Imprimis, all the priests and religious persons dwelling within the said earl’s territories were daily pursued and persecuted by his majesty’s officers.  Sir Arthur Chichester told him, in the presence of divers noblemen and gentlemen, that he must resolve to go to church, or he would be forced to go.  This was contrary to the toleration which had been till then enjoyed, and he resolved rather to abandon lands and living, yea, all the kingdoms of the earth, with the loss of his life, than to be forced utterly against his conscience to any such practice.

When Sir George Carew was lord deputy, Captain Nicholas Pynnar and Captain Basil Brook, officers of the king’s forces at Lifford, plundered the earl’s tenants there, taking from them 150 cows, besides as many sheep and swine as they pleased.  Not satisfied with this spoil, they most tyrannically stripped 100 persons of all their apparel.  These outrages the earl complained of ‘in humble wise’ to the lord deputy, and could find no remedy; for the same year the garrisons of Lough Foyle, and Ballyshannon took from the earl’s tenants 400 cows for the victualling of the soldiers; and although the English council wrote to the lord deputy, requiring him to pay for the cattle in English money, the payment was never made.  When, in pursuance of a promise made to him by the lord deputy, he appeared before the king, to get new letters patent of his territories, &c., his property, in Sligo, Tyrawly, Moylurg, Dartry, Sir Cahir O’Dogherty’s country, and all Sir Nial O’Donel’s lands, were excepted and kept from him, together with the castle of Ballyshannon and 1,000 acres of land, and the whole salmon-fishing of the river Erne, worth 800 l. a year, ’the same castle being one of the earl’s chieftest mansion houses.’  They also took from him 1,000 acres of his best land, and joined it to the garrison of Lifford for the king’s use, without any compensation.  There were seven sheriffs sent into Tyrconnel, by each of which there was taken out of every cow and plough-horse 4 d., and as much out of every colt and calf twice a year, and half-a-crown a quarter of every shoemaker, carpenter, smith, and weaver in the whole country, and eight pence a year for every married couple.’

Sir Nial O’Donel was committed to prison by Tyrconnel, for usurping the title of O’Donel and taking his herds and tenants.  ’He broke loose from prison and killed some of his Majesty’s subjects.  For this the earl prosecuted him under a special warrant from the lord deputy; but notwithstanding all this, Carew gave warrants to Captains Pynnar, Brook, and Bingley, to make reprisals upon the earl’s tenants for the pretender’s use.  Accordingly three English companies joining with nine score of Sir Nial’s men, seized and carried away 500 cows, 60 mares, 30 plough-horses, 13 horses, besides food and drink to support the assailants for six weeks.  They were guilty of many other extortions, the country being extremely poor after the wars, and 17 of the