o ling s Annals . H e I olinsh d . 1 8 CASTL EDERMOT .

presence to be spoiled and robbed of their goods , and divers of them m urdre d most cruelly and tray

In 1 53 4 among the castles belonging to the Earl Kildare are mentioned the castell and wallyd town of T ri st e lde rm o t . T During the rebellion of Silken Thomas” Castle m e rm o t 1 5 34 was garrisoned for three weeks in , by

' Ofial some of the Irish allies of Lord y, while he was

s i in D li be e g g ub n . i In September of that year how ever it was taken and occupied in the king’ s name by the Earl of Ossory . § In 1 5 37 it was proposed to form a strong garrison

Cast e lde rm ot there, being walled A mong the articles against Lord Graney, late Lord

o Deputy , f rwarded to England by the Irish Council, was one for quartering his soldiers on Cast e llde r

u After the dissol tion of the monasteries, the Fran ciscan Abbey and lands were granted to Sir Henry ’

. t . ohn s Harington , and the Hospital and lands of S J A to the ancestors of the rchbold family . 1 552 In Castledermot, which had been forfeited to

Act of A a r of E of K and s 1536 . tt inde the arl ildare other ,

a e s . 1 84. St t Paper , ii

I Ib. 2 5 1 .

I . . 41 h ii 3 .

0 M 2 CASTLEDER OT .

w t e d from Charles II . a grant to have a eekly marke and two annual fairs in the town . In 1 6 9 0 after the battle of the Boyne the army of

William III . on their march to Limerick reached

Castledermot on the 1 4th August . The king him

Mr . Ed . self slept at Belan , the house of Stratford ,

r ancestor of the Earl of Aldborough . There he e ce ive d the news of the defeat of his fle e t by the

French off Beachy Head . 1 . 0 Story, in his Impartial History , p 7 , says

T im alin m - From we arched to Castle Dermot, where there stood in old time two or three Religious Houses, the ruins of which as yet remain ; one of these was of

Fr ars the y Minors , sackt and plundered by the Scots

1 3 1 6 . under Bruce, in the year In which year the Irish were here also overthrown by Edward B o ttilar

or ( Butler) Lord Justice of Ireland . Here the king d received some packets from Englan , giving him a f ff further account of his leet, and sea a airs , which was easily understood not to be very grateful , and as is suppos ed was the occasion of our slow marches .

Several Protestants every day came to the camp , all expressing their great j oy and satisfaction for his ’ Majesty s presence and their deliverance .

The army rested a day at Castledermot , and the next ” day marched beyond Carlow . In 1 734 a charter school was founded at Castle CASTLEDERMOT . 2 1 dermot ; the site and a portion of the funds being i provided by Robert , nineteenth Earl of K ldare . It fi was the rst erected in Ireland . In 1 79 8 a large force of insurgents from Kildare and Wicklow, who were marching against Carlow, made an attempt to occupy Castledermot , but were ul o 6 th rep sed by a c mpany of the regiment, who were quartered there , under the command of Captain

Mince . The antiquities of Castledermot consist of the round tower attached to the church , and in the

- a church yard two stone crosses , a tomb stone ppa re ntl circu y of an abbot , and another with a curious lar perforation ; the ruins of the Franciscan abbey ; a tower of the Priory of Crouched Friars ; and the remains of the walls , and of a small portion of the

Tullow gate .

WOODST OCK CAST LE

AN D

T LE WHIT E CAS OF AT H" .

WOODSTOCK Castle was built about the year 1 1 9 0 by

St . Richard de Michael , Baron of Rheban , to defend an important ford over the Barrow, near Athy . His

R oh e si a only child , , heiress of Athy and Woodstock ,

- ur married Thomas Fitz Ma ice, and had an only son ,

John , created Earl of Kildare .

