Catalogue description SIR EDMUND BUTLER.

"The words uttered by Sir Edmund Butler upon his first meeting with me, [the Earl of Ormond,] [The words in brackets were inserted by Carew between the lines.] in presence of those whose names are subscribed, as well as we could remember them."

"The 1st of September 1569, my brethren, Sir Edmund, Edward, and Piers, being by me sent for, came to me toward Kilkenny, where the said Sir Edmund prayed me, upon my faith and honour, to tell whether the Queen's Majesty was in health or no, and told me that he heard such reports from her Majesty as he could not be quiet in his mind till he were certain how she did. And when I gave him to understand that her Majesty was (God be thanked!) in very good health, he put off his murrion and thanked God of it, and prayed that she might so continue in as long and happy a reign as ever any King or Queen did. And so prayed his two brethren and all their company.

"After this, he made a grievous complaint unto me of the cruel and ill usages of my Lord Deputy and Sir Peter Carew, who (as he said) were not only contented to spoil him of all his land and living without any order of law, but also did what they could to bereave him of his life, and proclaimed him traitor to the Queen's Majesty, which grieved him most of all, having no cause or good ground so to do, saving only for that he shunned to come in my Lord Deputy's presence, whom he feared upon divers threatening words to take away his life and living without process of law, which was the cause that he did shun him, thinking that he would detain him till he had surrendered his land to Sir Peter Carew. And within three or four days after he had him proclaimed traitor, he being thereby amazed, and having sent his letters to my Lord Deputy to crave his protection to come before him to show his grief, and also to be employed in her Majesty's service in Connaught, or elsewheresoever it would please my Lord Deputy to appoint him; my Lord Deputy stayed his messenger prisoner in the castle of Dublin, and sent him no answer upon his letters, but suddenly sent Sir Peter Carew and Captain Gilbert with 300 horses of the [Queen's Majesty's army [Supplied from the original in the Record Office.]] to seek him, who set upon certain of his galloglasses and slew as many of them as they could, being such as have always served the Queen's Majesty under my leading, thinking to have slain himself if he had been with them.

"These and many other griefs and injuries he complained of, and to take God to witness and prayed that he might be dampned both body and soul if ever he meant to rebel or take part with any in the world against the Queen's Majesty, or if ever he meant to do any harm to my Lord Deputy; and for witness of the same, declared that he took not so much as a horse from his Lord in all his journey, and sent unto his Lord such of his men as chanced to be taken by some of the said Sir Edmund's men, but always sought to be revenged upon Sir Peter Carew, who to this day enjoyeth his living, if he could have gotten him out of my Lord Deputy's company.

"And for such hurts and offences as by occasion of my Lord Deputy and Sir Peter Carew's said dealings, he was driven to do and commit to others of the Queen's Majesty's subjects, he most humbly and lowly submitted himself to the Queen's Majesty's mercy, and promised to me to keep her Majesty's peace from henceforth to all her subjects, till it shall please her Highness to signify her pleasure how she will him demeaned; and whatsoever order it shall please her Majesty to take for him, he promised according to his bounden duty to stand to and accomplish the same. And if she will have him to serve in France or in any other place out of my Lord Deputy's danger, he will with a faithful and most willing heart so do; and in the mean time to serve her Majesty with all the power he hath or may have to the uttermost of his power at his own charges in any place in Ireland, so he be not driven to come in my Lord Deputy's presence or to serve in his company, which he refused to do; and promised hereupon to stay and keep the peace till I do let him to understand of my Lord Deputy's pleasure touching this and certain other requests that he hath to make to his Lord, now at this time of my repair unto him."

Signed: Thomas Ormo[n]de [& ] Oss. ["Ormodeosh" in this copy; corrected from the original in the Record Office.]; [Richard Montgaret] [This name is supplied from the original in the Record Office, being illegible in the copy.]; John Fernys; Christopher Ossr; Walter Archer, Sovereign of Kilkenny ; William Johnson, Dean of Kilkenny; Oliver Grace; Hare (i.e. Harry) Davells; Robert Harpoll; R. Sheeth; Edmund Butler.

Copy.

Calendar of the Carew Manuscripts preserved in the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth, ed. J. S. Brewer & W. Bullen (6 vols., 1867-73), vol. I, document 264.