Montgomery manuscripts

The Montgomery Manuscripts.
429
court, next y e town street, was of later erection, 12 * but by whom y e Worshipfull M r Mayor (who
left his brethren and place without y e Castle) being asked, could give his Grace no knowledge in
either of points ; because (said he) the Letters Pattents (granted by Queen Elizabeth to erect
y= town into A Corporation) spoke nothing thereof. So he beheaved himself at that time Like the
honest priest, onely as his Breviary taught him. 125 These and such like discourses passed in
"* Of later erection. — For information respecting the
walls and other public erections in Carrickfergiis, see
M'Skimin's History, third edition, pp. 106-11; and also
an interesting contribution to the Ulster Journal of
Archeology, vol. iii., pp. 272-291. It is rather sur-
prising that any Walls remained to protect Carrickfer-
gus, at the date referred to in the text, considering the
many startling vicissitudes which had befallen the place
during the preceding centuries. The nature of these
vicissitudes may be to some extent understood, from the
following contents of a Carew manuscript, 1578, entitled
A Note as well of the great losses as also of the good service
that the poor inhabitants of Knockfergus have had and done :
— "They killed Brian Balloughe, lord of Clandeboye,
who continually annoyed the townsmen, with divers of
his men. In revenge, his son burned the town. They
were glad to compound with him for ^40 yearly, which
has been paid ever since. The lord of Killholtoughe, a
traitor, took away all the cattle belonging to the town.
The mayor and twenty-four aldermen and freemen were
slain, and thirty-two taken, who were glad to pay all
their goods for their ransom. When the king's majesty
(Henry VIII.) was at wars with France and Scotland
there went a great navy of ships out of Scotland, with the
number of 10,000 men, to aid the French king, and their
governors were the Earl of Arran, whose name was the
the Lord of Hamilton, and the Lord Flemmynge with him,
who landed at Knockfergus, and attempted to win the
town, but without success. The Lord Flemmynge's bro-
ther was slain, with 40 of his men. Not passing twelve
days after, the mayor with 200 men landed at Loughrean,
(now Loughryan) in Scotland, burned and spoiled much corn
and mani houses, and killed 60 men, besides a number
of cattle. At the same time the Lord of the Out Isles,
Donell M'Donell, was agreed to serve the king for ^600,
and came to Knockfergus with 4,000 men and 60 galleys.
The money being not ready, the mayor and others gave
him 300 beefs, and went in pledge for the payment of the
£600, after the payment whereof, they were forced to pay
.£40 ere they were released. The lord of the country,
Con O'Neale, took away 400 kine, and slew the mayor
and constable of the king's castle, with 24 of the towns-
men. There came also Rory M'Quylen, who brought
with him M 'Lane's brother, with 600 Scots, meaning to
sack the town, and they set fire in four parts of it. The
townsmen killed one of the chiefest captains and 20 men.
By crafty means William Wallis, the mayor, and Mr.
Corbett were carried away by Con O'Neill, and were
forced to pay ,£50 for their ransom. An alderman was
also taken and most cruelly handled by him. Hugh
M'Boye O'Neill, being after him lord of that country,
compelled one of the aldermen to pay a ransom of ^200.
Hugh M'Neale Oge, being a traitor, and lord of the
country after him, came to Knockfergus with 1,000 Scots,
and set fire in four parts of the town. Not long after,
when Mr. Powell was discharged with his band from
Knockfergus, and the abbey was given to the said Hugh,
the latter challenged a wrong custom, and said if he had
it not, he would suffer neither man nor child to come out
of their houses, but he would kill them ; so they agreed
to give him five tuns of wine and £,\o yearly. Con
M'Neale Oge took away 100 neat and other cattle. Not
passing twenty days after he had placed 200 men by night
in the middle of the town, to kill Sir Brian M'Fellomy,
and then to win the town. Perceiving they were hardly
beset by him, they give to Sorolaboye M'Donell £,20
sterling in wine, silk and saffron to assist them. Brian
Balloughe, laid a strain in the corn, and took all their
cattle to the number of 600. They wrote to Sorolaboy
for restitution, but he made excuse. Not long after, the
said Brian Balloughe took all their cattle, and they gave
him certain silk, saffron, and wine to have their cattle
again ; and the said traitor drunk the same wine, and re-
ceived the said silk and saffron, and restored not one of
the neat back again, but cruelly handled the poor men
that went with the same unto him, and stripped them,
and took all their clothes from them. Captain William
Piers was then Constable of the King's Castle. Con
M'Neale Oge, in O'Neill's first wars, took all their cattle
divers times. Hugh Mc Fellomy, lord of that country,
demanded ,£40 beforetime paid to his ancestors. It was
paid until Sir Henry Sidney, by force of the Queen's
garrison, did cause the same to be stayed and withholden.
The town has been paved and environed with 'stagnes'
of water. Sydney gave them ^20 towards the repair of
the church. The inhabitants have increased from 20 to
200. About 40 fishermen daily frequent the seas, and
there are about 60 ploughs belonging to the town. But
if order be not taken for the thorough victualling of the
Queen's soldiers there, the townsmen came not so fast
thither, but will faster depart. " — Calendar of Carew JI/SS. ,
(1575— 1588), pp. 146—148.
I2 ' Breviary taught Aim. — Probably the earliest notice
of the existence of a corporation in Carrickfergus is to be
found in the record of a commission dated the 21st of
February, 1374, granting to the mayor and commons
permission to bring eight weys (six quarters, or 48 bushels)
of wheat to that town. In a record of the 2nd July, 1402,
Henry IV. is stated to have exempted the mayor and
burgesses of Carrickfergus from the annual rent of 100s,
as the corporation had determined to rebuild the town,
which had been then recently burned by the king's enemies.
A charter of the 21st March, the nth of Elizabeth, is re-
corded in a memoranda roll of the exchequer; and
another charter in the 44th year of the same reign.
Carrickfergus obtained four charters in the reign of James
I., the principal of which is that of the 14th December,
1613, enrolled in chancery. In that of 1st May, 1623,
the king erects a corporation by the name of "Mayor,
Constables, and Society of Merchants of the Staple of the
Town." The charter of 1610 grants that the town and
certain adjoining lands "should be for ever one entire
H 2