- There is a tradition that this John Fitz Thomas, while he was an infant, was in the castle when there

fir was an alarm of e . In the confusion that ensued v t the child was forgotten , and when the ser an return e d to seek him , the room in which he lay was found in ruins . While they were lamenting his supposed death they h e ard a strange noise proceeding from the top of one of the towers ; on looking up they saw a monkey h or ape, which was usually kept c ained , carefully holding the child in its arms . The Earl afterwards, " 2 4 WHITE CASTLE or ATH .

u in gratit de for his preservation, adopted the monkey for his crest and supporters , and some of his descend ants took the additional motto of No n imm e m o r

be n e ficii . 1 500 In Gerald , eighth Earl of Kildare , erected s the castle called the White Castle , on the oppo ite or

d . east bank of the river, to defend the bri ge of Athy

1 534 t wo In these castles , which had been strongly

th e garrisoned by Thomas , tenth Earl , at time of his rebellion , were taken by the Earl of Ossory , but were soon retaken by the Earl of Kildare , as , in 1 535 All February , , John en , the Master of the Rolls,

Offi ce in a letter in the State Paper , recommends the taking of the “Bridge of and in another letter it is mentioned that in the preceding Septem ” ber Athye had been occupied by the Irish allies E l ar . of the T These castles were retaken , but appear ff to have su ered much in these various assaults , as in

1 53 6 De utie July , , My Lord p went , according to

C o un saile re e dif e n the conclusion of the , to the y g and

fortifie n f m anour Wudst o cke and g o the of , the bridge ” An d 2 5th of Athie . 1 on the of the same month the Council state that they have left the T h e saure r of ” Warre s § for the contynue ng of the wo orks at the Bridge of Athy and

345 . a e e 11 22 8 . Ib. 25 1 . Ib. St t Pap rs , . f I

W . B b on . a a e 11 . 350 . Sir ra az NSt te P p rs , 2 5 WHI TE CASTLE or ATH" .

Le nst e r In a Memori al for the winning of y , for

th e Kin r warded by Council of Ireland to the g, in 1 53 h 7 , it is proposed t at to the younger brothers of good English families ”should be assigned forfeited

s As A n n oth e r W o o dst o ck e land , , to , with the Barony of An d in the same year Robert Cowley recommends that among the border castles to be assigned to suche as are marchers , men of warre , ” ” n r e t nu e s ul P a havi g good y , sho d be ass h Reban ” Wo dst o cke and . T "ohn Allen soon after recommended that when a parley was held by the Lord Deputy with any of the

i n Irish chiefs, he should reside one of the border I ’ A h ” f Mor t i e . castles . with O e in i 1 5 54 In the two castles , with the manors attached to them , were restored to Gerald, eleventh Earl of d Kil are .

1 5 9 9 D m m ok In May, , John y , in his Treatise of d w “ m Irelan , § rote This night the ar y lodged a m le Ath e m arke tt y from y , which hath beene a great

u towne, but bro ght by these late wars into the state

a n of a pore vill ge . Athie is divided i to two partes

r ve r l e th by the y of Barrow, over the which y a stone d t a i d bri ge, and upon y a castle ccup e by James Fitz

a e a e 41 4 St t P p rs , ii . .

' Ih . 446 . 4 1 I Ib. 90. ’ I r s Ar . e T a 3 1 i h ch Soci ty s r cts , vol. ii . p . . 2 6 WOODSTOCK CASTLE AND

fam li e pierce , a gentleman of the y of the Geraldines , who , so soone as our army approached the castle ye e lde d him se lfe to the mercy of the Lord Lieutenant

(Earl of Essex) . The Lord Lieutenant h avin e Ath e g put a guard in the castle of y , passed his forces over the Barrow by the bridge of the cas

r ve r o th e rw se d tle , which y being not y for able but

difficultie brid with , and the g thereof the onely waye ’ ue e ne s which leadeth into the Q county , the import ance of this enterprize easily appeareth (without any i A amplifycat on) unto every ignorant sence . t Wood stocke (a village scituate upon the Barrow) his Lord ship expected Vi ctu alls a daye or two for the re lie fe

r r Dur n e t m e of Ma ybu ge . y g the y that

i n cam e d at our army p at Woodstock, the rebels

st e alin e tempted the g of some of our horses, which being perceived by Sir Christopher Se ntlaure nce

r ve r (sonne to the Lord of Hoth) , he passed the y naked, and beinge followed by his men , reskewed the l praye and returned with the heade of a rebe l . About the same tym e the re be lls presented themselves 2 00 stronge to the sight of the castle of Rheban , distant

m le Wo o dstok a y from , where a parte of the army

. i South am then laye , but upon sight of the Er e of p ton, who hasted towards them in most soldier lyke

t ro o e and order , with a small p of horse foote , they

' re ty re d themselves to their boggs and from thence to