earl’s tenants were hindered from ploughing that season.  A certain horse-boy, who was sentenced to be hanged for killing one Cusack, was promised his life by Sir George Carew, if he accused Tyrconnel as having employed him to commit the murder.  The boy did make the accusation, which served no purpose ‘but to accelerate his hanging.’  Thus betrayed, he declared at the gallows, and in the presence of 400 persons, the sheriff of the county, and the portreve of Trim, he retracted the false confession.  A similar attempt was made with an Englishman, who was kept a close prisoner without food, drink, or light, in order to get him to accuse the earl of Cusack’s murder.  All such, with many other of the said Carew’s cruel and tyrannical proceedings, the earl showed to the council in England, which promised to give satisfaction by punishing the said Carew, who at his arrival in England did rather obtain greater favours than any reprehension or check of his doings, so as the earl was constrained to take patience for a full satisfaction of his wrongs.

Sir Henry Docwra, governor of Derry, levied 100 l. off Tyrconnel’s tenants for the building of a church in that city, but the money was applied by Sir Henry to his own use.  Carew ordered the troops under Sir H. Docwra, Sir H. Folliott, Sir Ralph Constable, Sir Thomas Roper, and Captain Doddington, to be quartered for three months upon Tyrconnel’s people, ’where they committed many rapes, and used many extortions, which the earl showed, and could neither get payment for their victuals nor obtain that they should be punished for their sundry rapes and extortions.’  Indeed there was never a garrison in Tyrconnel that did not send at their pleasure private soldiers into the country to fetch, now three beeves, now four, as often as they liked, until they had taken all; and when the earl complained, Carew seemed rather to flout him than any way to right him.  Sir H. Folliott’s company on one occasion took from his tenants thirty-eight plough-horses, which were never restored or paid for; at another time they took twenty-one, and again fourteen.  This being done in the spring of the year the tenants were hindered from ploughing as before.  During a whole year Folliott took for the use of his own house, regularly every month, six beeves and six muttons, without any manner of payment.  Captain Doddington and Captain Cole made free with the people’s property in the same manner.

’All these injuries he laid in a very humble manner before the lord deputy, but instead of obtaining redress he was dismissed by him in a scoffing manner, and even a lawyer whom he employed was threatened by Carew in the following terms:—­that he and his posterity should smart for his doings until the seventh generation; so that all the earl’s business was ever since left at random, and no lawyer dared plead in his cause.’